Are you headed for the unemployment line?

We never know what the future may hold, right?

…no, that’s not quite accurate.

We’ve conditioned ourselves apart from our intuitive side… meaning most of us are running through life just “tra, la, la-ing” and not connecting with the reality that’s all around us.

Have you ever known someone who had something negative happens in their life such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or a divorce… and that person was simply shocked?

I recently sat next to a delightful woman during my flight to California for a business trip to help a leadership group with strategic planning.

The woman was fascinating.

It was a long flight- from Atlanta to Los Angeles – so we had plenty of time to do *whatever* on the plane.

I’d planned to write for you darling blog readers, but the world had different plans for me.

This woman and I were supposed to meet.

She was interested in the work I was heading to do – strategic planning, management training for effectiveness – though that life was far behind her in her current retirement.

She retired early- happily married and able to invest in an RV so she could travel the country with her best friend, her husband, named John.

Five months prior to our meeting, she and John made plans for the year 2020 to be “on the road” to see sights they read about but never saw such as Old Faithful and The Grand Canyon.

Two healthy people in their late 60’s and completely in love with each other traveling the country together – we’re all able to smile at the idea of that love story.

Four and a half months before our meeting, John had to go into the doctor for a “routine outpatient procedure.”

Two weeks later John started to feel sick and started to “go downhill,” as they say, quite quickly.

She asked John to go to the doctor but he was stubborn and would not.

Three weeks later he was admitted to the hospital with an infection that would have been curable had he visited his physician.

Two weeks later he was dead.

She was shocked.

The progression of John’s downfall was quick by our time standards of how long someone usually suffers from an illness before being overtaken, but this lovely woman was still in a state of shock.

True shock.

She would stare straight ahead at the seatback in front of her as she told her story and sometimes freeze – then shaking herself out of the trance and back into reality.

She was given the signs of John’s illness in rapid progression but one sign at a time… so his death should have been no surprise.

Actually, John lived a week longer than the doctors predicted he would.

This type of shock is something I see all the time with people who come to GILD for the Successful Transition program which is to help people transition from unemployment to a job they’ll love, or from a job that is not fulfilling into one that does make them happy.

Usually, our consultation calls start the same way.

I’ll let them know the agenda, and they will answer my first question which is, “Tell me in 2 minutes why we are here today.”

They’ve been treated poorly. 

They’ve been working their fingers to the bone. 

They’ve been the glue that holds the place together. 

They were with the company *so many* years and they’ve been faithful. 

The new management is reigning with an iron fist. 

They just didn’t see it coming. 

They just didn’t see it coming. 

They just didn’t see it coming. 

There are five signs you’re on the chopping block – and if you really want to be prepared to take the reigns on your own destiny, memorize these so you can be on the look-out for them and know when you need to pop into action.

It’s always better to leave on your terms, and not because you’ve been dismissed for any reason.

This is also the topic of a video that recently dropped on our YouTube channel, so check that out as well.

The first one starts where we seldom look for the initial problem… inside ourselves.

1. You Think You’re Irreplaceable
   You’re not.
   I don’t care if you started the company, invented the products, sold the products, hired the staff, retained the board and haven’t written anything down so people would have to figure it out for themselves if you were run over by a stampede.
   You’re replaceable.
   Everyone is.
   I’m typing this on a MacBook.
   That’s an Apple product.
   I bought this MacBook toward the end of 2019.
   Steve Jobs died in 2011.
   Apple didn’t.
2. Your Boss & Co-Workers Are Avoiding You
   Warning!
   If you think people are avoiding you, check a few things first… like your breath and possible body odor.
   I mean, let’s just be real… our body chemistry changes and we can put off an odd stench with a change in food, soap, or medication.
   If you check those things and nothing is amiss, and you still feel alienated, then your first order of business is to make sure you have a great resume in the works, understand the opportunities in the job market, and then call the best business coach you know to get her two-cents on some immediate changes or truth bombs you need to know about so you can possibly salvage your job.
3. Your Workload Has Inexplicably Decreased
   This could be for a variety of reasons – one of which could be your boss has lost faith in you.
   When I’ve had clients come to me asking for help in either saving a dying job or finding a new job before “the end” at a current one, this is a common thread.
   Almost 100% of the time someone experiences being given less work, having responsibilities removed or given to someone else – it’s a sign of the end.
4. Things Are Being Put Into Writing
   Has your boss, supervisor, peer, or team member started to email more about “serious” matters, or – even worse – issue a written and printed memo?
   That’s one of the biggest red flags there is, and here’s the legal truth about it.
   Anything that is put in writing either by hand, by printer, or digitally (email) in your office place or “on the office’s time” belongs to the office.
   It’s intellectual property.
   That work email address you have may have your name, position, or initials in it, but that thing ain’t yours.
   Everything that is written is subject to being “used against you” at any time.
   That means things you write, things that are written about you, or things that are written to you.
   If you find that things about you, to you, or “for your information” are being documented in any possible way, this is a great big neon, flashing sign pointing to the exit.
5. You’ve Turned Invisible
   Are you being ignored?
   Before you sigh and accuse me of shortchanging you, this is not the same thing as point number two.
   Being avoided is one thing.
   Maybe someone with a conflicting personality prefers to not interact with you – totally fine… that’s boundaries or intentional avoidance.
   Turning invisible is something completely different.
   This is total alienation… this is conversations happening right in front of you that should (possibly) involve you or about which you may have a valid or worthwhile opinion, yet the other participants behave as though you do not exist.
   …you may as well be vapor.
   This may not be a sign of an upcoming dismissal; the other option is that it’s a sign of an abusive narcissistic boss… either way, you need to be prepping for your exit, and prep now so it’s on your terms.

There are some other signs to watch out for, but these are the primary “red flags” I’ve seen more times than I can count.

GILD’s Successful Transition program is here to help you whether you’re in an unhappy workplace, feel the need to make a major change or find yourself in a current state of unemployment.

Check it out through that link and choose what level of attention you need from us – you can go with self-study, our mastermind/group study program, or with private one-to-one sessions as well.

If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below or you can email us.