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Whether you are ready for a change, or you feel the tide changing you can never be totally prepared for the loss of a job, a big commission account going to another company, or a deal that goes south. The good news is there are actions you can take to ride out the storm. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have months of savings and this was my case, here is my story.
It was Friday and I was going about my business at work. Sales had been slow and we had undergone some major changes and challenges at work. There was definitely some intense pressure that all the management team was facing. Everyone had struggles in their own way, but we seemed to be rallying together over the last weeks.
“Seth, we need to meet.”
I walked into the office and four managers were sitting around the table. I had just gotten back from a scheduled and much-needed vacation with my family a week prior. Our CEO began the meeting and went on to say that the last thirty-eight hours had been some of the worst hours of his professional career. He looked around the table and said we were all in jeopardy of losing our jobs and if we could not turn things around in two weeks we would all be replaced. We had all been working diligently to fix major issues for months and were slowly building momentum and rebranding a tarnished reputation from the last leadership group. Despite our efforts, the owners were not at all satisfied with our process and they wanted to make a change and I was supposed to be fired today as the example. To say I was a little shocked would be an understatement.
We all think we are the best thing since sliced bread but the reality is that everyone is replaceable. Drew Bledsoe was an all-pro quarterback for the New England Patriots until he was replaced by one of the all-time best to ever play the game, Tom Brady. There is always someone out there that will take your job, your account, or undercut the deal you thought you had. In my case, the owners were ready to find their Tom Brady and I was Drew Bledsoe left to recreate myself with another team or contemplate early retirement at age forty-one. The managers lobbied and begged the owners on my behalf and cashed in all of their chips for two more weeks with me. We huddled, came up with a game plan on how we could accomplish the Big Harry Audacious Goal the owners wanted us to achieve. I was furious walking out of that meeting. My head felt like it would explode. I felt hurt, betrayed, duped by the owners and a scape goat for poor management. My most intense feeling was irritated. My feeling looked like a kid being accused of stealing something they did not. My feeling smelt like burnt toast. It felt like a mosquito bite in the middle of your back that would drive you crazy for weeks.
This is a real test of your character is when someone draws a line in the sand and you have everything to lose and nothing to gain.
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The fact was they had put a bounty on my head and I was the one that was going to get run over by the bus. Although I felt appreciated by my team and felt thankful they valued me so greatly to put their own necks out on the line for my job, there was a piece of me that wished they had just shot me in the back of the head and put me out of my misery. After the initial shock of the meeting, I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me while retracting the impulse to go all Michael Douglas in Falling Down. I had two weeks to get my affairs in order, I wasn’t dead yet but I was definitely on life support.
The first thing I had to do was make the decision to either pack it in and coast like a glorified two-week vacation, or I could dig my heels in and double my efforts while supporting and backing up my team to prove the owners wrong. This for me wasn’t an easy decision. For one, I now knew where the owners stood with me, I was another number to them, and they could care less about the time and effort I had put in to change their business reputation. They didn’t care about my wife, my two kids, my car payment, my bills, and my reputation. Those were things that I care about, they cared about the bottom line and their money. I had to approach this decision knowing damn well at the end of this two-weeks no matter how hard I worked and the team worked and even if we hit the unrealistic goal they set I would still be out on the street.
This is a real test of your character is when someone draws a line in the sand and you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. I mean, my reward at the end of the two weeks is that the owners that don’t give a crap about me unless they are able to afford their Aston Martin leases decided they want to extend my employment until the next time they are unsatisfied with the bottom line. My team, on the other hand, the people that I am in the trenches with, were depending on me to help get them to the finish line.
Who was I going to be?
Sometimes we are called to rise above our own interests and set our pride and ego aside not to prove the asses in the fancy sunglasses wrong but to give it our all for those that stand up for us and need our help. I guess you know what my decision was. A saying from the Greatest Coach of all time John Wooden resonated in my soul “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you’re capable.”
Now I am not naïve by any stretch of the word and I knew with almost 100% certainty my time was done with this company whether it be two weeks, one month, or six months. I mean in my head, I had already buried this owner in the desert off the 15 on the way to Vegas. But that’s not the person I am, but you get my point, I knew soon enough it would be time to move on. What I did next is something that I feel is so important and gave me peace of mind to know that my family and I would be prepared when it was time to hit the unemployment line.
My Survival Guide:
Time to get skinny! I am not talking your weight but I am talking your overhead. First thing you have to do is have the conversation with your spouse and children if that applies to you and cut all unnecessary spending. That means the vacation is shelved, groceries get budgeted, say goodbye to Netflix’s, and the Starbucks coffees in the morning turns into Folders.
Create a streamlined budget and cut everything! Goodbye to cable tv, no more dinners out, no random trips in the car just wasting gas, put the 401k or stock purchases on freeze, and budget your dollar to every little penny that says: “In God We Trust”.
Try to get as much credit as you can! I know this may seem irresponsible but this could be the difference in floating you for one or two extra months covering your rent, mortgage, healthcare insurance, groceries, phone, and other bills that you can’t go without. You have to do this why you still can show your income stream.
Believe in your abilities and talents. Just because the owner of company no longer sees your value it doesn’t mean it is not there.
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Gather the information on all you credit cards and loans and get ready to have them on speed dial. As soon as you get the pink slip, call all of your accounts that have debt and ask them for a grace period on payment. Many lenders when you lose a job will help and assist you through this transition.
Before you get launched, use your health benefits: get the physical, clean your teeth, go get those glasses or contacts, order thirty-days of prescriptions and needed healthcare supplies. Research cheap insurance it may be better than COBRA insurance from your employer which can be very expensive.
Get extremely organized and don’t waste a minute. The clock is ticking you have fourteen-days, one pay check and then you have nothing in terms of revenue coming in so use your time wisely. Plan every hour of your day: revive that side business, hit up friends for leads for jobs, sell crap you have laying around the house, and get your resume out in circulation, call recruiters, or start that new business.
Put your plan together and work it to the letter. Be frugal and protective of your time and let your friends and family know that you have to focus on this over the next fourteen-days and that you may have to take a step back from other obligations and recreation that you used to enjoy in the past.
Believe in your abilities and talents.
Just because the owner of company no longer sees your value it doesn’t mean it is not there. Trust in your abilities and talents and have confidence that the next door that opens will be even better than the one that shut.
Communicate with your family and friends about the situation. I know it can be embarrassing to lose a job and you feel like you massively let your family down, but they are the ones who are going to pick you up and support you during this time. In fact, chances are they are the ones that are going to help you find that next job, give you the idea for your new business, or give you a helping hand until you get your much-deserved break. Take this time to work on yourself get in shape, eat right, do a cleanse, read, go to church, and gain clarity on the person you want to be. This is a great opportunity to start fresh and become the you, you know you should be!
Be persistent and don’t give up! It’s easy during this process to get depressed, get lazy, and just flat out give up. You have to create momentum to achieve success in your life. This is your time believe in your awesomeness and trust in your abilities!
There are too many incredible stories of those who lost jobs that went on to do remarkable things in their career. It’s your time now! Enjoy a little time to yourself when D-Day comes: read a book, meditate, pray, work on your health, incorporate a hobby into your day, spend time with your spouse and children, and know that brighter days are just around the corner! Then get to work like you have never worked before!
You got this…Live Your Dream
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
Love and miss you Seth! You got this!!
Anyone ever get canned? What were the feeling you felt? Curious.