Layoff. Downsizing. Right-sizing. Reduction in Force.
No matter what the popular term of the day might be, the reality of layoffs is now with us. We’re in a downturn and it’s going to last a while. And while companies may be trying to find the nicest way to lower the boom, if the boom is falling toward you, there is no ‘nice’ about it.
Unless you make it so – which you can.
Early in my career I was laid off. It was part of a mass layoff in the corporation in which I worked. Ten percent of the workforce were let go in one fell swoop.
No warning. Nothing. Just an announcement, a few weeks’ notice and the availability of the company’s phone system to make calls to potential employers in the interim.
That, I thought, was the worst day of my life.
In fact, it was one of the best – because on leaving the company that afternoon and going to a friend’s house, I was met with a bottle of champagne and the greeting, “Welcome to your future!”
Being laid off is never easy, but it also isn’t personal. You weren’t selected because you’re you. You were part of a larger decision within which senior management, of necessity, turns people into numbers and functions. Then they decide. Even then, it isn’t personal. It’s isn’t about you. It’s about the economy, the company’s financial health, their position in the market…anything and everything but you.
So, as soon as you’ve gotten that glass of champagne in your hand (and make it a good bottle!), the next thing you do is remember that you still have the skills and smarts that you had a few hours earlier. In fact, you have even more because you now understand what leads a company to the point of having to make the layoff decisions.
You’ve just become a smarter manager – and a better survivor.
The next step is to ask yourself, what do I want? What, in the job that I had, was the part that I really enjoyed?
Where did I shine? How did I add the greatest value to the organization? For what was I most recognized?
Then, go back to “What do I want?” because that’s the key question of all.
Being laid off isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning. Even better, it’s the beginning of what you want your next career steps to be.
Look at which types of companies and industries aren’t being as affected by the downturn. What is it you can offer them that will ensure your enjoyment and greatest success while simultaneously offering them the benefit of your skills and talents?
Or maybe you want to be an entrepreneur. Have you friends with whom you’ve had hours of “what if” conversations that you’ve never moved on? This is the time to do so.
Turning your layoff into career success is up to you – and you can do it. Just start by celebrating.
