The Silver Lining: Lessons Learned From a 6-Month Job Search

If you had told me a few years ago that I would be laid off for six months in 2023, I wouldn't have believed it. I didn't see it coming in 2011, after such an illustrious career at Diageo, I didn't anticipate it in 2021 at Pernod Ricard. I certainly didn't expect it this year after such an incredible short-lived successful startup sprint at Arcane.

I didn't see it mainly because I've always truly believed that hard work matters, going above and beyond what's expected matters, collaborating and extending help to colleagues matters, driving value to the company matters, pouring back into the community you serve matters, performing at a high level consistently matters - many might agree that these are very reasonable assumptions to have. My dad just celebrated retirement after 50 years at the post office last week, which is a major milestone that I'm incredibly proud of. Now I know this is rare in today's society, with job uncertainty, the advent of new technologies, and the rise of entrepreneurship, but there was something I've always admired about my dad getting up every day, putting on his uniform, going to work for long hours, rarely taking days off, and quite noticeably coming home with a peace of mind knowing that as long as he does his part, his job would be there tomorrow. As I celebrate with my pops, I recognize that I'm not sure a traditional employee in today's economy could ever enjoy that peace and comfort in job security again.

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Yes, my experiences have been disappointing, exhausting, and quite demoralizing, yet somehow transformational and enlightening. Here are three things I've learned from my experiences.

1. Become clear on your purpose as early as possible and remain agile and malleable because jobs and titles aren't permanent, only moments we get to experience so as they change, your purpose creates new moments that may show up in different ways. For example, my purpose has always been to create spaces and opportunities for underrepresented communities to feel seen, heard, and empowered. Consequently, I've always attracted roles within culture marketing where I was able to add value to the brands (relevancy, engagement, growth, etc.) and to the culture they served through partnerships, mentorship, sponsorships, and recruitment. When laid off, I started my own consultancy, Craft Brand Theory, and have continued to serve this purpose with several companies and generate income to weather the storm.

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2. Promote yourself, in every sense of the word. Be your own biggest cheerleader. Although a cliché, it's true, squeaky wheel gets the oil. My biggest mistake was assuming that I would be protected because of my business impact, cultural impact, and people impact. However, in matrixed or layered companies, in a highly matrixed society, there are always going to be rooms where you're not inside and where decisions are being made that can impact your life. You can't expect or depend on someone to speak your name favorably and loudly in those spaces, so you must narrate your story and create your own wave with every resource and channel available to you such that it penetrates those rooms and precedes your presence in them.

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3. Lock in and only compete with the previous version of yourself. In the world of social media, where highlight reels outpace reality, it can seem like you’re behind, not productive, failing at life, etc. So, it’s critical that you put on your blinders and focus on continuous self-improvement. Ask yourself questions such as what skills can help me attract the life I want and what daily practices I need to incorporate to establish the mental and spiritual wellness to receive this life. For example, I’m currently in a 30-day spiritual cleanse which consists of journaling, intermittent fasting, prayer, and limiting screen time. I’ve coupled this with picking up a new professional skill by taking a digital marketing certification course. My hope is that these steps get me closer to living my ideal purpose-driven life.

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If you’re not living under a rock, then I’m sure that you’re aware that we’re in a period of economic uncertainty and many people such as myself are facing layoffs or may have rebounded but recall their experiences. I would love to hear about your experiences and any tips on how you’ve navigated or are currently navigating this hopefully temporary phase. Thanks for reading.