07.11.09
It’s All About You
At the end of November last year, I was laid off — along with 60 percent of my colleagues in the marketing communications department of large engineering firm.
The news was unexpected. I knew there’d be layoffs; I truly did not think it would be me. But it was me and life goes on. I did my best to use the door opening as an opportunity to explore some new things. No hard feelings — it was a great place to work and I still have many good friends and colleagues there as well as coworkers who also transitioned to new things that day.
One of my colleagues, Andre, also was laid off. I’ve known Andre for, gosh, nearly 20 years. Originally we met through our Board of Directors roles in a professional organization for business communicators, kept in touch after that, and later I had the good fortune to work with Andre for the past five years.
Andre’s a class act. Great communications pro, and a quality human being. I was shocked to hear he’d been laid off as well, as he’d been instrumental in the company’s outreach and media relations for something like 20 years.
He gave his heart and soul to the company. When he lost his job, Andre could have become bitter, downtrodden, negative, depressed . . . and perhaps there were moments of days or full days that held those things. I don’t know.
What I saw, however, in the weeks that followed exemplified strength and can-do and faith. Faith that the layoff was a gift. It might not be apparent yet, but good would come of it, he was sure of it.
Last week I received great (and not so great) news. Andre accepted a job with a related company in Washington State, where he already has many friends. The great news his talent is recognized and he’s starting a new rewarding chapter of life; the sad news is that he’s moving so far away. I will miss my colleague and friend.
He shared the news with some of us former coworkers in an e-mail, and I was so touched by his message that I asked if I could share it on my blog. He said certainly, and here it is.
The career journey for me the past seven months has been an incredibly rewarding experience from which I’ve learned a lot. The most important lesson I’ve taken from that time is that whenever it looks like everything you face has absolutely everything to do with you — who you are, what you’ve done, and what you stand for — you should remind yourself that the real truth is it’s never about you.
It’s really about all of you — my friends and countless others who supported, encouraged, prayed for, consoled, and reinvigorated me along the way. It will always be about all of you and the meaning you bring to my life.
Thank you for that. It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you all over again, and in some cases getting to know some of you for the first time.
Whatever success I have experienced thus far and from this point forward, I owe to all of you and others too numerous to name.
Just know that I am forever grateful to you for what you’ve meant to me over the moments, days, months, and years we’ve shared. You will always have a special place in my heart that I take with me wherever I go.
Thank you. God be with you.
Thank you, Andre, for being on my path and for the lessons you’ve taught me. May God bless you on the next steps of your journey.