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Harvey Mackay
Column for the week of June 29, 2009
Getting Fired
is really About Being Hired |
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As a young actor and comedian,
Jerry Seinfeld had a small recurring role as a mail carrier on
the TV sitcom Benson. One day Jerry showed up for a script read-through
only to find that he hadn't been issued a script. When he asked
why, he was told that he'd been fired. No one had remembered
to inform him.
Embarrassed, Jerry left the studio
determined to stay out of sitcoms until he had more control over
the process. A few years later he succeeded, in more ways than
one, when he co-created the hit series Seinfeld, which ran for
nine seasons on NBC and topped the Nielson ratings for two years.
Getting fired, downsized, laid
off, let go or whatever term you want to use, used to leave a
stigma. Now it is standard procedure. More and more people find
themselves looking for work. And things are not going to change
soon.
Back in 2004, I wrote a book
called "We Got Fired! ... And It's The Best Thing That Ever
Happened To Us." A year later it was reissued in paperback
with the title, "Fired Up!... How the Best of the Best Survived
and Thrived After Getting the Boot." In the book I chronicled
28 comeback kids who became even bigger successes as a result
of being fired. |
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Many became leaders in their
fields: the business community, entertainment, sports and politics.
After their respective firings, they were remarkably resilient
and offered great advice from a new perspective. Following are
some of my favorite quotes:
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
was a partner at Salomon Brothers and let go after a merger.
He told me, "Nobody likes being pushed out. But you can't
feel sorry for yourself." Bloomberg went on to found the
world's number-one financial information empire.
Pat Mitchell, former CEO of Public
Broadcasting System, said, "Seize every chance you have
to learn. It's amazing how many skills we seem to acquire by
accident. You know what's more mind-boggling than that? How much
of this know-how becomes unexpected but indispensable pluses
later on."
Getting fired is fairly commonplace
in professional sports. New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick,
who has landed on his feet several times, gave me these observations:
"When you're talking career, how you manage things outside
of the white lines has equal value to what you do on the playing
field. Out of bounds is in bounds in the world of influence and
opinion. . . The best way to get respect from others is to start
off by giving it."
Dr. Bernadine Healy, former president
of the American Red Cross, challenged readers to examine their
fortitude. She told me: "If you are considering a career
in public service, are you willing to take the tough stances
that will truly make a difference? Are you prepared to lose your
job rather than compromise on fundamental values? Have you developed
enough different skills that you can always have a back-up career
to turn to at a time of crisis? Do you worry about the things
you can do something about and try your best to laugh at what
you can't change?"
Tom Stemberg, founder of Staples
Inc., advises, "Think about frustrations you encounter in
your own life as business opportunities." Tom is a good
example. He was a trained retailer and found that no one was
serving his needs as a customer. His frustration became the cornerstone
for an entire new business. He also counsels us to "Take
the calls of people who are down. They'll remember, especially
if you happen to be in the same sinking boat some day."
Inspirational "Chicken Soup
for the Soul" author Mark Victor Hansen shared several gems
with me: "If you want a happy ending, rewrite your success
story before somebody else does it for you. . . If you don't
like rejection and you're doing your job, don't give people permission
to make you feel inferior."
Tennis champ Billie Jean King
reminded us, "Don't be afraid to ask for help. This was
one of my weaknesses. I was embarrassed to ask, but I've learned
that people want to help."
Jamie Dimon, CEO and chairman
of JPMorgan Chase & Co., wrapped it all up in this package:
"Perseverance is central. Life is full of ups and downs,
and you must learn from these experiences. . . Always do the
right thing, even when it's not the easy thing."
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Mackay's Moral: |
Fired? Be like the phoenix -- you
can rise from the ashes. |
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