Getting from a ‘boardrooming’ to a better place

I was in my 40s when I received an unexpected call to the boardroom.

When I opened the door, I knew my career was about to change.

Moments later, I learned my place of employment and a job I loved would be axed in a corporate move that would soon see me out of work, as well as colleagues I had known and appreciated for years.

That was seven years ago. The stats suggest landing well professionally after such an experience, at that age or beyond it, aren’t great. My post-downsizing journey included a few bumps and twists, but it went well, thanks to many people.

It also taught me some lessons that might benefit someone else fresh from a similar ‘trip to the boardroom.’

I offer these:

Take the high road out: When the bad news comes, try to remember that how you exit a place may well help or hinder where you might next try to enter. We’ve all heard or experienced stories of employees who made spectacular statements to/about the company after their sudden ousters. Some of the most incendiary go viral. It’s OK to be hurt and emotional at being cut loose. It can do you professional harm to indulge in urges to express that.

Exhale: News of one’s career changing in this manner is shocking. Allow yourself to emotionally process this news (noting the advice above.) You may feel anger or sadness or a whole range of reactions. Everyone is different. My co-workers saw some tears and got and gave a lot of hugs. If you think you need professional help to manage this period, please do so.

Count your blessings: The ‘poof, there goes your job’ experience brings a lot of worrying and doubting and cataloguing of such things. How will we manage the mortgage? What about saving for the kids’ education? Will I ever get another job? It can snowball. And, it’s incredibly important at such times to be very deliberate about noting your blessings in life and giving thanks for them. That may be your family, your dog, your faith or a great life-long friend. These priceless gifts uplift, strengthen and support resilience.

Work your network: Let your work ecosystem know you are on the market and open to their assistance in finding a next place to thrive. Pride can get in the way at such times. Be proud …and be proud of the potential that your network likely holds for you. My first job after my ‘boardrooming’ materialized after my news came to the attention of someone I had met when I’d hired her as a student intern, years earlier, in a different company and part of the country.

Leverage available supports: If your company provides career coach support as part of your exit package, engage energetically with that person or resource. Such resources can help in neutrally examining yourself professionally, the road ahead, and things you need to consider to improve chances of succeeding somewhere else. Again, don’t let pride get in the way of getting great counsel at a critical time. If your company failed to offer such assistance, seek it out in your network or from your community. This can and should also mean checking in with mentor figures, sage relatives – trusted people who know you and see the big picture.

Embrace positives that change will bring: There’s a joke that ‘when one door closes another opens’ is something to warm-up to – except when it’s a review about work a cabinet maker has done. After you have been ‘boardroomed,’ see the opportunity in that. You have time to expand your network, take some training, go out to lunch with someone important, turn the page on things that frustrated you and your growth in your former job. You can also explore opportunities or work situations that you might not have before – an exciting project role that’s fixed-term perhaps? Maybe you can finally see if working from home or commuting works for you and, if so, under what conditions?

Try something new: I recommend staying busy in the time before ‘next’ arrives professionally. Jump into some volunteering. Try some freelancing or contract work. Sign up for in-person or online training. Watch those TED Talks you’ve been meaning to for so long. Prepare for what is to follow professionally by adding compelling experiences and skills or by innovatively seeking novel ways to keep your game sharp.

The trip from boardroom to ‘next’ varies for everyone. My adventure saw me take try out commuting, a series of contract jobs, collaborate on a book and have a slew of helpful conversations and coffees with great folks familiar and unfamiliar to me.

Good luck if you’re into this journey. May you soon find a better ‘next’ place.

Phil Andrews is a Senior Communications Consultant with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. He worked in the daily newspaper industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at [email protected]