In the early 1990s i was asked to consult with a consumer call center leadership team in a remote, rural location. I met with the team’s senior leadership (three individuals) to discuss the request. At the meeting i was informed that the call center would soon be shut down, resulting in job loss for all center members, approximately 150 employees. The call center was located in a rural area in a small town. The best paying jobs in the town were known to be in the company’s call center. Most of the employees in the call center had no education beyond high school and many employees were the main sources of income for their families. A number of the call center employees were women in single parent households. Most of the employees were not eligible for retirement benefits and the market for new jobs of a comparable nature was not promising. The employees had grown very dependent on the company for both their income and their sense of self-worth and identity. Though the employees were part of a union, the union could not do much to help with the situation due to the rural circumstances. Were how to have an orderly transition and at the same time enable the employees to survive the change without a serious, negative impact. Put in other words, the ship was going down and the company wanted to help the employees into lifeboats.