APOLOGIES
I have no excuse as to why it has taken me so long to do my next post, and now that is out of the way; my next post.
Last month my previous employer decided to let me go from his organisation for whom I had been working for four years . For me four years is the longest time I have ever worked for one organisation (other than my own start ups) and it’s funny but as you get older the more you resist change, and yet the more certain it is to happen.
For me it wasn’t a bolt out of the blue as I had had several discussions with the owner over the last few months which put me in the powerful position of knowing what was likely to happen. I realise it is a totally different experience to be told one morning “Pack your things security will show you out”, but this leads me to my first SURVIVAL tip…..
UNDERSTAND WHO YOU WORK FOR
It is the duty of every employed person to understand the organisation, business, department, whoever you work for, as this knowledge is the key to step one to your survival success. It is not all right to take no interest in the business for whom you work no matter what your position is. What I am suggesting is that you study your companies Annual Reports, read the paper to see who is buying out whom in your industry, take an interest in who gets appointed as the new CIO, CEO CFO, as that is often an indication as to the new direction the company will take.
For to long people have turned up for work just concerned with their tasks at hand and not interested in doing anything other than their allotted job and often are totally shocked when their company gets bought out by a rival or work suddenly gets outsourced to another country. Nothing happens in a vacuum so stay alert and be interested in who you work for, in fact  you also might actually ……
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
And LEARNING SOMETHING NEW is a key to both survival and success as organisations and businesses look to reduce costs, increase profits, merge, develop strategic partners, share common capabilities, so the job descriptions change. I am sure many people have looked back at their job description and realise how different it is to what they actually do, especially as the work force shrinks and the business demands grow. So people need to look at the direction their position is taking and start learning what that might mean for their next position. The newspaper industry is a classic example of people not understanding how technology was revolutionising their industry and how powerless they were to stop it. The ones who survived and succeeded where those who were best at adapting to the new technology, but also this brought huge opportunities for those prepared.
People are more aware today of technology changes, but most are unaware  that every day there are mini tech revolutions as the internet, web applications and smartphone technology rapidly changes how and where the world does business. Ironicly a lot of answers can be found on the internet and if you choose to join discussions, use social business tools like IinkedIn  you might get an understanding of what your next position might be needed to know. But all this is academic if you are not in the right……..
EMOTIONAL SPACE
This is by far the most difficult part of the equation as no matter how happy, confident, positive you are REDUNDANCY is a big emotional bang, and we often spend time questioning our ability. I don’t know if you are like me but once that happens I go into a strong self analysis stage and the real danger here is that the outcome is often bitterness. We become aggrieved at our treatment and that leads to negativity in general, and that in turn paralyse’s our ability to make good decisions…….you know where this is going.
So how do you overcome this emotional space, well the answer like everything is it is different for all of us but there are some steps you can take.
Try not to spend time with other reduntant people, at first it may be comforting as you share the same grief, but  it can soon turn into a  positive thinking vacuum and a rapidly spiralling negative nightmare.
Set yourself tasks to positively occupy your time, like talking to recruiters or searching for jobs online, in the newspaper etc. I realise that talking to recruiters is generally a useless way to find a job but it is a great way to find out what you might have to change in order to find your next role (add that to LEARN something new).
Use this as a time to re-asses your priorities, what is really of value to you. Generally you will find a new TV, Car, House suddenly is less as important as friends and family.
Try being more humble, humility can be a great gift and you will be surprised at the rewards, for to long we have be sold the false rewards of being able to buy happiness. Set yourself free from consumerism and feel some pressure lift.
Set yourself small projects that you can succeed at and then reward yourself once you have achieved them, one of the things we so often forget to do is to tell ourselves WELL DONE when we have achieved something. This is not about ego, this is not about telling other people how great we are this is about telling ourselves how great we are, VERY DIFFERENT and very important to a positive mind.
Search for positive and inspiring role models, TED talks are a fantastic online resource for being inspired, but there is nothing better than going to listen to a person who has overcome great odds and achieved  to show us what we are capable of, which leads me to………
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
And it is here where the real work of SUCCEEDING REDUNDANCY starts because networking is what human beings are all about. Facebook is NOT networking, getting off your backside and going to events to meet like minded people IS. Every day there are events happening that we can attend, in fact it is not unusual for me to attend two or three a week. I go there to learn, meet new people, expand my network and sell a product, and that product is ME.
This is not about EGO this is about COMMUNICATION, this is about meeting new people and learning new things (put this under learning something new) but MOST importantly it is about building your brand and your brand is what makes you….well you.
Your brand is your reputation (truthful, reliable, helpful, passionate,……”fill in your own details here”) Â plus your experience mixed together with your personality and topped off with your ability. And it is unfortunately not decided by you but by other people. And this is where the SUCCESS part of the story starts as the more people who know you personally the more likely you are to hear about what is going on.
The most important thing in networking is adding VALUE to the people you meet, unfortunately we are living in a society that is brought up to ask “what’s in it for me”. Turn this thinking round and become USEFUL, helping people has its own rewards (like feeling good about ourselves) which is of course a positive (see emotional space).
But the best thing it does is increase the Value of our brand, and as we all know from advertising, people desire the valuable brands. I don’t usually ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn and am humbled that people take the time to write them, but what they do is show people that don’t know me how I am valuable and therefore EMPLOYABLE.
This is my BRAND and this is all I have to offer, but this was all that was required in order to be approached by my NEW employers, a fantastic company who really VALUE my brand and feel that it aligns perfectly with their goals and Brand….SUCCESS.
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Hi Nick,
As always, you’re right on target. I’m looking forward to your next blog. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, experience and life in general.
Eli
Great blog Nick. It contains a huge amount of wisdom and practical advice. I’m not in the least surprised you were picked up by a smart comapny. Good luck.
Hi Tony, thanks for the support and I am sure Boost will love the compliment as well, lets catch up for a chat.
Always food for thought!
Hi Jon, thanks for taking the time to read the blog and don’t forget to listen to the music as I am putting up Shadowfax very soon.
So basically you’re unemployed then?
Hi Guy, lovely to hear from you and actually no to the unemployment. But I have managed to negotiate the hours I work so I can pursue some other business ideas.
Well done Nick…a very positive spin on what for most would have been a negative experience…making lemonade from life’s lemons…but then, knowing you, I would expect no less 🙂
Looking forward to your next post!
Thanks Julia, join the POSITIVE movement as you are a perfect fit, and I look forward to catching up soon.
Lovin your blog Nick and particularly your positive spin on even the most difficult situations. What really strikes me though, in all of your blogs, is your motivation for sustaining a positive view, it is that rare sense of responsibility, not just to your employer, but to being the best that you can be in general. Keep em coming – you have a fan 🙂
Hi Helga, glad you support a positive view, it would seem from comments I have had that POSITIVE is missing from our vocabulary currently. I aim to fix that with yours and everyone who cares about its help. Lets start a POSITIVE movement.
Thanks for being a fan it is very humbling.
Thanks for the great blog, as usual, Nick, You’re so much more useful now you’ve escaped your last position!
Hi Haydn, thanks for your ongoing support and I am pleased I am more useful.
Nick – great to meet you today – full of interesting ideas and sound advice. I’m sure your new employers will benefit from having you on the team.
Cheers,
Tom.
Hi Tom, lovely to meet you as well and I look forward with great interest to your upcoming adventure and thanks for the comment.
Nick, nice post and congrats on the new role, will see you around the traps
Hi grant, thanks for the positive comments and please drop me a line next time you are in Welly
Great post Nick. I especially like to emphasis on personal agency. The reminder that we all need to continue to learn and grow if we want to remain employable! No longer the job for life that many of our fathers or Grandfathers enjoyed. Can’t wait for the next installment. L
Hi Lorraine, indeed our fathers never really appreciated how luck they were. Thanks for your continued support and I hope you enjoy my next installment. Nick
Good article with solid ideas Nick. Its amazing what clarity of thought we can get when we have a little time. Its a shame that a lot of people who could benefit from this sound advice will never see it. Thanks for the coffee the other day and look forward to seeing you soon.
Hi Terence, you could help me get the word out by letting people know my blog exists..Catch up soon. Nick
As ever Nick, a thought provoking, insightful article. Hope all is going well in the new adventure. Cheers Ed
Hi Ed, thanks for your continuing support and keen to catch up re your new adventure. Nick
Hi Tich, great post, positive as ever! I hadn’t checked out your site before, glad I did! Keep up the good work!
Hi Mike..wow great to her from you and thanks for taking the time to catch up..How is the music? email me on nick@boost.co.nz
Nick. Great blog. All the best in your new role.
Regards
Helen
Hi Helen, yep indeed exciting times for both of us, keen to hear how your new adventure is going. Glad you like the post. Nick
Cool Nick. Enjoyed your writing. love the fact that you’re putting yourself out there and willing to be vulnerable. Inspirational buddy!!
Lots of love to you brother.
Steve
Hi Steve, sometimes being vulnerable is a strong place to be as raw and edgy often resonates better. Thanks for your continuing support. Nick
Hi Nick – the vital thing is to continue learing new things – if you are not looking forward by 2 years, you will end up stuck 10 years in the past. We are all in a time of vast, huge and accelerating change – it’s the new constant!
Cheers
Rihard
Hi Richard, indeed….embracing change is an art all in its self and it definitely helps if you are curious. Thanks for the comment. Nick
Hey Nick good to hear from you!
Love your post, I have been studying personal development lately and learned about the importance of surrounding yourself with positive, inspiring and successful, like minded people. Good to see it has paid off for you.
All the best,
Merrin
Hi Merrin, thanks so much for taking the time to read my post, and I think the hardest thing in life is finding positive and inspiring people.
The secret of course is to be positive and inspiring YOURSELF it all becomes much easier after that.
Nick
Hi Nick thanks for the post. Being a recruiter I am talking to both employers and employees. When redundancy is mentioned I hear a common theme, the voice goes to a low whisper and the comment is made “they get rid of the dead wood first”. We have not done ourselves any favours because sometimes to get rid of a person who is not performing the redundant clause is used. However this has tainted the high performers in the work force who are made redundant. It is easy to get HR to go through the process make sure the boxes are all ticked and get the redundancy through. So here it is, is it better to put your notice in (do a deal with management for the $) and leave of your own free will rather than have redundancy being on your CV?
Hi Phil, indeed I went through the whole box ticking process, but no $ deal at the end when you work with a small company. I think the whole point to my post was you should be in charge of your brand and not scared to say you have been made redundant. Thanks for your very thoughtful response and I look forward to future comments. nick
Nice Nick, especially the emotional space part, something that one can’t underline enough how important it is to manage.
If we think of ourselves as both creators of (what we make/do) and harvesters of (what we take) value the whole bit about redundancy is that we’ve allowed ourselves (for one reason or another) to get a little behind the curve. Think of the lion so busy eating this one antelope that he misses a share of the elephant over there. It’s hard to optimize taking and making at the same time, and making is the nobler, and it seems almost insulting that when nobly deployed making one would be told sorry, no more, off you go.
Stick with the proposition of making much needed things in a valuable way, forsake short term taking for better opportunities at making, be patient, try not to get in a panic when the chips are down, etc, etc, but don’t ever stop thinking big about things you could make happen. Me here I’ve been so busy eating antelopes that I’m afraid the next time I look up there aren’t going to be anymore
ramble ramble ramble – keep posting and all the best
Hi Paul, every time I read your eloquent comments I am humbled by your insight. Although I personally like the taste of antelope, and after the exhaustion of banging the elephant you will quickly find how hard it is to stop those pesky jacklals from stealing the tasty bits. Still your observation about forsaking short term takings for better opportunities is so true.
Patient and non panicking are a sign of total belief and some times so hard when are backs are against the wall.
Nick
Hey Nick, I finally sat down and read your blog. It’s great. Having been made redundant three times in thirty years I whole heartedly agree with everything you say. No matter what the circumstances, it still comes as shock to the system. As they say it’s not they way that you fall that’s important, it’s how you recover!! It’s easy to get bitter and twisted about the experience but not healthy. It’s really important to move on but if you can take the time to find the role that fits your skills and personality. A positive attitude and a passionate vision with goals can take you along way. I like your concept of “brand me.” I’m working on my brand and look forward to “partnering” with you in the future.
Hi David,thinks for taking the time to read it and after three times I am sure it is not news for you.I am looking forward to working with you on your new adventure. Stay in touch. Nick
Solid practical advice Nick.
Hi Ezra
Firstly thanks for your help making my site possible (Ezra built my site people). Interesting picture of you have you taken up being a super hero?
keen to see how the new adventure is going and did you get hold of Dom. Nick
Nice to catch-up yesterday, your blog is great. I can see why the Ozzie’s have you contributing to there blog. Cheers
Hi Andy, great to see you as well and thanks so much for taking the time to read and leave a comment. I appreciate it. nick