Layoffs… the bad, the worse, and the worse-r

This month has been so bitter sweet. Did I keep my job? Yes. Did I lose some of the best co-workers and managers I’ve ever had? Yes. Were those co-workers so much more than that? Yes. Did I lose friends… yes.

The world of tech has been shaken like a magic eight ball and your work eligibility has been determined by what seems like looking into the cloudy orb and seeing what the midst determines for you. Great people, people who performed better than me were let go. Some of my best friends, my support system, people I started with are gone.

So if you’re like me, how do we deal with this? How do we get back on the proverbial horse and with confidence to stride forward? As of right now, I am completely unsure.

To be absolutely vulnerable, I’ve been having a crisis of confidence. My team is doing a complete re-org and so many process “improvements” are occurring. I’m going to have to re-strategize, make new relationships, double my workload, and learn a whole new aspect to my job. The positive: we have a lot of opportunities going forward. The negative: everything else.

So what do we do about this crisis of confidence?

1. Accept the fact that losing my friends and support system is much harder than I allow to show.

2. Reach out to others and learn from them - I have some incredibly talented teammates that I could learn a lot from, so I should learn from them. It’s not a bad thing!

3. Read more books, LinkedIn posts, and listen to more podcasts about sales. Be a sponge!

4. Continue to make new relationships- this game is more about who you know, than what you know, so get to know new people.

5. Strategize - create a plan. Bring value. Don’t rely on the norm to get me what I need to make this bread! This game is all about the money and I’m trying to crush it….So take what I learn from the more experienced people around me, stay positive, get 8 hours of sleep, exercise, and put 1000% into each day to make this NEW quota my bitch.

This post may seem like a post about work challenges, but to spell it out, it’s more about mental health, stress, and confidence. I may be suffering from a crisis in confidence, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely incapable. I’ve created a plan, will put it into action, and will do my best, and have no regrets! If you are in the same boat with me, don’t lose faith. WE CAN DO THIS!

1. Admit: this is hard.

- Flip