For Employees – Stepping off the Corporate Ladder
In the last recession a common statement I heard from downsized employees was- “I am worth $200,000.00 a year.”
A statement of defiance, denial and pain.
It often lead to disaster a few months later .
They would not go to any job interviews as what was being offered was beneath their salary level or-
If they had a generous severance package many bought a franchise. Why was this a mistake?
Lets look at the thinking behind the I am worth statement.
You are not worth $200,000.00. The job you had paid that amount. After you leave you will find out what you are worth. At the corporation you had their structure, a staff and a department; all a big part of your success. Now you have you.
If you have based your sense of self worth on your salary level you are going to face extra difficulties.
If you buy a franchise with the “I am worth” mind and ego set you have a disaster in the making. Brilliance in one field does not give you a brilliance carte blanche for all fields.
Managing your staff from a corner office is corporate power and status. When you are starting a new business you must be both President and Custodian. Corner office approaches made many financial parachutes fail to open.
For Entrepreneurs – That’s Not What I Do
Entrepreneurs have every reason in the world to take pride in their in their accomplishments but-When I look back on the last recession I realize that many who did not make it were very similar. They would not shift their approach to fit a new situation and they tended to be companies that had one clear cut service, no secondary markets.
An example- a friend owned a temp secretarial service agency. She was very successful. When companies had to tighten their belts they did not hire temps very often. At the same time the computer had arrived on the business horizon. I suggested that she switch to temp computer people, be leading edge, catch all the limited opportunities out there. She responded
“That’s not what I do”.
Things were so bad she was not really doing what she used to do. Weeks later I pointed out that her competitor had a large article (free publicity) in the daily paper promoting their new computer skilled temps.
Her response – you can guess.
She soon lost everything. Her competitor thrived.
A GPS for Your Life
Recession survival may not require a complete re training or starting over again just a fine tuning.
Sort of a GPS for your life-where am I now, where do I need to go and what is the best route to get there.