A reflection on my first month after redundancy

As I come to the end of my first month no longer working at Meta, I wanted to share what I’ve learnt.?

Firstly, for those not in the know, I was recently impacted by the layoffs in tech and my role was made redundant at Meta. This coupled with completing a year of maternity leave, plus celebrating a milestone birthday this year, has made me reflect on what I want next out of my career and the upcoming decade.?

It’s not the first time I’ve been made redundant. Back in 2008, as a result of the global economic crisis, my role at a small start up was made redundant. Ultimately that decision took my career in a new direction and led to where I am today. I wouldn’t have entered the world of built assets and become a Management Consultant, which shaped the first ten years of my career. Therefore, I see this second redundancy as the opportunity to take my career in a new direction again.?

With my new maternal responsibilities I have decided that I don’t want to return to a full-time role. I’d rather spend a couple of days a week with my son. A huge driver for me now is flexibility and being able to set my own terms for work as an independent consultant. As a result I am exploring the world of fractional work and having a portfolio career.?

So back to what I’ve learnt from this first month post-redundancy and pursuing my new ambitions:

1. Lean into the discomfort: It has been unsettling to not know what I’m going to do next. I always have a plan and like to know what is ahead of me. This uncertainty is disconcerting for me. However, I am learning to embrace it. So far I've learnt that I can be a salesman, particularly when it comes to pitching myself. I’m currently in what I’m calling my ‘business development’ stage and I’m becoming more comfortable in articulating the value I can bring to a future client or employer.??
2. Be kind to yourself: As a former colleague shared with me, ‘be kind to yourself’. Being a natural completer finisher, I am action oriented and like to have a cleared to do list. However, with only two days a week when my son has been at nursery this first month, I am learning that I can’t achieve all that I want in those two days. To steal a phrase from Meta, I am having to 'ruthlessly prioritise', and learn to focus on those things with the highest impact, leaving other tasks for another day. I cannot expect the same pace of my former work-self, and I’m learning to be at peace with that.?
3. Your network is your net worth: I have been overwhelmed by the goodwill that the LinkedIn community has shown me when I’ve posted updates. I’ve had people reach out who I’ve not seen in years, some right from the beginning of my career, all facilitating introductions or offering their time. People have been very generous in opening up their network for me and connecting me to others who might be able to help. I am very grateful to all these people.?
4. Find your community: Another former colleague told me about The Portfolio Collective, a community of professionals who share a passion for portfolio careers. So far I’ve already attended two of their fireside chats which have been so beneficial in broadening my understanding of what a portfolio career entails. It’s also put me in touch with other members who have already been generous with their time and very welcoming.??
5. Explore your possible future selves: And finally, as Herminia Ibarra advocates in her book ‘Working Identity’, I am exploring my different future selves. I may not yet know 100% which direction I want to take my career in next, but I’m connecting with people who are helping me to refine what I do want. With each conversation it is enabling me to rule out or strengthen the direction of travel.

I still don’t know what the future holds, be it working for a single employer on reduced hours, or being fully independent and winning all my own work. But I’m giving myself a few months to explore different avenues and determine which resonates with me the most. If you have any connections or recommendations, feel free to continue sending them my way, as ever, greatly appreciated.