Surprised?
Well, won’t be.
Especially with the lesson covid-19 has taught us.
Create an exit plan.
Don’t just get into any job blindly.
Not this time again.
Category Archives: Career Development
7 Lessons every employee should learn from Covid-19: Walking by faith is no longer an option.
Just a little story to buttress this truth and lesson.
The story of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews, goes in a such a way that at age 75 he was without a child. His wife, Sarah, was old. Gone pass menopause. There was no way this couple could have a child again.
However, Abraham received a promise from the visitations of two angels that he will bear his own son, from his loins. He believed it and accepted it.
Time pass, he didn’t see any. And sure, I know he must have been having doing his part as a husband.
At a point, his wife suggested her maid get in the line of the family. He agreed and Haggai got pregnant. Thinking that this will be the promised child, he was happy, but not for long.
Quarrelling came in between his wife and Haggai. (Ladies can’t handle this… You can imagine being a maid and then suddenly, you now carry the child of your master.)
Abraham, I think was confused. He got another message saying that Ishmael (the son of Haggai) is not the promised child. Therefore, he will have to wait for that one child.
He stayed there. Believed it and finally got Isaac. Isaac came as a miracle child. Abraham was close to 100years and his wife, 90.
The fulfilment of that promise was seen.
Was it easy?
Go ask a 21st century couple… Not just that, ask a typical African woman what her mother-in-law had said to her.
The lesson from this is that for employees it is time to believe in the unseen realm of life. Whether you believe in God as I know or not, the unseen realm does exist.
From the Holy Scriptures, Hebrews 11 verse 1 puts it this way for faith:
What is faith? It is the confidence assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. NLT
THERE are dreams you have but you’ve refused to take steps.
Fear. What will they say.
Go back to all the lessons and see where you are missing it. Then take those steps of faith.
Now. Not tomorrow.
7 Lessons every employee should learn from Covid-19: Understanding is more important than trends.
My third lesson.
Let me explain.
Prior to this time, we knew there were things that trended in the economy. Several jobs trended and perhaps people went for them.
Why?
Everyone is talking about it. Everyone is doing it. Everyone is investing in it.
The oil market received a big blow. And that affected the transport industry globally including the hospitality industry.
I can imagine a person trying to fit into any of these industries with hope that it will be hot and suddenly, covid-19 hits.
Losses upon losses upon losses.
So instead of going with what’s in vogue, think first. Understand what’s happening and then take a decision and go by it.
I think I’ve heard Warren Buffet talk about investment and he mentioned something like he doesn’t invest in what he doesn’t understand.
Same thing.
Let insight lead you not trends.
7 Lessons every employee should learn from Covid-19: Failing to plan is planning to fail.
A very popular statement. However, with the fear and anxiety in the hearts of employees, you’ll agree that most didn’t see this coming. Most couldn’t plan. Therefore, the job loss affected them more.
I always want to put myself in the shoes of those who lost their jobs in this period.
Like I’ve said several times, I’ve not been to the office for two months and no pay coming in.
Do you think I’ll sit and watch life go on?
I also didn’t prepare for this. I didn’t. I was trying to when the floods came rushing and somehow I’ve been able to stand.
After the covid-19 lockdown is over… I beg your pardon, as the lockdown is on, the planning is already on.
Since we know we are responsible for ourselves we also know that we need to plan for ourselves as well.
Are you planning for yourself or waiting for someone to?
7 Lessons every employee should learn from Covid-19: You are responsible for yourself.
For certain reasons, I want to call these lessons, courses. Tutor? Covid-19. And they are free courses. But not everyone might attend the classes.
I have given more thoughts to work recently than other times.
I’ve also worked more – outside the office than any other time.
I read a story of how an employee was told that at 5pm of the day she was called that she will be off employment.
The person in question got the call from the director and these are few lines from the conversation:
“She said we are actually – have to d away with your position altogether because, you know, we do – we want to make sure that if something like this ever happens again that we will be prepared and being able to just work with the people that we have to…”
The truth is that even when it happens again, there will still be lay offs.
In the same line, another employee, who was laid off, was asked the question, “… how are you getting by right now?”
Her response?
“You know, fortunately – and I got to say I’m thankful that I’ve – you know, I was able to have a little bit of savings – not a ton. But that’s mostly what I’ve been living off of here in I guess what’s been a couple of months.”
Can you see that?
Government too can’t help you fully. They are like you and I in so many ways. We know of corruption and all of that but they are like us in many ways.
What’s the the writing on the wall?
Covid-19 says, take responsibility for your life.
Don’t rely on jobs any more even after this lockdown. Get your feet up and your brains open.
Do something apart from having a job.
Period!
(Stories from https://npr.org/)
Being an entrepreneurial employee.
Most employees are scared of the word entrepreneurship. And I understand. But the truth is that you can be entrepreneurial without having a business-business.
Each time I talk with fellow employees, there’s a view they have for the word, entrepreneurship.
It feels like it’s for the great and might. Strong and gallant. Fearless and limitless.
They don’t think they can. They don’t even try.
While I understand that thrill, because I use to be there, can I tell you that you don’t have to own businesses to show that you are entrepreneurial. You don’t have to.
If you have a job, enjoy it.
But you can also try out things. Try out your ideas. Stop thinking you’ll fail even before trying.
Related
- You Have an Idea—Now What? 3 First Steps for Your Start-up
- 30+ Small Business Ideas That Use Skills You Already Have
- Next Steps When You Have a Great Idea For a Business
Summarizing this, whether you have a job or you’re fired or whatever, try something.
Read yesterday’s post so you can understand this better.
Surviving Post-Covid-19: The gold in being FIRED.
Today, I’ll give you seven sites you should read if you’re fired from your job.
- The ten best things about getting fired.
- How to handle getting fired.
- What to do when you’re fired.
- Top 10 things not to say or do of you’re fired.
- 7 things to do immediately if you get fired.
- 8 steps to bouncing back after getting fired.
- What you should ask an employer when you are fired.
I’ll hold it here.
Remember, job loss in the covid-19 era shouldn’t end your life.
No way.
Rather, it should start a new phase for you.
Who told you, you can’t survive without a job?
I was having a nice time this afternoon when I was struck by a thought.
I saw myself being afraid.
Of what?
I was asking myself, “How will you survive in this pandemic?”
Why?
I’ve been off work and off salary for close to two months now.
But guess what?
I’ve done more projects than I’ve done in the last one year.
I also earned some cool cash.
While I still look forward to going back to the office, I can’t allow that dictate my life again.
Never.
Now, why do so many people depend on employment?
They have not been taught to trust their thoughts and ideas.
They don’t believe in what they can do. They don’t believe they can create things by themselves, take it to the market and sell it at any prize they want to.
They don’t.
So, they wallow in insecurity of jobs. They are afraid of trying things.
It’s terrible.
So terrible I must confess.
That same question my head asked me is the same question the heads of many ask them. Yet, they run from trying things by themselves while cleaving to a job.
Why?
A job is the safest place for them.
I’ll end with this.
A friend of mine just told me few minutes ago, that a friend was laid off. And in their conversation, the friend that was laid off was saying that he’ll not get another job.
He wants to build a business.
He was pained that he worked in an organization for about 4 years and was asked to go with nothing.
No settlement.
Just like that.
Who told you you cannot survive without a job? Who?
Surviving Post-Covid-19: The gold in being FIRED II.
I was going through this book, Think Like a Billionaire. Become a Billionaire when the first reason dawned on me.
I’m a person of faith and so it’s real, so deep for me.
Getting fired from a job will make you trust God more.
Scot gave a story of how his dad got fired and it was so difficult for him to cope.
In the early eighties, my father was laid off from his job. Seven months went by with no word from his employer. He had us to take care of, the mortgage to pay and all the other responsibilities of life.
It would have been very simple for God to do a miracle for my dad and just drop money on the porch each morning like the manna for the Israelites. My brother Jason and I could have run outside all excited, grabbing money while our neighbors fought us for it. It would have been amazing.
But that would not have helped my dad grow so that he could do bigger miracles on his life. God used the opportunity to get him to participate in the miracle. And my dad changed and grew. He leaned on the Word and read the bible even when things did not make sense. God said, “Don’t worry about it.” Dad thought he wanted to worry about it but God reminded him that He would supply everything he needed.
My dad began to put his hands in things so that God could prosper him. He bought and sold cars. He took jobs wallpapering and doing windows for people. And even though he worked few hours that year, he made almost $20,000 more than the prior year. God not only provided for him, He prospered him. My dad learned that God would bless the works of his hands.
So, the job loss was a privilege in disguise.
For me, I can relate well with this.
I lost my job in 2015, around September. It was tough. My boss was not happy but I had to go.
That same month, I got home tutoring job which gave me more money than my job. I survived that season until July of 2016 when I got my current job.
If you’re in a similar case of job loss, you might as well learn to trust God afresh. Leave your understanding behind. You’ll see how He’ll pull you through.
For others, you might say you begin to trust your guts. You begin to take steps that your mind cannot fathom.
In all, losing a job can birth a wonderful experience if you choose to see it differently.
Surviving Post-Covid-19: The gold in being FIRED I.
Don’t look at me like that now. I feel deeply for those who lost their jobs already because of covid-19.
Statistics shows that more will yet be laid off. It’s tough. Sometimes I feel like crying.
Will crying solve it?
No way.
That’s why I’ve been looking for the gold in being fired. And I know there is gold if not gold bars.
The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.
Moliere
See Roger Crawford’s words:
Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.
Then, how can one get the gold out of this situation? Being fired?
You must see the situation differently. And that alone will start the journey.
I’ll share more tomorrow but to give you a stepping stone to stand on, take a look at these words:
Every problem is a gift. Without them we wouldn’t grow.
Tony Robbins
Problems are nothing but wake-up calls for creativity.
Gerhard Gschwandtner
There is no problem outside of you that is superior to the power within you.
Bob Proctor
The Nicheployee Blog 