How businesses handle redundancies is a leadership choice, now is the time to show your true values
Businesses notoriously don't handle redundancies well. After the tough decisions of having to reshape, rethink, redirect resources, they think their work is done. But that’s just where it starts. When the news breaks its not just a communication team’s issue. It’s a leadership issue, it’s an operations issue, a brand issue, a strategic choice about how redundancies are handled, and the impact on future success. Now is the time for business to show their true values.
Forget CV writing, prioritise being kind to yourself when you lose your job
Give yourself a break. Take off the pressure. Panic won’t speed up the process of getting another job, if anything it will slow you down and get in your way. Be kind to yourself. When you get made redundant you might jump straight into writing your CV, searching for jobs that match your previous job title, writing applications, but there are so many others things you should be focusing on. You aren't just getting a job. You are dealing with shock, you have to give yourself time to digest and reflect, you are dealing with yourself and yourself can be brutally unkind.
Comparison is the thief of joy Theodore Roosevelt said.
It’s complicated. That feeling we get when we see others doing stuff that we want to do. It’s a mix of emotions. How that person is making us feel. That person is not making you feel anything. You are. It is a choice. We are choosing. Choose how we react. Choose how we want to use our reaction. Choose what we want to do next. Give up. Keep going. Pause. Change something. Ask for help. Do it anyway. Comparison is the thief of joy. It can also be the source of joy. It’s hard. But it’s possible.
When one door closes... the space in-between
You have to work, slowly but surely, on your mind chatter. Each day moving yourself into a space of control and optimism, curiosity and open mindedness. Let go of things that aren’t helping you move on, and create room for good stuff to come in. The space in-between can be a challenge of emotions but you can make in a space of discovery. Keep an open mind, remain hopeful, be optimistic. A door maybe closing for you, but if you give yourself space to think, allow ideas to roam, could it be, could it possibly be, a good thing could come out of this for you.
How to tell someone they have been made redundant
Listening to endless uncomfortable stories about how people were made redundant shows there is a real need for support. As someone who has been made redundant, and who has had to tell people their jobs have gone, I can empathise that the situation is challenging and pressured for all parties. Line Managers need as much support as individuals affected. And if this support is in place, then the experience is better for everyone involved.
Sometimes redundancy is personal, but it can still be a gift
If you find yourself singled out for redundancy, take it personally. But take it personally to think about what drove that situation. Were you meeting expectations? Were you struggling, and didn’t ask for help? Were you struggling, and you did ask for help? Did your face just not fit? Are you in the wrong job?
Don’t waste time feeling bitter. Spend time thinking about what’s going on for you. The organisation has moved on. You need to as well. And you need to take ownership for your future and your success.
Sometimes it is just about money, and that's ok
It’s not always about running down a beach living your dream job. Sometimes your priorities are driven by Life. As long as you know your why, and you know life is always work in progress you are doing ok.
Why leaving your 9 to 5 might not be the answer
Before you ditch your 9 to 5 take time to think about what it is that’s making you feel stuck. While you are in the great place of earning money while you think about it, you can afford the time to thinker deeper about causes, the role you play in your what you are feeling, and be clearer on what you want to happen next.
How entrepreneurial thinking can help you in everyday life
Being an entrepreneur is much more than a grand title. It’s an attitude and a way that things get done. And that attitude and approach can be used in everyday life. Entrepreneurial thinking isn’t exclusive for the 5% super successful in this world, it’s an attitude that anyone can adopt to make life a bit better.
How Tiny Habits can help you achieve big things
“Our negative bias, which keeps us safe and minimises risk, unfortunately keeps us stuck. To change something in your life you have to start somewhere. Tiny habits puts you over the line towards change, all you have to do is keep looking forward, don’t take a step back, do small achievable steps and you’ll start to create the shift”.
You’ve just been made redundant and you are worried about paying bills…
This is a temporary situation. Take some sensible action now to give yourself space to think and breathe. Trust yourself. You will find a solution. You’ve got this.
Five books to read when you've been made redundant...
Books can change your life. If you were to spend an hour of time with the author it would cost you a whole lot more than the £9.99 you’ve just spent on their 80,000 words of wisdom. So if all that knowledge and wisdom is out there, why is it still so hard to act? Because we have to know what to do with it. Because we have to believe we can do something with it. Because we have to do something with it. We have to. No-one else.
So read the books. Listen to the webinars. Get people around you to support you all the way. And then take action. Do what the book says. Follow the action. And keep going. Always.
Guest Blog: "Three things I didn't know about being made redundant that aren't talked about"
Guest blog by Anonymous contributor. “There are three things I didn’t know when being made redundant that I’ve not heard anyone talk about. There are more than three things I didn’t know clearly, but my point is that these are three things I never heard anyone mention. The first two are lighter, maybe contemporary topics. The third one is a more anxious issue.”
No-one wants to work with me!
There are some jobs that people just don’t want to find themselves having to work with. But how reassuring to know that if you ever need that help, it’s here, maybe not wearing a cape and flying through the sky, but here.
Getting to know yourself
Have you ever thought about who are you? Do you really know yourself? The way you think about yourself, the way that you define yourself and the way that society and who your social circles are, all influences ‘you’ and therefore the life you are living. Layer than with the things you are good at, the environment and circumstances where you thrive, and you start to get a really good picture on why you are feeling stuck. And how you you can help yourself move forward. You have more answers to help yourself than you think.