You got Fired, So what?

You are Fired!

According to Joan Kingsley, a consultant clinical and organisational therapist who has spent over 25 years researching workplace psychology, the number one fear for employees is the fear of being fired, this fear ranked higher than the fear of failing on the job and the fear of being disrespected by the boss. People fear getting fired not only because it affects the source of their livelihood but also because many people have come to associate getting the axe as proof that they are the worst at what they do since we have been conditioned to believe that it's usually the most unproductive employees that get fired.

It's no doubt that getting fired from a job can be a traumatic professional experience and can leave you feeling hurt, embarrassed, humiliated and broke; but while it can do a number on your self-esteem. you shouldn't let that singular act define who you are or where you are headed in your career.
In fact getting fired may actually be good for you, and here's why:

You are in good company! Some of the most successful and influential people have gotten the pink slip in the course of their career journey. Congratulations because you are now part of an elite group of people that include Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Anna Wintour, Michael Bloomberg and Walt Disney.

It's a life lesson. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and letting the experience take a slice out of your self-esteem, take it as one of life's many lessons and learn from the experience. Most organizations would let you know why you are getting axed but if you weren't informed, make it your mission to find out why and resolve to change for the better. If you were fired for poor performance, you would need to work on yourself by developing the skills required to excel in your field as well as learn to effectively communicate to potential employers how you have been able to turn your life around as a result of the firing.

It's your chance to start over. Getting fired also gives you another chance to start over, maybe like a lot of people in the workforce you took the job for the money and not because you enjoyed it or had the skills required to thrive in it. Robert Redford, an award-winning  actor/director and founder of the Sundance Film festival  got fired from a number of jobs which included working in a shipping yard and driving cranes and forklifts before moving to New York to pursue a career in film industry.  If he wasn't fired so many times he may have ended up as a very good forklift driver at best, but his firing spurred him to pursue his passion and today the rest is history. Take your firing as another chance to start over, use the time out to think about what you really want to do and work towards it.

Or maybe do better. Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were fired from Southern California home improvement chain, Handy Dan. Together, they founded Home Depot, the largest home-improvement retailer in the United States whereas Handy Dan shut down operations in 1989. Mr. Marcus and Mr. Blank  started Home Depot as an entire store of discounts, an idea they had while working with Handy Dan. You may have had bright ideas that were being stifled because perhaps you were a lowly officer but with the right people (an investment banker to raise capital and a merchandising guru in the case of Home Depot), you may just be able create a brand that would rival or even run your former employers out of business!

 I hope you can now see why getting fired shouldn't be the end of the road for you. I'll leave you with this gem from American Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour while addressing a room full of budding fashion industry followers during the Teen Vogue Fashion University in New York

"I worked for American Harper's Bazaar . . . they fired me. I recommend that you all get fired, it's a great learning experience."