Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #2 - Baldvin Oddsson vs Brian Chesky

THE ZERO: Baldvin Oddsson, The Musicians Club

The story: Baldvin Oddsson, CEO of a musical-instrument online storefront, fired 90% of his staff—99 out of 110 employees and freelancers—via Slack message for missing just one morning meeting at 8:30 a.m.

His message: "For those of you who did not show up to the meeting this morning, consider this your official notice: you're all fired... I gave you an opportunity to make your life better, to work hard, and to grow. Yet you have shown me that you don't take this seriously... Those 11 get to stay. The rest of you are terminated. Get the f*** out of my business right now."

The kicker? Many workers fired from the Musicians Club were unpaid remote part-timers. The company relies on remote interns willing to work for free. An anonymous worker told the outlet there was "virtually no notice of a meeting."

Why it's performer: His mind was filled with his expectations, his frustration, his opportunity that they wasted. The language is revealing—"I gave you an opportunity to make your life better." He sees himself as the gift-giver. The benefactor. The 99 people who didn't show up weren't humans with schedules and contexts—they were ungrateful recipients of his generosity.

A hero asks: "Why didn't 99 people show up?" A performer asks: "How dare 99 people disrespect me?"

What heroic would look like: "We had a serious attendance issue this morning. Before I make any decisions, I need to understand what happened. Team leads, please reach out to everyone who wasn't there and report back by end of day."

THE HERO: Brian Chesky, Airbnb

The story: In May 2020, Airbnb had lost 80% of its business virtually overnight. Barely two months into the pandemic, Airbnb laid off a quarter of its employees—1,900 people.

Chesky delivered the news in a way that should make most CEOs take notice. The 3,374-word letter addressed employees with an empathetic tone, showcasing passion for the company and care for the workforce.

Why it's heroic: His mind was filled with the question: What do these 1,900 people need right now?

The answer became the most generous severance package in tech history:

• Employees in the US will receive 14 weeks of base pay, plus one additional week for every year at Airbnb.
• We are dropping the one-year cliff on equity for everyone we've hired in the past year so that everyone departing, regardless of how long they have been here, is a shareholder.
• In the US, we will cover 12 months of health insurance through COBRA.

But the most heroic move? Chesky's team drew up a massive database of their laid-off staff for recruiters, with the CEO also calling other high-profile entrepreneurs to see if they could take on any of the staff.

He personally called other CEOs to find his people jobs.

"With layoffs you should just make sure you do more than what's expected, you're incredibly compassionate, and that you allow people to leave the company with dignity," Chesky says.

The result: Employees, although certainly distressed after hearing the news, took to social media to express their gratitude for the thorough messaging, making them some of the brand's most certifiable ambassadors. Airbnb went public later that year.

THE FRAMEWORK

THE LESSON

Both leaders faced a moment where employees didn't meet expectations. One filled his mind with his own grievance. One filled his mind with what his people would need next.

The hero's journey doesn't mean you never have hard conversations or make difficult cuts. It means that even in the hardest moments, the question isn't "How did they fail me?" but "How do I serve them through this?"