HAVE YOU BEEN DOWNSIZED? DON'T LET IT KEEP YOU DOWN!

By Dr. Lucille Maddalena, MADDALENA TRANSITIONS MANAGEMENT, INC.

                A good friend, a woman I’ve known since grammar school, was recently downsized from her job. As difficult as it is for her to say, she was fired after investing 25 years in the company.

                The mandate directed her boss to reduce his staff from five to two; shortly a second directive required elimination of the two remaining positions. This lady holds a Bachelor degree and continually received positive reviews for the diverse positions she held at the company over her long tenure.

The Pain of Freedom

               To me, the best thing about this severing of the ways is that she is now free to choose where she will live for the next phase of her life and what type of work she would most enjoy doing. For her, the best thing is her new-found realization that life goes on. What we can all learn from the experience is how she reacted. Once past the sadness of loss, she holds no resentment toward her former employer. She does not feel she was mislead to invest a considerable part of her life in one company, nor does she harbor any lasting anger over the decision that lead to the cutback and resulting loss of her livelihood.

                This lady is not a hero or a uniquely clever individual. She is just like you and me: she is a wife and mother. She has also spent 25 years in the corporate world. How could she not understand the complexities of a global corporation?

                What is most intriguing is that during the weeks since her departure, another level of understanding has been growing in her. She is now beginning to appreciate the necessity of living through the pain of change. She is a woman: pain is not new to her. She succeed at living through pain when her she bore her son, when her husband passed before his time and when she encountered the innumerable stresses of being a working mother, maintaining a demanding full-time career.

               Like childbirth, the pain stops and life moves on-- usually in an entirely new direction. Following childbirth, both parents seem to go through their own rebirth as they delve into diapers and the demands of a newborn. This is the phase when a ‘young married couple’ are themselves reborn, transforming into ‘new parents’.

              Peter Drucker once said that we create our own jobs – it is up to us to build the job that best uses our skills and achieves practical goals of value to our employer.

Connections and Ripples

                I am an advocate of networking. When my friend asked for my advice to locate a new job, I suggested she use the tried-and-true approach of identifying her network and asking for support.

               Her task was to find the people that she could reach out to: those folks that she connects with. Consider the people you have bonded with when your lives converged creating some point of shared history. The amount of time since the last contact is not important: whether it is constantly nurtured or has lain dormant for years does not matter. Consider this: if asked for names, you could probably identify at least a few people who you haven’t seen for years – people who, when you do get together with them, the elapsed time is of no consequence—you take up the relationships where you last left off.

             We’re all familiar with stories about butterflies in one part of the world causing catastrophes in another part: our lives are intertwined and the power of our influence can not be documented.

             I am a person that believes that timing is everything. Too often something has occurred in my life that is simply amazing – unpredicted and overwhelming. What is most revealing is that several of those events came about because I acted spontaneously in an unplanned manner to some event or situation.

             When I ask for examples of unexpected connections, the most common event cited is how they met their spouse. This is an example I can immediately relate to as well. In my case, accepting a new job, taking on a new project, submitting the results of the project for professional review, winning the recognition for the work, all brought me to the same event that my husband attended through a completely separate set of circumstances.

             Ripples in the water. I still enjoy anticipating where two ripples will meet, the extra bounce at the juncture and the ongoing widening of each circle.

What is the Message?

              Stymied by how to approach her network of contacts, we discussed her message. Should she hide her embarrassment at being unemployed and needing help? How could she ask for help without making the recipient feel obliged to act? She certainly did not want her request to make anyone feel obligated to take action – her goal was simply to inform them of her predicament and to see where their ideas would lead her.

             To achieve this goal, my advice was that she should convey in her correspondence her personal commitment to her career in as truthful and open a manner as possible. A wise man recently quoted Mark Twain to me, reminding me of his statement that “we are what we write”. If we write sarcastically, we will be sarcastic. If we write about depression, we will be depressed. If we write about optimism and hope, we will be optimistic and hopeful.

              In her messages to others we included statements such as:

• Now that the world is open to me again, I am seeking that perfect fit – a job that will best utilize my skills, experience and dedication.
• New opportunities seem to abound and I want to get back in step with this exciting growth.
• With this type of change also comes new transformations and directions.

We concluded the statement with an offer of mutual support:

• Please feel free to contact me or provide my name should you identify a possibly appropriate position. In the same way, I hope you know that should my services prove helpful to assist you to achieve your goals, I am always willing to help in a temporary or volunteer capacity, as I work through this process.

             As we worked through this process it occurred to me that there was one common factor to every job I have ever had –as an employee or as a consultant. During every successful interview I was able to clearly state to the prospective client that I would be proud to work with them and would do everything in my power to help their project succeed. Of course then I began to think of the unsuccessful interviews, the fact that I had not been able to make a similar statement in all cases surely played a role in the final decision.

Describing Your Skills

               I am not an expert at writing a resume. Fortunately, there are people out there who have the ability to select the appropriate words and terms that succinctly present needed skills and talents. You can find those people to help you without having to hire a specialist in the field. Again, turn to your network.

              To help you compose your resume, you should be more specific in selecting those you will ask for help. These people more accurately fall into your support group, a defined group of people you can call upon when in need and who readily turn to you when they require assistance.

            We discussed who she would turn to for advice on what to include in her resume and how each item should be presented. We selected a few people who, from their experience, had the opportunity to review many resumes and could offer critique based on experience.

            Two sentences we particularly liked for her message to request help rewriting her resume are as follows:

• Because of our long relationship I am asking for your help. I need to know that my resume reads truthfully and expresses my desire and commitment to continue my career.
• When you have a moment, kindly look over my attached resume and let me know what you think of the way I have presented my experiences. Does it convey how much I enjoyed my work and does it detail the diverse roles I have held?

            I believe that brevity counts. Again, we can turn to Mark Twain for a bit of sage advice. To paraphrase his approach: once you have completed composing your statement, remove every other word to keep it to the point.

Maintaining your Composure

            Re-entering the job market following a downsizing, forced layoff, temporary leave or medical incident, can be overwhelming. You may have enjoyed or hated your previous job – but it was known to you. You knew what to expect, how to prepare and what was required of you.

            Our first job is often a time of innocence. The excitement of having a paycheck, of being independent, and of knowing that this is just a starting point keeps us buoyed, with the euphoric feeling of a honeymoon as we explore new roles and relationships.

            Time passes and life happens. Stress to perform, to succeed, to achieve creates turmoil and pressure that may interfere with personal satisfaction. Some work relationships may turn into competitions or petty annoyances while others provide the support needed to meet daily demands.

            Now you have lost your innocence. You have, however, developed confidence in your ability to not just survive at your career, but to succeed.

            When the unexpected happens and you are forced to leave a job after investing your time, talent and commitment, you will feel a loss. A part of your life that was secure and routine no longer exists.

            If you are lucky enough to be like the friend I have described here, you will choose to look ahead and plan for your future. Reach out to others, share and embrace the transition, evaluate your risks and recognize your successes.

            The most important lesson I learned watching this friend move through the phases of transition is to maintain respect in you and relish the future possibilities.

            To anyone in a similar position, recovering from a downsizing or layoff, I wish you a steady wind at your back and a clear trail to your future. GOOD LUCK.

©LMaddalena, 2007.  All rights reserved.  Reproduction, duplication and distribution is strictly restricted: contact www.mtmanagement to request permission. Properly identified quotations are requested to include:  L. Maddalena, Ed.D. www.mtmanagement.net.