The Gift of a Layoff
Posted on March 04, 2024 by Jennifer Vachon MA , One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Experiencing a layoff is incredibly tough, regardless of your feelings toward your job or whether you saw it coming.
There is no way around it, layoffs are difficult. Over the past year, I’ve had numerous coaching sessions focused on navigating the impacts or anticipation of layoffs. Whether you are a leader preparing for layoffs, or you’re someone who has been laid off, or you’re one of the “lucky ones” still employed but affected by colleagues’ layoffs, the emotions are complex and the impacts are real.
Experiencing a layoff is incredibly tough, regardless of your feelings toward your job or whether you saw it coming. It shakes your self-esteem, challenges your identity, and disrupts your sense of security. It creates change and upheaval that you did not choose.
What if I told you that I’ve come to believe that being laid off can also be a gift?
Layoffs, while shocking, can also spark profound introspection, provide opportunities to reevaluate your dreams, and offer a chance to realign your work with your values and goals.
Through supporting clients navigating layoffs, I have learned there are some things you can do to reduce long-term pain and frustration while generating more energy, confidence, and results:
1. First, allow yourself to grieve. This will look a little different for each person, but it is essential. In order to get to a point of regeneration and growth, make space to feel the loss and process grief. If you don’t make time for that step, the feelings stay with you, and over time can begin to define you. Here’s a great article that describes how working through Elisabeth Kubler Ross’s Stages of Grief model can help lay the foundation for a fresh start.
2. Choose the mindset you want to adopt. After processing the loss, there will come a point where you can choose your perspective moving forward. Making a conscious choice here will set a course that can transform your life. For example, you might choose to see this as an opportunity to try something new, or to explore what you really want in life, or to take a break, or to readjust your priorities.
Note: this step is challenging if you haven’t first processed your feelings around the loss. It can feel lead to inauthenticity that doesn’t feel good and often shows up in job interviews.
3. Rebuild confidence by anchoring your values. After you’ve processed the loss and gotten clear and adopted your future-focused mindset, take some time to ground yourself in your values. When was the last time you really thought about who you are, and what you care about most? Chances are, things might have shifted for you since you took your last job. Who you were and what you wanted then may no longer align with who you are and what you want now. This step is about rediscovering who you are in this moment and along with that, reigniting an inner confidence.
4. Imagine possibilities and dare to dream. The process of reaffirming values and sparking inner confidence provides a foundation from which you can begin to explore, imagine, and dream about your “what’s next”. There are many ways to go about this; from books, systems, and tools, to journaling, mind mapping, and guided visualizations, to formal coaching support. Create space and time for yourself to imagine and dream before diving straight into the next job search.
5. Inventory strengths and identify the gaps. Once you have an idea about what you truly want to go for, it’s time to take stock. Assess your strengths and the skills required for your desired path. Identify and address any gaps, and decide what you need to learn or improve upon.
6. Develop a strategy. What resources can you garner? How much time do you have? Formulate a plan, considering goals, resources, timeframes, and overarching actions. This might involve short-term employment, training programs, or networking to explore new fields. This is where you get to come up with a roadmap that will help you stay the course and ensure you are focused on the activities that will help you most.
7. Do the work. Now it’s time to put your strategy into action! This step is all about putting in the time, taking the class, crafting the resume, making the calls, researching the companies, practicing the interviews. In other words, doing all the things that are needed to find the job. This is the step that many people are tempted to jump to immediately following a layoff. This step becomes much more efficient, less overwhelming, and leads to a more fulfilling outcome if you’ve done the work of processing emotions and define your path ahead of time.
8. Celebrate! If you have taken the time to dive deep and follow this post-layoff rebuilding process, you are well on your way to creating your new future. It is easy and natural to feel down following a layoff and in the midst of a long job search. Recognizing your progress and achievements and celebrating milestones along the way reinforces your journey toward finding fulfillment in work and life.
While these steps are outlined sequentially, life often unfolds in non-linear ways. You might find yourself engaging in several steps simultaneously.
If you’re grappling with a layoff and struggling to move forward, I encourage you to reflect on where you stand in this process. If you’ve skipped elements or things have shifted for you take the time to reflect and realign.
And if you’d like personalized support, please don’t hesitate to reach out; I’m here to help you navigate this journey.
