Redundancy, It’s An Opportunity
It is almost ten years since I became redundant. I had a feeling that the chance of redundancy increased as I became more senior…and it did. It was a complete shock; I remember driving home thinking ‘what am I going to tell Zoe, how can I support my family, why has this happened etc.’. In hindsight, my then Employer had made the right business decision and handled the situation well, for which I am thankful.
One of the biggest impacts redundancy had on me was a knock to my confidence. It completely took the wind from my sails. I realised I urgently needed to decide on my next step. Using my skills gained from the Food Manufacturing Sector and my redundancy package, I set about becoming an Interim Manager and launched Corvin Fox Interim Agency. I treated it like a project. I put an objective in place and built a strategy. This helped me focus and once I got my first contract (thanks Scott Hutchinson!) my confidence levels soared.
As a supplier of Interim Managers, I meet up with many people who have recently become redundant. I see self-doubt, confusion as to why it happened, anger and an overall low level of self-confidence. On the flip side, on return to employment, I see a huge change in confidence and self-assurance.
Here’s my advice if you are being made redundant or concerned it will happen:
- Nothing in this life is permanent – I remember as a young lad my parents saying ‘get a job in the bank and you are set for life’…. We all know how wrong that was.
- Have a game plan – Treat it like one of your objectives or a project you have delivered. This will help you achieve your objective quickly but also keeps you focused.
- Don’t sit and mope – It has happened so you need to deal with it. Start focusing on your next step. This is a good time to think about what you want to get out of life and work. Consider getting fit/fitter. The endorphins will help your motivation.
- Network – Keep contact details of the people you have worked with in the past that know and trust you. If you are looking to get back in to perm or Interim these people are more likely to engage your service. You will need to bite the bullet here and reach out to these people. The likelihood of someone coming to you is slim as you are not at the forefront of their mind.
- Your confidence will improve – Once you come out the other side and get a role you will be stronger and more capable. I suddenly realised that, on making my first contact, I had a host of skills and experience that were always there and taken for granted.
- Necessity is the mother of invention – Many of the top Interims, Consultants, founding owners of food and other companies have experience of redundancy. This gives them the financial leverage to start up on their own. Without that redundancy, they would never have been equipped to take the step…
So, there it is. Redundancy is not the end of the world. It is an opportunity to be grasped. Similar to myself, many of our successful Corvin Fox interims have come directly from redundancy.
To hear how we can support you, give us a call on 01778 560319
Regards,
Denis & Zoe
