January 26th, 2009 may henceforth be known as Bloody Monday or Job Massacre Monday: according to CNN.com and a few other sources, 71,400 job losses were announced today. I wish there was an extra zero in there or I had simply typed it incorrectly but no: seventy-one THOUSAND four-hundred job cuts were announced in one day.
Boggles the mind, doesn't it?
Here are a few of the Fortune 500 companies that announced layoffs today (with the number of jobs in parentheses):
-Caterpillar (20,000)
-Pfizer--pre-merger (8,190)
-Pfizer/Wyeth--post-merger (18,000)
-Sprint Nextel (8,000)
-Home Depot (7,000).
For the unabridged list, please click here:
Economists, such as Rebecca Braeu at John Hancock Financial Services, predict that this is "the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to massive layoffs at other major companies (please click here for the article).
If this grim prediction doesn't frighten you and send you running for cover, then continue reading (if you're already shaking in your boots and/or have already lost your job, I suggest turning on fluff TV for a few minutes, as it does wonders for lightening the mood. A personal favorite is Gossip Girl). Still there? How courageous! Here goes: By some analysts' projections, the unemployment rate could potentially hit 10 percent by later this year or next year.
Ready to check out of 2009 and re-join the human race/working world in 2010? Before doing so, I ask you to consider this oft-used but ever-true aphorism:
Knowledge is power.
Yes, you may lose your job this year (if you have not lost it already). No, you may not get a bonus or a pay-raise, no matter how much you've earned and deserved it. Finally, yes, the more you know about what may happen and how you can handle it, the better off you will be in the long run.
Often, people are well aware of what may happen in the real world but believe that by ignoring it, the real world will exist without them in it. I am guilty of succumbing to this situation (Gossip Girl, remember?); however, while it's a temporary salve for maintaining one's sanity in the face of hardship, perhaps it may be advantageous to admit challenges in the road ahead and do what's necessary to prepare for them.
At this time, I suggest writing down (or at least thinking about) your particular situation: Do you still have a position? If so, do you think it's safe? If you feel that you may lose your job, what can you do to either save it or how can you prepare for the job search? If you've already lost your job, have you started looking for new positions yet and, if so, how is it going so far?
In answering these questions, what strategies may help you as you move forward? Have you thought about the benefits of re-branding yourself and your current experience? Also, have you set mini-goals as you reached for a bigger goal (career or non-career related)? The bottom line is the more you know about where you are now and how it fits into the larger realm, the better of you'll be in preparing for the future.
At this stage of the game (if you can really call the economic/job crisis/recession a game, in which case it would be "Trouble"), knowledge really is power. You can continue living in the make-believe world of "If I don't think about it, it won't happen to me" or you can realize that the real world may very well come knocking one day and the more you've prepared yourself and your strategy, the better off you'll be. That strategy may evolve as circumstances change but self-awareness will go a long way in staying afloat throughout the Job Massacre that will be 2009.
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How are you faring with the current job market? Have you thought about what strategies may work for you as you move forward? Have you thought about how coaching help you change your perspective and assist in goal-setting as well as re-branding?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Job Loss & Jerry Maguire
From today's Wall Street Journal: "The economy lost 2.6 million jobs in 2008, government figures showed, the most since World War II ended in 1945. Nearly two million of those losses were in the last four months alone, a sign that the recession accelerated as the financial crisis intensified, and should drag on well into the new year" (see below for the full article).
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123150742539367897.html?mod=djemalertNEWS
One might look at the title to today's post and wonder how I might actually link job loss to the movie Jerry Maguire, though I will go ahead and say that it has nothing to do with crazed movie actors jumping on couches and/or screaming at Matt Lauer (I don't recommend either, especially if you'd like to maintain your job and/or dignity).
Rather, I was watching Jerry Maguire the other night when one of the movie's more notable scenes popped up. Recall, if you will, Tom Cruise (fully-clothed) and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (sans clothing) in the football locker room and Cruise's stressed out character starts to lose it with Gooding Jr.'s demanding one. As the two begin bickering forth, Maguire spits out the following line:
"Help me help you," he says. "Help ME help YOU!"
I shut off the TV after that scene but the line stayed with me. Help me help you. Though the movie suggests a different connotation, I believe there is another interpreation--one this strongly linked to the very foundation of coaching.
As a coach, my primary goal is to work with my clients to help them discover whatever it is that would make their lives happier and more balanced. However, the client must truly be open for this kind of relationship; i.e., he or she must allow the coach to really help.
For our generation, at least, this is a time of unprecedented job uncertainty and while the situation is a cause of concern for many people, others are using the time to look inward and figure out what they they'd like to be doing in the long-term. Although unemployement is on the rise, so is the number of people turning to coaches looking for long-term career help. The coaches at ReFresh Your Step are here to help you look through the murky present and into a bright future.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123150742539367897.html?mod=djemalertNEWS
One might look at the title to today's post and wonder how I might actually link job loss to the movie Jerry Maguire, though I will go ahead and say that it has nothing to do with crazed movie actors jumping on couches and/or screaming at Matt Lauer (I don't recommend either, especially if you'd like to maintain your job and/or dignity).
Rather, I was watching Jerry Maguire the other night when one of the movie's more notable scenes popped up. Recall, if you will, Tom Cruise (fully-clothed) and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (sans clothing) in the football locker room and Cruise's stressed out character starts to lose it with Gooding Jr.'s demanding one. As the two begin bickering forth, Maguire spits out the following line:
"Help me help you," he says. "Help ME help YOU!"
I shut off the TV after that scene but the line stayed with me. Help me help you. Though the movie suggests a different connotation, I believe there is another interpreation--one this strongly linked to the very foundation of coaching.
As a coach, my primary goal is to work with my clients to help them discover whatever it is that would make their lives happier and more balanced. However, the client must truly be open for this kind of relationship; i.e., he or she must allow the coach to really help.
For our generation, at least, this is a time of unprecedented job uncertainty and while the situation is a cause of concern for many people, others are using the time to look inward and figure out what they they'd like to be doing in the long-term. Although unemployement is on the rise, so is the number of people turning to coaches looking for long-term career help. The coaches at ReFresh Your Step are here to help you look through the murky present and into a bright future.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Are You Going to Finish Strong?
Happy New Year and welcome to 2009--to be honest, 2008 was not a favorite year for many people so may we bid it adieu and look ahead to a bright and exciting new year, no matter what the economy and job market has in store!
I had a few other ideas in mind for today's post but then I received this interesting--and inspiring--video from my good friend Noah. Though I am not usually one to post videos, send email chain letters (unless, of course, I *want* my crush to call me in the next five minutes) or engage in any such similar forms of communication, this particular video really hit home. Please see below:
http://www.guzer.com/videos/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.php
Each one of us has our own unique situations that may hold us back from either pursuing what we dream of or simply make life more challenging; however, I would be hardpressed to hear of anyone taking on life with such gusto and self-effacing humor than Nick Vujicic. I imagine he's not always so chipper but the fact that he has made a name for himself by facing what's obviously a difficult situation leads me to believe that each one of us can also finish strong in our own lives.
As I personally enter 2009, I know I have a great many obstacles before me but will try to keep everything in perspective--I've chosen to start my own company and know the hard work I've put into it and will continue to do so for the simple sake of following my own passion and career path. Additionally, I am still relatively new to the Atlanta area but know that the key to my personal happiness is to continue getting out there and building a network of friends, even if it means not being up in New York quite as much as I'd like. Lastly (for now), I am working on a few separate projects that, while they pose immense challenges, I know that actually finishing them will lead to an amazing sense of accomplishment further down the road. 2008 was tough but I hope 2009 is a banner year for everyone--let the coaches at ReFresh Your Step work with you to make this year your best yet!
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How did Nick's video impact you? As you enter 2009, what goals have you set for yourself and, moreover, how can we help you reach them?
I had a few other ideas in mind for today's post but then I received this interesting--and inspiring--video from my good friend Noah. Though I am not usually one to post videos, send email chain letters (unless, of course, I *want* my crush to call me in the next five minutes) or engage in any such similar forms of communication, this particular video really hit home. Please see below:
http://www.guzer.com/videos/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.php
Each one of us has our own unique situations that may hold us back from either pursuing what we dream of or simply make life more challenging; however, I would be hardpressed to hear of anyone taking on life with such gusto and self-effacing humor than Nick Vujicic. I imagine he's not always so chipper but the fact that he has made a name for himself by facing what's obviously a difficult situation leads me to believe that each one of us can also finish strong in our own lives.
As I personally enter 2009, I know I have a great many obstacles before me but will try to keep everything in perspective--I've chosen to start my own company and know the hard work I've put into it and will continue to do so for the simple sake of following my own passion and career path. Additionally, I am still relatively new to the Atlanta area but know that the key to my personal happiness is to continue getting out there and building a network of friends, even if it means not being up in New York quite as much as I'd like. Lastly (for now), I am working on a few separate projects that, while they pose immense challenges, I know that actually finishing them will lead to an amazing sense of accomplishment further down the road. 2008 was tough but I hope 2009 is a banner year for everyone--let the coaches at ReFresh Your Step work with you to make this year your best yet!
-------------------------------
How did Nick's video impact you? As you enter 2009, what goals have you set for yourself and, moreover, how can we help you reach them?
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