Redundancy: The Best Thing That's Ever Happened to Me

As the Australian news breaks that more than 2000 workers in the media and over 5000 in the manufacturing industries will be made redundant, I reflect on my past 11 months since the velvet hammer of redundancy hit me square on the head.

When I was growing up, the big scary word was “redundancy” and it would find its way into Sunday afternoon barbeques and dinner parties. The grown ups feared redundancy. The kids had no idea what it meant. The politicians suggested we needed thousands of “redundancies” so we could have the recession we had to have. Emotions and stakes were high during that time and as a child there was very little positivity about a workplace act that affected our families in such a major way.

Being great at my job in an organisation I was extremely loyal to, I never thought it would happen to me.

The days and weeks following my redundancy I found freedom in catching up with old friends, some of whom had been through a similar experience. All of them told me that I would look back on being made redundant as the best thing that could have happened to me, and at the time I found this difficult to believe.

Until now, 11 months and two weeks later.

Redundancy has afforded me time to reflect on where I was at in my career and to start to work on where I wanted to head. Instead of looking at the losses, I looked at the gains of which there are many.

I was given a very generous pay-out, so I paid off our debts. The freedom of being able to sleep at night knowing that I didn’t owe a cent to anyone felt fantastic. And I still had some left over to play with.

The financial freedom of leaving work and not being forced into looking for another income immediately also meant I could review my goals and make some plans on how I wanted to achieve them. I still ask myself what I want to be when I grow up and I still have no idea, but I do know what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to work for an organisation that devalues its staff and doesnt recognise my right to a healthy work-life balance. I don’t want to go back into the corporate world of cut-throat politics where I am constantly watching my back. This is not my ideal reality, and I am now fortunate enough not to be forced back into that.

I have added to my love of travel in the past year. I volunteered on a house building project in Cambodia, I floated around Indonesia on a make-shift boat that are sometimes used to carry asylum seekers. I snorkeled off the coast of Java with my youngest son. I spent time in a gorgeous old cabin on Rottnest Island in WA to celebrate my husbands coming of age (he was a late bloomer!). I have shopped and dined in Melbourne on more than one occasion. I explored Komodo Island to find some dragons. I ate amazing local delicacies (not Komodo Dragons).

I enrolled in a writing course - for fun!

I collect my son from school every afternoon and I have energy to help with homework and reading. I now enjoy time on the weekends to lounge around in coffee shops. For hours, you can find me reading the paper and indulging in social media. And meeting new friends over a Zambian skim flat white (also known as networking).

I’m putting my learned skills to good use by working in a smaller company who can't pay me as much as I’m used to, but who genuinely value the skills and experience I bring. I’m really enjoying working in an organisation that is fairly stress-free but also challenging at the same time. Its not where I see myself in a years time, but right now it’s exactly where I want and need to be.

Basically the redundancy has allowed me to take back control of my life, I now have the power to do with it what I want.

So for those employees at Fairfax and News and Toyota etc who are facing the barrel of the unknown with a redundancy, I give you the advice I was once given.

Redundancy will be the very best thing that has happened to you - if you let it.

Playing Politics

Being political in an organisation is a strategic move. You have to know who the players are, what they stand for and who is most likely to win in order to choose the right political side. You also have to be very good at the game.

Its a bit like choosing a sporting team. If you’ve ever played competitive sport, you’ll have an idea on who the players are, what strengths and weaknesses they all have, and what kind of loyalty they have to the team.

In social circles, there are politics as well. Every person in the group will play a certain role. Some groups are extremely supportive of one another and some are so toxic and divisive that it’s a wonder they have a group at all.

In the workplace situation, politics can be both positive and negative; it just depends on how its played out. A negative political environment is one where there is a lot of division, backstabbing and gossip. A positive political workplace is where there is career development, open communication and internal support

In my recent organisation, there were strong political plays throughout the organisation and it was difficult to understand who the players were and what they stood for. I didn’t consider this a positive environment, or conducive to retaining good staff. There was a lot of confusion on where the goalposts were and also who the good guys were. My intention is not to be negative about the company - just merely making an observation on the behaviour. Being in this environment where the leaders are actively gossipping, it’s difficult not to join in. It takes a very strong person not to partake in the office gossip. While I was aware of the political nature, I tried to avoid playing the game. Sadly there were times when I was unknowingly roped into a conversation or situation that I couldn’t avoid, and I didn’t like myself very much afterwards. Thats a sure sign that the organisation may not be the right one to remain in.

My current organisation is a small company and there are three main departments where everyone seems to get along really well. Sure its hierarchical, but the leadership is strong and the staff are aligned and have bought into the vision. The direction is clear and set out early on, with all communication transparent and honest. To date I have not witnessed any kind of gossip or backstabbing and everyone seems very respectful of each other. Invitations to social events are open to all and often attended by most. This is not a workplace that encourages hungry ambition at all costs, but allows individuals an open forum to grow gradually. I am yet to identify any kind of political agenda here, perhaps I have my blinkers on?

It's a very good lesson to learn. I have since considered alternate ways to playing the political game and hope to be able to put them into use in my next career.

Somebody That I Used To Know

Some time ago, I engaged the services of an executive coach. We would meet for an early morning coffee, and go through my week - the highs and lows - and talk about areas that I could improve on.

Together we analysed my career and wrote strategies on my future goals. I was energised by our time together; it was positive, constructive and focused on a part of my life that was very important to me. Each session had a different focus, from confronting my areas for improvement to expanding my areas of expertise.

One such session focused on meeting new people in my workplace. We called it the “hello” time. At first I was to spend 5% of my day networking with senior colleagues, getting in front of their face and marketing myself as well as find out a bit more about them and see if my skills could help them in any way. I also enjoyed learning about their holidays, their families and their sporting hobbies, and of course sharing my own stories. The key was to not share too much, but enough to let them know I was human; interesting, adaptable, and with a life outside of work. The ultimate aim of my networking was to share information and market myself.

As my confidence built, I was to spend more “hello” time, and each day I had to include a new person to talk to. This wasn’t difficult working for a multi-national, especially with a stream of overseas colleagues visiting.

Easy task right? Wrong. Walking around the office each day is actually a bit of a chore for time-poor managers. For me, I had to schedule it into my calendar as personal time away from my desk. It meant that anyone looking at my calendar knew they couldn’t book me in for a meeting at that time.

My friend Dana had a different approach. As a senior manager in a crisis management centre, getting up from her desk to casually “socialise” was almost out of the question. Instead, she would find someone in the organisation that she had yet to meet and send them an invite for lunch. Dana was a well respected member of the organisation and worked in various offices around the world. Her knowledge of the company on a global scale was surpassed by none, so when she sent an invite to someone, they rarely refused her. Not only was she able to market herself in the company and share knowledge with colleagues, she has also made some amazing friends worldwide. Myself included.

I used Dana as a “silent mentor” in networking. We sat next to each other at work, and I took many mental notes of her methods and success. Dana was approachable, friendly, and had a genuine interest in sharing what she knew. She never self-promoted, never gloated about her success in the job and was sincerely interested in the people she worked with. And she had a wicked sense of humour which attracted a lot of people to her. Again, myself included. I wanted to be like Dana, not for the popularity but for her ability to positively embrace new people.

I’m no longer at that company, yet I still remain connected with many of the people I met there. This has served me well in both personal and work situations. I have called upon ex colleagues to introduce me into companies that I am interested in working for, and have also been fortunate to reciprocate the act. Some colleagues have remained friends and we meet up for social gatherings to continue laughing together. Some have probably put me on the “Somebody That I Used to Know list” - and that’s ok as well. My aim has never been to win the Miss Popularity contest. I don’t believe in burning bridges.

Since my redundancy and after a lot of practice, I have become even more confident in my “hello” time that I now enjoy the 30 second elevator pitch, coffee shop conversations with strangers and networking on the twitterverse.

You can find me on @lisafryar on Twitter.

I've met a lot of Bunnies in my life. 

The People You Know.......

I received an email today from an ex-colleague. He is a well respected Emergency Doctor, in a high position within the Australian healthcare system and we worked together remotely on some very complex cases.

His email was out of the blue. Totally unexpected, but very well received.

He wanted to let me know that he had passed on my details to a friend of his who was now in charge of a large Multi-National in Asia Pacific and was looking for senior personnel to run the Sydney office. It’s the kind of job that has my name written all over it, and I happen to know a few people I could bring to the table as well.

We’re not friends. His is not someone that I would include on my Facebook page. He is not on my Christmas card list and if I were on his side of the country I probably wouldn’t even think to look to him up. Our relationship is purely that of ex-colleagues, with mutual respect for each others work.

This email is not a job offer, nor does it guarantee a call. But the way I see it is this: Someone in a very high position who I have worked with has referred me to someone he knows. This is one of the most flattering things that can happen, it’s a validation of my work and he wouldn’t do this if he didn’t trust my ability to get the job done.

Maintaining relationships is key.

The path of friendship can lead to the most interesting places. 

Photo by John Dobbin

It's Not You, It's Me

All the best Hollywood movies include a devastating split between lovers; the saddest line is when one party tells the other that it's not about them.

“Its not you, it’s me....” inevitably leads to a heartbreaking breakup.

It’s the same with rejection responses from recruitment agencies. Not only is the rejection praising your skills and resume, but it's just so bland and standard. In fact, after carefully reviewing numerous rejection emails (which I promised myself I would never do) - I have come to the conclusion that they were all written by either the same person, or a screenwriters guild.

Dear Lisa

Thank you for your recent application for the position of Life Guru.

We found your resume extremely impressive, in fact the quality of your resume was so outstanding that we feel we may not be able to offer you an interview for this position. You are just THAT good. Honesty, we felt you were way too good for this position, there are much better positions out there for you.

Please continue to look at our website daily for other opportunities that you may be interested in, and continue to send your resume to us so that we can review it and see if you tick the boxes on the jobs we also find on seek.com.au and careers.com.au. As we have staff and systems trawling through these websites 24hrs, we may find and  advertise the job before you even wake up. We’re clever like that.

We have your resume on record, however we are unlikely to reference this as this is time consuming and the unemployment market is so high that we don’t actually have to go find candidates. They come to us.

Have you considered a job in recruitment?’

We wish you every success in your job search,

Kind Regards

Recruitment Consultant

OK, so that’s not exactly the wording, but you get the gist of it. A response telling me how great I am, but that I don’t tick all the boxes. Hey! All of my life I have never ticked all the boxes. It's what makes me great.

Seriously, this response (or one very much like it) has been received from multiple recruitment agencies. I honestly feel that they have all gone to the same recruitment school and were given a few templates to work from. They are all identical.

The email responses I am sent directly from companies differs slightly but are along the lines of:

Dear Lisa

Thank you for submitting your application with our company for the position of Life Guru.

After careful review of your resume, we regret to advise that you have not been successful in this instance in obtaining an interview. We were impressed with your skills and value you can bring to our organisation, and very grateful that you took the time to send your resume and award winning cover letter to our company.  

We are not the right company for you, we wont treat you right. There are other companies out there who are so much better for you; you deserve better than us.

Please advise if you wish us to keep your resume on record for future consideration.

Regards

Human Resources Director.

Fortunately I don't take these to heart. It's not me, it's you! Missing out that is.

Apart from there being plenty of fish in the sea, this picture has absolutely no relevance to the blog.

Shameless Act of Self Promotion

I’m going to tell you how good I am.

Right here. Right now. After all, this is what I do on a daily basis when writing my award winning cover letters. 

I am an exceptional leader. What makes me exceptional besides me telling you? Well, I enjoy leading a team of people. I get my kicks out of developing staff, watching them grow and develop in careers and as people. In my performance reviews, in the hallway discussions with managing directors, and in emails from staff, I have been told how great I am as a leader. Its true. I have evidence. 

I am a “can-do” person. I don’t just tell you I can do it, I roll my sleeves up and do it. I have often walked into the office to find myself short staffed and the only option is for me to get in and do what I tell my staff to do. As a manager and leader, I also had to do it without error and with a positive attitude. How can I expect staff to do something well if I can’t do it? 

I am a strategist. I can break down any vision you give me and turn it into a phased plan that will knock your socks off. Or heels if you’re not wearing socks. 

I am savvy. Not just school yard savvy, but I come with the business smarts. I’ve been there on day one of a start up company that is still going strong after 16 years. I’ve provided solutions to large multinational companies that made sense, and made money. 

I am an excellent communicator. Actually, I have no idea on this one, all I know is that I communicate. A lot. In various mediums. 

I am a thought leader. Again, I don’t really know if I am, but someone on twitter told me I was. Well, I don’t really know what a thought leader is to be honest, but it sounds too good to pass up. I have now included this on my resume. Lisa Fryar - Thought Leader.  

I am beginning to really enjoy the cover letter writing exercise of applying for a job. 
Everyday I am granted the opportunity to provide some positive blurb about myself, it's like a form of new age therapy where I continually go through the list of everything I am really great at. I don’t even struggle with this anymore. 

Where I need the practice is telling people in person. 

Australians are not known for their face to face self promotion. We cut down tall poppies and eat them for breakfast, so singing my own praises seems a little unnatural. This is something I really need to start working on because walking into an interview, I need to have the same confidence that my resume promotes. 

I can't exactly walk in and introduce myself as Australia’s Next Top Thought Leader. 

Any volunteers who would like to hang out with me for a little while and listen to my shameless self promotion blurb?

PS - that's me in a "marketing poster" showcasing some of my skills. 

Silence is Golden.

I love silence. Peace and quiet. 

Unless I am waiting for a response to a job, then silence is deafening!

As a mother of three lovely kids, I have certainly had my moments of wanting to lock myself in a padded room wearing earplugs and an eye mask. The straight jacket goes without saying. I imagine after an hour of living with only my thoughts, I would return as a bit of a bliss-ninny to my beautiful family and cope with the noise so much better. Until the next school holidays when daily torrential rain forces everyone to catch cabin-fever.

Silence after an interview can be quite frustrating. When the interview has gone particularly well, and the hiring manager suggests further contact (and provides a timeline for the communication) and then remains silent, it’s confusing. I don't understand this. If I commit to making contact with someone, I always make contact. It’s about being a professional, a good communicator, someone who lives by their word.

I have had more than one experience where I have had successful interviews, leaving me on a high with an expectation of a phone call, an email, or even a second or third interview. I’ve even been given dates and times when I can expect this. When the communication hasn’t happened, I am pro-active and (after an appropriate time) – follow up.  After following up through email and voicemail, and then further silence – it’s not just uncomfortable but it also leaves me questioning my judgement and doubting myself. It’s an unhealthy place to be in my mind.  

It also makes me feel that my follow up emails are a desperate attempt at getting an answer. Actually they are. I like to complete things and close them off.

My message to Hiring Mangers: I can take constructive feedback, in fact I welcome it. It’s how I grow and develop as a person. Feedback is a gift to me. Bring it on. 

I don’t mind if you come back and tell me I’m not suitable for a role as long as I also get an explanation why.

A company that fails in communicating to a potential employee also provides an impression that they are not good at communications, and do not value honesty.

I refuse to doubt myself or my abilities through silence from a hiring manager. 

Hand me the earplugs?