"The new CEO wants his own people in place."
"Your position is being eliminated."
"We are relocating your job. You have the option to move..."
It is a virtual certainty that all of us will hear one of the phrases above - or some variation - during our careers. Leaving a job on anything but your own terms can impact a person on several levels, whether it be economic or financial, or from an identity and ego perspective.
My observation and experience is the process follows a process similar to losing a loved one. Grief, denial, anger, etc. all play into it. It can be challenging when we get personal with a job and really buy in to the company or the position, and then get tossed out. At some point, we come to the realization and acceptance of the new "normal" and make plans for moving ahead.
There is a silver lining in all of this, one that we often fail to see. The experience of losing a job offers lessons that at a minimum make us wiser, and can even add to our portfolio of talents. It forces us to be objective or at least recognize the world of work and the realities of business today. Acknowledging this - while fighting cynicism - guides our future choices on career options and opportunities.
We are in a period of rapid change. Companies and industries come and go. Organizations search for new ways to meet their objectives, and make decisions that impact us. What was important six months ago in a firm or position can become irrelevant.
Recognize that even when a company no longer values you skills, knowledge, and contributions, that it does not equate to YOU and your value as a person and professional. The reality is that you are just as smart, talented, and and capable the day after you were released as you were the day before.
Maybe even more so as you are wiser for the experience.
The need for a person to do your job at Company X may have went away, but the need for smart, talented, and adaptable people never does.
"Your position is being eliminated."
"We are relocating your job. You have the option to move..."
It is a virtual certainty that all of us will hear one of the phrases above - or some variation - during our careers. Leaving a job on anything but your own terms can impact a person on several levels, whether it be economic or financial, or from an identity and ego perspective.
My observation and experience is the process follows a process similar to losing a loved one. Grief, denial, anger, etc. all play into it. It can be challenging when we get personal with a job and really buy in to the company or the position, and then get tossed out. At some point, we come to the realization and acceptance of the new "normal" and make plans for moving ahead.
There is a silver lining in all of this, one that we often fail to see. The experience of losing a job offers lessons that at a minimum make us wiser, and can even add to our portfolio of talents. It forces us to be objective or at least recognize the world of work and the realities of business today. Acknowledging this - while fighting cynicism - guides our future choices on career options and opportunities.
We are in a period of rapid change. Companies and industries come and go. Organizations search for new ways to meet their objectives, and make decisions that impact us. What was important six months ago in a firm or position can become irrelevant.
Recognize that even when a company no longer values you skills, knowledge, and contributions, that it does not equate to YOU and your value as a person and professional. The reality is that you are just as smart, talented, and and capable the day after you were released as you were the day before.
Maybe even more so as you are wiser for the experience.
The need for a person to do your job at Company X may have went away, but the need for smart, talented, and adaptable people never does.
