Maneuver Like a Boss Through Career Transitions

Getting laid off from a job is one of the most frightening possibilities an executive can face.

The fear can cause you to do one of two things:

Jump and run to another position as fast as you can so benefits and mortgage payments and vacation plans can continue unhinged.

or

Freeze. And watch the bank balance go down while you look in the mirror and wonder if you're too old or too un-skilled, too worthless to be a contributor again.

Neither of those two options will catapult you forward into the leadership position or career you desire.

You're familiar with the Regret Minimization Framework for making the right decisions in your career? Jeff Bezos came up with this to help him make the decision between continuing to work in his well-paying hedge fund job and ..... going to sell books online. It goes quite simply like this:

10 years from now (or "when I'm 80", as Jeff said), which decision will I regret the least?

How did Jeff's book-selling decision turn out for him?

When you need to make a decision about the next step of your career, even when the decision has been forced on you, you want to make a careful plan for moving forward. If you don't know where you want to go, the Regret Minimization Framework will help you know where you don't want to go. And that can be just as helpful.

What you know for sure is that you do not want to jump into a position you won't be happy with even if it pays the bill. And you certainly don't want to go into freeze mode.

But our brains are wired to fight or flee, so how do we get around that?

I'm a performance coach for executives, so of course I'm going to say that the best time to call me to book an appointment and prepare to accelerate your career is long before a job transition is on the table. The second best time is as soon as it happens.

Because our brains are wired to react and reactions generally don't send you down the track you want to go, you want to sit down with someone who is trained to understand how your brain works and learn how to retrain it to respond from a place of emotional resilience and calm.

Practicing neuroscience-grounded strategies well before a change in career will help you through.

But let's say you've just found out there is an unwanted job change on the table, what would we do together?

I'll tell you the exact steps I recently walked a recent client named Kim through.

First, I showed her some simple brain training exercises that could help her manage the waves of emotions that kept coming - grief, fear, unworthiness, pressure.

Keep the end in mind - we agreed that this classic adage from Stephen Covey would be the guiding map.

Then we got to work. Below is the checklist or game plan we used that you can follow too.

1. Explore: Make a list of everything you loved about your current or past positions. Ask, what do I want more of in my next position and what do I want less of? Include location, hours of work, company culture, opportunity to lead, connect, grow, etc.
2. Strategize: Take a deep breath, and figure out what you need to do next. Reassess your career goals, consider which skills are most marketable in the current job climate, is there any additional skills or certificates that are useful?
3. Network: Reach out to former colleagues and contacts in the industry who might know of opportunities that are a good fit for your experience and qualifications. Assume that it is most likely that your next position will come out of a connection you already have.
4. Educate Yourself: Find out about the latest trends in the industry, read trade publications, attend professional seminars or workshops if possible — do whatever you can to stay on top of what's going on.
5. Take Action: Hire an executive-level company to up-level your resume and provide you with cover letters. Take a look at corporate job boards in your industry. Start applying. Follow leads. Stay organized with a simple spreadsheet. Don't forget to send thank you notes after interviews.

During each step, check in with your performance coach to make sure that your leadership, emotional resilience, confidence and decision-making skills are growing every single week. As you grow your leadership skills during this gap, you will be even better able to perform in your new position.

When another executive client, Carlene was safely esconced in new position that was more in line with her preferences and a significant salary increase mere weeks after being laid off, she sent me this testimonial:

"When I first was fired, I thought that putting money out in an investment on a performance coach was probably foolish. All of me wanted to just hold on to my coins, I'm so glad I took what felt like a huge risk. Chris was able to give me the focus and confidence to really go for what I wanted.?

Carlene added, "The brain training exercises have been incredibly useful during a period of high emotion and the time we spent planning my next steps were a real difference maker in getting my ideal position only weeks after the shock of being let go."

Like I said at the beginning, the second best time to hire me is after you've been let go. The best time is before that ever happens.

The brain training that comes in useful during a job transition is useful in every aspect of accelerating your career - from increasing your respect as a trusted leader, to emotional resilience, conflict resolution, bold decision making and sales effectiveness.

If you are a sales director, c-suite professional or other professional, reach out for a conversation. Remember the Bezos Regret Minimization Framework - no one ever regrets growing forward.

Heraclitus the Greek philosopher said, "The only constant in life is change."

So get ready now.

When change happens to you, don't fall prey to fear or desperation — take control of your situation and make sure that you're properly positioning yourself for the best opportunity possible.

Good luck!

~Chris.

P.S. The call you make to start brain training so your everyday actions increasingly support your longterm goals and vision for leadership is one of the most important you will ever make. Book here.