It was a normal, busy day in the office and I had been at this company for nearly 5 years making a lot of progress and impressing senior leaders across the organization. In fact, I’d just undergone a leadership development assessment and scored extremely high. So when I got an email for a meeting with my boss’s boss, I knew for sure I was getting promoted. And so the morning of the scheduled meeting, I was dressed to the nines, ready for my glorious moment. But… as I walked into the meeting, I noticed in addition to my boss was another woman whom I’d never met. Thinking nothing of it, I confidently walked into the meeting with a smile. But there was to be no reciprocating. I sat and listened as my boss explained that due to a cross company re-organization, my position was being eliminated.
It felt like I had suddenly gone deaf. The human resources woman went began speaking of resources, benefits, compensation and things that were not sinking into any part of my senses. Was I dreaming? Or was this really happening? What happened to my supposed promotion that I’d worked so hard for the past years? I found myself crying and then suddenly, I pulled it together. (All in a span of maybe 5 minutes). I thanked my boss and the human resources woman for the opportunity to have been a part of the organization and then I went home with a heavy heart.
The devastation was real. I must have cried on and off silently to myself for days. I’d just experienced my first “lay off’ and it was a blow. I took about a week off to do nothing but enjoy my family, spiritually connect with God, get back in the gym, watch my favorite shows that I’d missed for so long and rest. However, about a week later, I got back to work. I was determined to turn this situation into a beautiful melody.
I crafted a schedule for myself. My new job was “job searching”. I had a schedule from 9am -5pm, Monday to Friday, of activities I did to further my job search. They ranged from online and in person resume writing courses, to establishing a strong social media (LinkedIn) presence, building contact lists and actually emailing them to let them know I was back in the job market, networking with former colleagues/mentors, and visiting employment agencies. I strategically worked out a system to get myself back into the job force but in a bigger and better way that more closely aligned with my career goals.
Within 2 months, I began receiving calls for interviews, pretty much on a bi-weekly basis however none were a good fit. While some declined me positions, I declined others. In the end, 7 months later, I’d received the best job offer I’d had since the start of my career as it’s propelled me to future positions I’d only dreamed of. And so, from the sour lemons my boss dished out that fateful afternoon, I’d created not a glass of lemonade, but a lemonade stand to reproduce a continuous source of revenue.
My advice for any woman that experiences a job termination, is its ok to take some time to let it sink in. Get emotional. Cry if you must. But also take time out to heal. Connect with loved ones, do things you always loved but never had time for. Get to know your spiritual self. But- don’t stay there. Quickly get back up and in a very disciplined manner like you would approach a job, create and follow a plan to lead you to success. It will likely be even better than where you were headed before.
Signed by,
A Queen