The Unexpected Coffee Break

I had a conversation with a friend who has just been fired from his work. He told me that when his manager invited him to get a cup of coffee, he considered it a chance to have discussion around promotion, pay raise or a new assignment. He was performing well at work and getting positive feedback from colleagues and supervisors. But a few minutes into the coffee session, his manager broke the news. “You’re fired”, may be in a more diplomatic way but whatever form it took, it translates to one thing, he was fired.

We’re told that if we to do the right thing at the right time and get ourselves at the right place at the right time, we can ensure job security, promotion, and stability and happiness. In truth, even after we’ve done everything right, even after you’ve done what your manager expected you to do, and have been voted the employee of the month, change suddenly pops up.  And sometimes change can be big and unpleasant.

I’ve seen it happen to friends over and over again. And it was no fault of theirs. Preparing for change and being ready for it is part of life’s survival kit.

In your personal and professional development journey, change is constant: a new operating system, mergers and acquisitions, layoffs, restructuring, relocation, new markets, a new competitor to deal with, and the list goes on. You can’t run way from these, ignore them, or hide from them. You can only prepare to meet them head on.

Change is hard. It can shake your world and turn it around, but it can also alert you to new possibilities. If you take it cool, reach out to your trusted network of friends and professional colleagues, you will be amazed by how vast the possibilities are. Focus on the positives and seek support. Sometimes, a big change can be the only force to get you reinvent yourself and begin to live your real live.

 

 

Share

By Kwabena A-Manager

Kwabena, is the founder of Give Back Africa Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids from underprivileged communities realize their potential. He is a scientist in Pharmaceutical Research & Development. To support his charity, please visit http://givebackafrica.org