#Fired May 28
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It is not pleasant to think about but a good number of people get FIRED from a job. A “Life Lesson” is not to let that define you.
This month the Coach4aday 30 Day Challenge is to share “Life Lessons”.
I have been terminated from a Head Basketball Coaching job. That blow included front page headlines letting the world know I was unemployed. It turned out to be one of the best professional moments of my life. True confession, it didn’t feel magically when it happened. It was only when I learned to accept that becoming unemployed did not have to define my life or who I was. I also have discovered that many encountered the same fate on their leadership journey.
The “Life Lesson” was learning to answer a specific question the correct way. Was getting FIRED going to make me “Bitter or Better”? I choose the later. Spending time by reflecting, embarking on self-improvement, and investing in new career skills opened up opportunities for me. I would be remiss if I didn’t single out the importance of relationships during my transition.
When I got FIRED in 1998 it actually opened up the best twenty years of my professional life. I went from unemployed coach to a University Director of Athletics and eventually six years as the University’s Chief of Staff. I assure you my pathway is no anomaly.
Look at the NBA in 2021.
In the book titled The CEO Next Door written by Elena Lytkina Botelho, BJ Wright, and Kim Rosenkoetter Powell they discovered some fantastic data. They followed 2,600 executives over a ten year period of time. Guess what they discovered
- 45 percent of CEO candidates had at least one major career blowup.
- 78 percent who did get fired eventually made it to become a CEO
Won’t sugar coat it, why you were FIRED might matter if it was illegal, gross negligence or lack of ethics. But in cases where getting terminated stemmed lack of results, a poor fit, or lack of leadership experience all is not lost. In fact the data indicates you will succeed.
When getting FIRED is combined with reflection, self-improvement, and renewed investment your chances to bounce back are gigantic.
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