Relationships in LP

There’s a moment that happens in this profession that no one really prepares you for.

It’s not the promotion. It’s not the first big case. It’s not even the first time you walk into a difficult store situation. It’s the moment your job ends.

Sometimes it’s expected. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s handled well. Sometimes it isn’t. But almost always, something else happens that leaves a mark far deeper than the job loss itself.

The silence.

The Moment Everything Gets Quiet

You’ve spent years building relationships with peers, store teams, solutions providers, and with leaders. These are people you’ve traveled with, solved problems with, and shared wins with.

People who said things like: “Call me anytime.” “We’re like family.” “I’ve got your back.” Then one day… you’re no longer in the role.

And the phone doesn’t ring.

The Reality We Don’t Talk About

In LP, we pride ourselves on relationships.

We say it all the time: “This is a relationship business.” But here’s the uncomfortable question:

Are they relationships… or are they roles? Because when the title goes away, many of those “relationships” quietly disappear with it.

Not out of malice and not out of bad intent. But out of something more revealing: They were tied to proximity. To convenience. To a shared business purpose.

Not to you.

The Quote That Hits Different

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” That quote lands differently when you’ve lived it.

You see, during a job loss you don’t expect your critics to reach out. But you do notice who doesn’t.

And that silence is loud.

The Hidden Cost of Our Pace

To be fair, this isn’t just about others. It’s about all of us. We move fast in this profession. We’re busy. We’re reactive. We’re focused on the next issue, the next call, the next fire.

And relationships often become… situational.

We stay connected because:

But when the situation changes, the connection fades. Not intentionally. Just… naturally.

The Test We Don’t Study For

The truth is that job loss is one of the clearest tests of a relationship. Not the only test. But one of the most honest.

Because in that moment, there’s nothing to gain. No decision to influence. No project to collaborate on. No business outcome tied to the interaction.

Just a simple choice: Do I reach out… or not?

It reveals who values you beyond your role. Who sees you as more than a title. Who understands that careers are chapters—not identities. And it also reveals something else, if we’re willing to look at it honestly:

How often we’ve been on the other side of that silence.

Think about it. How many former colleagues have quietly exited the business…
And we told ourselves:

“I should reach out.” But didn’t. Not because we didn’t care. But because we got busy, we didn’t know what to say, we assumed they were fine, or we figured we’d connect later.

But later never came.

Relationships Without Transactions

What if we treated relationships differently?

Not as networks, resources, or connections, but as people. People who experience loss, go through uncertainty, question their value, or need encouragement. Not professionally, but personally.

When someone loses a role, they don’t just lose a job. They lose routine, identity, confidence, and community. Sometimes, they feel like they lost their relevance.

A simple message can change that.

It Doesn’t Take Much

This isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about small ones. A text saying, “Hey, I heard the bad news. Thinking about you.”

Or maybe a call: “No agenda. Just wanted to check in.” Possibly a note: “You mattered here. Don’t forget that.”

That’s it. No solutions. No advice. No networking angle. Just presence.

We talk a lot about culture in LP. About partnership. About trust. About teamwork. But culture isn’t built in meetings. It’s revealed in moments like this. In how we show up when there’s nothing to gain. In whether we stay connected when someone no longer has a title attached to their name.

A Different Standard

What if we held ourselves to a different standard? Not: “Who do I need to stay connected with?” But rather: “Who do I want to show up for?”

Not: “What can this relationship do for me?” But rather: “What kind of person am I within this relationship?”

Because titles change and roles end. But reputations?

Those stay.

So… Change My Mind

If you believe most professional relationships are meant to exist only within the boundaries of a role—and that once that role ends, the connection naturally should too — I’d genuinely like to hear that argument.

But maybe we’ve been thinking about relationships all wrong. Maybe the real test isn’t how we show up when someone is in a position of influence. Maybe it’s how we show up when they’re not. Because long after the job is gone…people won’t remember what you said in meetings.

They’ll remember whether you said anything at all.

David E. George, CFE, CFI, is the Managing Partner of Calibration Group, Inc., and of its subsidiary, TalkLPnews. Previously, David served as Vice President of Asset Protection for Dollar General Stores, a company with more than 20,000 stores in 48 states. While serving Dollar General, David was responsible for the Asset Protection field team, the Asset Protection corporate team, the Shrink Improvement team, and the Shrink Analytics team.

Prior to Dollar General, David held the Vice President of Asset Protection position with Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc., a regional chain based in Charlotte, NC. He served Harris Teeter for more than 14 years and has had previous loss prevention leadership roles with Kmart Supercenters.

For more information about Calibration Group, visit www.calibrationgroup.com.