I think Julie's post applies to all employees, not just the superstars. Not all of us may be able to talk to the CEO, but we all have bosses we can talk to. I think the point of the article was to say that it's better to take action than hope you're not the one getting canned.

By approaching your boss BEFORE they initiate the laying off of people, you're making their jobs easier. It's one less uncomfortable "it's not you, it's us" talk they have to give. They will appreciate this. Perhaps not to the tune of a sweet severance package, but maybe a better reference letter than your no-action coworkers.

A couple of years ago, a friend was working as an HR person at a major theme park. They wanted to reduce headcount and offered everyone a chance to quit on their own and take a severance package OR risk getting laid off with no severance package. The writing was clearly on the wall, but my friend was surprised at how few people took the severance package. Sure enough, when the time came, not enough had people left on their own and many were laid off with no severance pay.

If your company is going through a tough time and are about to layoff people, leave on your own terms and you'll be better off than the people who stick their head in the sand and hope they're not on the chopping block.