Suddenly, you are notified your position has been eliminated, I am sorry about this but because of the COVID pandemic, blah blah blah (Charlie Brown Adult Voice) as the person on the other line continues to speak and your mind has already shut off. You are left thinking how did this happen? Let’s just say, you get a call if you are lucky. Sometimes you only get a letter, perhaps it’s certified, in which you are given the same information. Talks about unemployment, COBRA and a bunch of other stuff that you’re too numb to care about at the particular moment it feels horrible. Your world may feel like it is caving in. As a doctor, as an executive, as a long term employee you thought you would never be fired…
Take some time today to prepare yourself for tomorrow. There is no such thing as job security especially in an uncertain environment.
1. Know your worth. I had a brief episode on knowing your worth back in 2018.This still holds just as true today. You are a pivotal physician, executive, or VIP in your current company. You have credentials and certifications that you have worked very hard for. Spend some time looking at everything you have done over your career and build it into a new CV. Highlight the things that you do outside of the normal ‘stay in your lane’ stuff. Describe things that boosted your leadership experience. Look at things that make you stand out in a crowd. Perhaps it is in the realm of academic prowess and you look at publications, books, or book chapters that you contributed to. How about awards? Awards are important in your overall worth. Be sure to list any awards you have won whether big or small. They all count and help you stand out. Most of all, believe in you. Knock off any insecure feelings or that dreaded imposter syndrome that so many people have been talking about. Stand tall because nobody will understand your true worth if you don’t believe in yourself.
2. Look at the potential event as an opportunity. If you do get fired, furloughed, or just plain quit, think of the opportunities that are in front of you. There could very well be something that you have suppressed for years to pursue your goals as a doctor, lawyer, president, and athlete. Even without a job your future looks bright. Take inventory of all of the things that you liked and didn’t like about your old job and create a new job. This will be your perfect job.
You may even consider this as a unique moment in time to go after something completely different, maybe outside of your industry. You know that I have featured many guests who have gone on to do other things like produce movies, music, or even help people who have suit. There are so many options out there; this is your time to do something truly meaningful and fulfilling. This is exactly the path that I set on after I received that from the hospital. I knew I didn’t want to go right back into clinical medicine. I didn’t even entertain going back to my old job when whispers of that started happening. I knew that I was valuable and could help people in other ways and I never looked back. I love my coaching practice and the clients I have helped unleash a new part of themselves.
3. Be positive. One of the biggest things that you can do is to remember this advice; it’s business, not personal. You must move on. Sure you can hold grudges and be mad at people and blame everything under the sun as to why things went wrong. Why things went wrong isn’t really important if you have taken the time to analyze the situation and you learn a lesson from it. Holding onto the negative feelings and energy around job loss does not do you or your psyche any good. In fact, that negative energy could be the exact thing holding you back from completing steps one and two. You can’t change the past, but you can shape your future by taking one step forward. If you have a particularly difficult time being positive my new book Licensed To Live: Daily Affirmations to Rebuild Your Life may be something that you need (use code PODCAST for a discount). Whatever it takes, be positive and stay positive. You will be amazed how many opportunities come your way.
Again I don’t want to cause panic or sound the alarms too early, but just because you are a boss, a stud, a superstar, that doesn’t mean that you can’t lose your job.
