You lose key perks. The chief of staff for a sports-team owner found his parking space was occupied and was told a vendor had mistakenly taken it, says Arlyn Imberman, his New York executive coach. The car actually belonged to someone interviewing for the man's job. It was the beginning of his end. The team owner forced him to resign six months later.
Gifts go by the wayside.
A now-defunct New York clothing chain used to give every top executive a holiday fruit basket. One December, the CEO deliberately skipped his underperforming finance chief, recollects Ms. Imberman, then the chain's head of human resources. The next year, the man was dismissed. Subordinates attend high-level meetings. Shortly before Walker Digital handed out layoff notices to 100 of its 125 employees last November, lower-level officials joined sessions previously limited to vice presidents.