Being Emphatic, when having tough conversations / laying off

Lately that amount of Layoffs that have happened and I have seen it happen in my previous company, where I was part of the laying off panel. I have seen leaders shying away from having tough conversations (giving feedback) or having them let go of certain people. These are leaders who have either risen in ranks or Founders / Co- founders who just don’t want to face that. What’s your take on it?