Being fired implies a lack of choice, a forced move, usually a specific end-date that you&#x27;re going to be gone by. There&#x27;s a power imbalance in the interaction which is so devastating to people.<p>I tread very carefully around the comparison and fully admit the different scale, but this kind of power-imbalance is exactly the reason why kidnapping and rape are considered so serious. The psychological damage the forced actions have on a person are painful. Being fired sucks because there was no choice involved, your life is changing right now and there&#x27;s nothing you can do about it because you have no power.<p>The article is talking about a method by which that equation of power imbalance is shifted to something more equal in nature. It&#x27;s about getting the other person to agree to the statement &quot;I should not be working here, in this role&quot;.<p>When both sides agree, it stops being a power-imbalanced forced action and becomes working together to find a better place to be in the future. That&#x27;s the core difference here.<p>I&#x27;ve seen it done right, and I&#x27;ve seen it done wrong, and I am in awe of the managers I&#x27;ve had who can do it right.