To the Streetquake's Casualties

摘要

Given this week's events, what advice would you give to the employees of Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers ? First, we'd like to say that we're really sorry for their sense of loss. Being acquired and getting laid off are experiences that can hit you like a death in the family. The shock, sadness, anger, and confusion can make you want to enter into a period of protracted mourning. Such a response is only normal. But career-wise, such a response can be disastrous. Look, we're not about to blithely tell Merrill's roughly 60,000 employees and Lehman's 22,000 to put on a happy face and get on with life. A massive earthquake just struck Wall Street; people will be reeling for a while. But to the employees most directly affected, we are saying that you can't reel too long. At Merrill, people need to quickly adopt a No Resistance Mind Set. And at Lehman, they need to act fast to avoid the Vortex of Defeat.