Layoffs and Unemployment Can Be the Best Thing to Happen to You.

Layoffs and Unemployment Can Be the Best Thing to Happen to You.

The United Auto Workers (united for what? I wont answer that.. just yet) today said that there are “enough sane people” left in Washington that they are certain the government will eventually loan GM money. Let’s hope there are enough sane people left in Washington that they convince the White House not to override the Senate’s decision today. After all, we are supposed to still be a democracy.

Now before I get the email bashers saying that I'm anti-worker and don’t care about people being unemployed, let me just stop you right there. You’re right. But not for the reason you might think. Being unemployed can lead to great things.

The reason is simple – I’ve been unemployed - both intentionally, unintentionally, and “unintentionally intentional”. The world doesn’t end. Life can in fact actually be better than it was before. Anxiety can (and probably will) set in; but more learning takes place in the end and doors open IF you create opportunity. In fact, I believe it’s the only way that many people, myself at one point included, realize the truth – that working for someone else isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and the only real job security any of us have is that which we make for ourselves. Even if you do want to continue working for “the man”, it might just be time to get a kick in the pants and do something different, re-educate, re-tool, learn a new trade or work for someone different anyway – fear is an amazing motivator. The only way for me to explain why the bailouts wont work and why people shouldn’t be afraid of being fired, laid off or anything else that happens along the way is to describe my own experience, so that is what I will do.

My “long” years in Corporate America (by my definition, they were far too long) were spent making someone else rich so I could pay my rent/credit card bills/car payments and eventually mortgage(s). I was left unintentionally unemployed during my very first venture into the Corporate world from “safe academia” (an on ground institution with a dual faculty appointment in a place where no one ever got fired) into a company that was exciting, fun, and just far enough away from the place I grew up. I had a blast for a bit with a terrific boss that taught me many lessons; a fantastic team I led who were easily all ten-plus years my elders (and loved open debate), and a jackass “President” that knew absolutely nothing about running a business. Starting to sound familiar? I cannot compare him to Big 3 CEOs because I don’t know those guys (although it is ironic they’re all from Michigan). But I knew this guy – Ken Kozminski – looking back I realize just how stupid this coward was. He ran a company called IPC Communication Services; I ran the Information Tech Departments in the Western and Eastern regions. I was their only IT Director to ever create a profit center out of IT (and bring on new clients for them because of our IT capabilities), and I had a blast doing it. Unfortunately, IPC was a part of the Journal Communications Family, and Mr. Ken was rather protected and insulated from his stupid decisions by the good ole’ boys network. He was a wuss (I'm being kind), which is worse than stupid. He came in, flew under the radar, laid off the entire Western Region because of poor management decisions dating back years, and flew back to Michigan before the shit hit the fan. He was the epitome of what I never wanted to be. In the 60 or so days my respected boss and I had there, we spent it finding our team member’s jobs – and ourselves jobs – and we moved on. I took some of my team with me to the next position; he took some with him – we were ALL better off – although demoralized and anxious. The way in which he threw those hard working people under the bus, many of whom would have given anything to save that business (and tried), was pathetic and disgraceful. But what happened for us all? Forced change led to a better job; some people even met their future spouses at their next company -- and forced change will lead to something better for everyone else if they give their job search their all and put everything they have into it – including the auto workers. No one is protected from dumb management, or greedy union bosses. Unemployment here was definitely unintentional.

My disdain for stupidity (and lack of leadership) grew just a bit; and I was still very young, working on a master’s degree. I began working for a homebuilder in Southern California and landed a great job with a lot of flexibility and another absolutely fantastic boss. I was quite content there; I had a fabulous team, did a ton of traveling, had the support of the best in the business, and integrated at least one new business every 30 days somewhere around the country – life was good (this was during the heyday of the building boom). Until - one day, that boss became the fall guy for a pathetic Chief Financial Officer, and I watched him go down with only his dignity remaining. His team literally mourned; they trusted him and it was now our job to explain why the rest of the team was safe – and keep morale up. In this business, the CFO owed a favor to the CMO, and in came – another idiot – a friend of his – to take over the role of CIO. This idiot wanted to make changes – primarily to my team – while he knew nothing about technology (he was an accountant). He needed to lighten the financial load, and what better way to do it than by cutting the people out that keep the systems running? Ultimately I told him where to stick his stupid ideas, and so the attitude began to develop just a bit further. I wasn’t going to watch this happen again and I flat out refused to make the changes he wanted. With a few weeks I found myself out on technicalities just like my former boss, and nearly everyone on my team got “laid off” anyway. This was the unintentional unemployment thing yet again – somehow I thought he might think it was cool for someone to stick up for what they believed. Boy was I wrong. He wanted his wishes turned into orders, which I refused to do.

Now I was really sick and tired of watching the little guy get pummeled. Thinking at this point I’d chosen the wrong field and should have been an attorney, I was thankful to begin my next new job with a masters and the beginning of my PhD (making progress on at least one front)– moving on yet again to another business. It was okay – because life goes on. I had a mortgage to pay and did everything (to quote a CFO I interviewed with) short of “parachuting into the offices of the companies I wanted to work for” to move on – and most importantly – up. This is what all of those facing unemployment today will have to do in this economy. Parachute into the companies you want to work for… or better yet… give them a one finger salute.

So I moved on.. again…– great job – well respected company that, purely out of the respect I have for a few people that still work there, I won’t name (today anyway – same goes for the aforementioned). Good boss, we made great headway.. then in came another moron about 8 months after I was hired who had no clue how to run a business – in fact I found out later he lied about most of what was on his resume. He tried to damage mostly all the little guys (my theory is it made him feel good) – particularly those that he felt threatened by – and particularly a “woman who wouldn’t get a PhD on ‘his watch’” – I did the same thing and told him where to put his ideas, only with a lot more attitude (all 5’4” of it), and within weeks, had a severance package. This was unintentional intentional unemployment – an oxymoron I know – but I had already known the risks of saying “absolutely no you are not doing this” to a jerk on a power trip, so I knew what I’d be facing (along with several other personal things occurring simultaneously that took my anxiety to another level). Trust me, you can survive unemployment. But.. the team was spared, because I told human resources what this guy was doing, what he had really done in his former life (along with the associated proof), and he was promptly fired. I was glad to be given the title of martyr by several team members that had their jobs saved as a result.

I took my resume to yet another company, CB Richard Ellis in Newport Beach. I enjoyed a short year there, made friends for life, and worked for a person with a good heart. He wasn’t always the best manager and couldn’t make a decision to save his life, but his heart was golden and that was what I needed.. something to remind me that not all people suck at the core in business.

After a year or so at CB (with a perfectly fine job), I decided to become unemployed again – only this time, intentionally. I had started a business that was gaining in strength (starting it part time while working in corporate America, something I recommend to entrepreneurs) and I wanted to give it more of myself. About 3 years ago, I realized I didn’t need Corporate America – I needed my own sense of self worth and the knowledge that no one could screw me anymore. Several of my colleagues did the same thing. I believe we are all happier now.

What’s the point of all of this? The UAW workers will be fine. The millions of people (if in fact those aren’t just scare tactics) that will lose their jobs if the auto companies go under will be fine. Those unemployed today will be fine. Many of them may just need the kick in the pants to do something else and may find it was the best thing that ever happened to them. Every time I’ve been fired, unintentionally or intentionally, it led to far greater, better things. The key is to not be afraid to risk it all. No one taught me this, but I know it is true.. from experience, and from consulting with so many people in this situation that got through it and wound up better at the end. Life can be better if you take the road your brain fears most.