For this blog series, I’m going to focus on a coaching client of mine who has seen the highest highs and lowest lows in the past year. Let’s start at the bottom.
I’m thankful I’ve never been through and pray I never have to experience it, but divorce seems like one of the most difficult decisions people reach and then execute. Almost never done in haste, a divorce is knowingly and willingly walking into the great unknown. You’re trading in the life you know for a chance at a better life.
The only thing I can think of that comes even close to divorce on a professional scale is when somebody gets laid off or fired. Laid off is the equivalent of, “It’s not you, it’s me.” And a firing is the organization saying, “We’re better off without you.”
Being fired can come as a great surprise, as it was for one of my clients who I’ll call Todd in this example. Todd, for sure, was unhappy with his job. He had been seeing me for about two months trying to get a passion back for the industry he worked, animation for a major movie company.
As anyone can see, the technology for animation has changed greatly in the last 20 years. It finally reached a point where Todd was either uncapable, or unwilling, to keep up.
Nonetheless, as he was walking into the tiny office he shared with two other animators on a Tuesday morning, he was intercepted by his boss, the next-level boss and a person from Human Resources. After being shown metrics that proved he was failing in his position and presented with a severance package most only dream of, he was allowed to gather his things, say goodbye to his officemates and leave.
When it came time for our Zoom call the next day, Todd shared the news. He also shared that he’d never been fired before. He’d quit, he’d been laid off and another company went under, but he never was fired. I urged him to do the following:
Don’t Take it Personally: I know it’s hard to do this when being singled-out and terminated but try to recognize that those above you in the corporate food chain determined that their organization would either operate more efficiently without you, or that the resources devoted to you could better be used on somebody else. Todd simply didn’t have the skills to keep up in the fast-paced digital animation world. If you’re making animation, that’s not the guy that you want to have working for you.
Get It in Writing: Every job interviewer is going to wonder why you are no longer at your last place of employment. If you can have those reasons in black-and-white to show an employer, that will potentially put you in a better position.
Grieve and Decompress: Todd devoted over 20 years of his life to this studio. Many there became his extended family. He never imagined he would be let go. It feels like a betrayal of sorts. It’s like a death or the end of a relationship. Don’t make any rash decisions or moves until you’ve had time to sit things out for a bit and process what happened.
Be Grateful: For 20 years Todd worked on some of the biggest animated features that came out of Hollywood. He met amazing people and was compensated well. All he wanted to do as a child was a job where he could draw pictures all day. Todd achieved that dream and while that’s bittersweet in retrospect, he should think of everything the studio and its executives were able to provide him and his family for two decades.
If you’ve been considering talking to a career development coach but feel like you may be seen as a black sheep or stick out like a sore thumb, I promise you that you’re losing valuable time. There’s a proper track and a place for you out there. The real question is if you want it enough to talk to somebody like me who knows how to help.
But before you talk to me, prove it to yourself. Check out ArnelDuvet.com and take the career satisfaction quiz. Don’t tell yourself you’re just having yet another bad day. Maybe it’s time to consider making a change. Take this quiz and we’ll calculate your score and let you know if you’re satisfied where you are or if it’s time to follow your destiny.