NOTE FROM TRISH

Have you ever been fired?  

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Maybe it was called something more euphemistic like: Downsized. Rightsized. Restructured. Position eliminated. Or the word du jour ‘furloughed’? 

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Whatever one calls it, the impact is the same. You are without a job. 

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For late career professionals the inevitability of being ‘let go’ often haunts their final work years. The plum assignments go to someone else. The promotions stop happening. Your salary may have plateaued. The stock options are no longer awarded (because they are going to vest after you’re gone, right?). These are all markers that your professional time is about to be up. As one LEANING OUT C-Suite follower noted about her workplace, ‘After I turned 55, I felt like I was walking around with a bullseye on my back’.

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Even though you may know the end of your professional career is coming, when it happens, voluntarily or involuntarily, it is still a shock that destroys your hard-won sense of self. And for older professionals it often coincides with a myriad of other personal losses. To quote another LEANING OUT follower: ‘This is a very hard time of life. The kids leave. Parents die. My company was not great about helping with the transition.’

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So how do you cope? 

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In this issue’s blog, ‘I Knew This was Coming . . . But’ Marge Watters addresses the first steps to take after you’ve lost your job. Marge has spent 25+ years as a coach and consultant working with individuals in career transition. Marge’s advice is two-pronged: be dispassionate in dealing with your workplace but also find an outlet for your emotions. These are important steps to regaining your equilibrium. 

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And though it may be hard to summon gratitude or optimism when you are in the throes of transition, my personal mantra since leaving my full time career has been: 
Be grateful to the past and open to the future.

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Enjoy the read!

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P.S. Check out the SPOTLIGHT section and tell us what you would find most helpful in navigating to ‘your next’.