This I Promise

Over the last few weeks I spoke to six members of my old team – they had all been let go from their jobs. Speaking to them reminded me of the number 108 - it took me 108 days to find a new home after I too was downsized last December. Through the ups and downs, good moments and bad, I began to learn some valuable life and leadership lessons and along with those I started to learn what to do and not to do with those in transition. What words can I share to alleviate some of the angst they surely are feeling? I'm not sure, but for those of you who might feel alone, this I promise...

I will counsel and advice you, like I was by so many strangers who went out of their way to help me even though they didn't know me - this I promise!

When you call me, I will treat you like a human being and as someone who needs compassion, kindness and encouragement, not a treatise on the cold facts of life - this I promise!

If I'm hiring, I'll post the job only while it's open. Once filled, I'll remove it so that you don't waste your energy and time trying to apply for a non-existent position - this I promise!

Even though I might not have a position for you right now, I will forward your information to anyone who can help, and if I know and trust you, I will advocate on your behalf - this I promise!

If I have an internal candidate that I know I like and am going to hire, I'm not going to go through the charade of interviewing you, put you through the ringer and mislead you with false hopes - this I promise!

Sometimes there isn't a fit. If that happens, I'll call you in person and be upfront with you and tell you why it didn't work out, and then point you towards another garden you can bloom in - this I promise!

If a friend, colleague or coworker of mine recommends you to me as a candidate for a job I'm trying to fill, I will at the very least, speak to you in person - if for no other reason than to show respect for my friend's opinion - this I promise!

When you reach out to me, whether I know you or not, I'll have the decency to respond promptly, either with help or with regret. I will not disappear into the black hole of non-responsiveness - this I promise!

If we ever part ways, I'll have the guts to talk to you in person and have the strength of character to help you in any way I can. I won't hide behind corporate red tape - this I promise!

If we are friends or neighbors, I won't avoid you because I don't know what to say. I will reach out to you regularly even though I may not be able to help directly. You'll know very clearly that you're in my thoughts, prayers and efforts - this I promise!

I will do my best not to over analyze my hiring decision. I'll be more concerned with who you are first and then worry about who you know, where you live or what products you have sold - this I promise!

I will encourage and challenge you to never give up, to feed your mind constantly, to surround yourself with positive people, to lean on your loved ones and to keep the faith - this I promise!

And when you are down on yourself as you will be, when you doubt others as you will do and when you feel disappointed and helpless as you will feel, I will remind you, as I was reminded by so many others, that there is a time for everything under the sun. You were always designed for greatness, engineered for success and chosen for significance. Your future, like mine, was planned long before we began to exist. Just don't let anyone, especially someone who didn't recognize your worth and value steal your dreams. Does it not say - "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning?" So be fearless, faithful and persistent - you will find a great place to land - you will find the right people to help - you will shine brighter than before - you will make a bigger difference than ever before - and you will begin to learn the same lessons I did. And then before you know it - someday much sooner than you know, you too will pay it forward - THIS I PROMISE!