Not All Pathways Are Easy!

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES IS YOUR JOB!

When this happens, it is important to remember an important saying that is common among many counselors and life coaches: You have been created to overcome obstacles. By our very nature we are designed to figure things out and to find a way around the obstacles.

Usually when this happens, we come to a full stop. I had a client who once worked for a local company that had a dynamic leader. The management team knew where they were headed. They had a strategic plan and company values that had been developed over many years. These were based upon empowering employees, and looking for ways to continuously improve the production, performance, training and relationships with employees and customers. Then, after being employed there about five or six years of really meaningful work, my client’s company was sold to a corporation in another state. 

YOU NEED TO MAKE CHOICES FOR YOU!

then, little by little the culture did change, good people were overlooked and pushed aside. Expectations changed, communications changed, no longer were the ideas from the management team listened to by the corporate headquarters. And then, the layoffs began. Pretty soon, there was almost nothing left in the company. It had been deconstructed and everyone, including my client was among the unemployed.

Yes, they did have a severance package, and outplacement resume services. However, that was not the help that this person needed right away. Not only was his source of income jeopardized, but his position in the company was ended, and along with that his sense of self and purpose was upended. Like many of us, he made his work his primary focus of his self-image, and without that job, he felt lost and he felt like a failure. It is true that losing a job is a serious issue and it will take some serious effort to resolve. And, while feelings are bound to be running rampant, 2 feelings do not make good decisions. Feelings are warning signals. They tell you that the harmony and balance are insecure. Just like on the rocks in the pathway, you must maintain your balance and not succumb to the feelings of fear or insecurity.

STEP BACK AND CREATE A PLAN

It is important to pay close attention, to look at the detail of the moment. This takes investigation and requires observations and a series of questions. For my client, it was important for him to remember that he is the same talented and focused person that he was last week! The company failed, he didn’t. The company shifted, he didn’t. He still retained the values that made him successful. But, like an earthquake, the dissolution of the company left a lot of rubble strewn in his pathway. The biggest thing for this person was that he was no longer on automatic pilot! He had to make decisions and he was really close to the rocks and could not really see the goal anymore. Considering the role that values are standards we use for making decisions. Here are some values related questions that can be explored, and mined for how they can create pathways for the next job.

• What was it about the job that you had that you really enjoyed?
• What need did you fill in relation to the people you worked with?
• What challenged and enriched your life?
• What was the change in the company that you found most irritating?
• Where did your family fit in relation to your work?
• What is the most pressing issue that this abrupt change brings?

Think of these as the rocks that you have to climb over in order to see where you want to be. Each of the rocks requires a specific type of strength to climb over. In the gym, the weight machines and other exercise gear helps you develop physical strength. In this metaphorical challenge, rocks that you have to climb over and around end up building character strength and helping you develop the creativity and confidence that will make you ready for the next job!