Part One:
Nail Your Core Value Before the Axe Swings
Executives everywhere are watching respected brands - Disney, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble—shrink white-collar headcount like it’s a new sport. The WSJ tallies a 3.5 % reduction at U.S. public companies in just three years (link) and the layoff drumbeat is still pounding. If you want to stay off the spreadsheet when Finance says “cut 10 %,” you need to become ‘Un-Layoff-Able’ - the person whose departure would punch an immediate hole in revenue, innovation, or customer trust.
This three-part series hands you the exact playbook I give my C-suite coaching clients. Part 1 gets your foundation poured - so solid that even an AI reorg can’t crack it.
1. Reality Check: Know the Game You’re Playing
Forget whisper-level rumors. Layoffs are data points, and the data is ugly:
Tech alone axed 22,000 jobs by mid-year 2025.
AI-driven restructuring has spread to retail, manufacturing, even old-guard conglomerates.
If you still think great performance protects you, ask the thousands of star performers shown the door at Meta or Intel this spring. Your shield isn’t tenure or talent - it’s provable, profit-linked value anyone can understand in 30 seconds.
2. Forge Your Non-Negotiable Value Proposition
Goal: Craft a one-sentence statement that makes your boss say, “Lay them off? We’d be out of our minds.”
The 5דWhat/Why” Drill:
What do you do? - “I run global procurement.”
Why does that matter? - “I negotiate vendor contracts.”
Why does that matter? - “We save on materials.”
Why does that matter? - “Lower COGS lifts gross margin.”
Why does that matter? - “Every 1% margin gain adds $4M to EBITDA.”
Sentence template:
“I protect $4M in EBITDA every year by cutting supply-chain costs 3% - even in inflationary markets.”
Paste that into your LinkedIn headline, your email signature, and the first 20 seconds of any Zoom intro. You’ve just labeled yourself too expensive to lose.
3. Weaponize Story-Powered Metrics
Bullet points like “Led cross-functional team” hit HR’s trash folder. Numbers plus narrative trigger recall and respect.
Use MY C-A-R frame:
Challenge: “Vendor prices spiking 11% post-pandemic.”
Action: “Renegotiated 22 contracts, introduced auction model.”
Result: “Banked $6.2M in hard savings; margin up 180 bps.”
Write three of these mini-case studies:
Profit Protector – Shows you add money.
Risk Destroyer – Shows you avert catastrophe (compliance, security, safety).
Growth Accelerator – Shows you open new revenue or markets.
Keep each to ≤150 words. Post one every other week on LinkedIn and watch recruiter DMs sprout like weeds.
4. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS
(DO THESE BEFORE NEXT WEEK):
Run the 5X “Why” drill; write your value sentence. (30 min)
Draft your first CAR story; get peer feedback. (45 min)
Update your LinkedIn headline and banner with your profit metric. (15 min)
Schedule a 30-minute meeting with your boss to learn which metrics they quote to leadership. (30 min)
Total time: about two hours - less than a movie night - and you’ll shift from “employee” to “irreplaceable asset.”
COMING UP IN PART 2:
We’ll build your Network-on-Demand System (the 25-contact grid that surfaces hidden jobs) and install a 15-minute-a-day Quiet Visibility Routine so opportunities chase you, not the other way around.
Finish your value sentence, polish your three stories, and tape them to your monitor. The axe might still swing, but when the spreadsheet shows your name, the numbers beside it will scream, “Untouchable.”