Life after redundancy

Redundancy can be a difficult time. It can hit anyone. Just when confidence, self-esteem and direction are most required they can be hardest to find. Here, Nicholas Craig shares how he is gaining inspiration, getting back in control of his life and rediscovering the spring in his step that is enabling him to make the right things happen.

Before the coaching I had set up a business for someone that took £26M in 18 months. Then there was a downturn in the market. One Friday I was told I may be made redundant: on the Monday I was. I was pretty low and sore.

I tried to get on with finding a job. I felt the CV was pretty good, but I wanted to get more interviews. I started working with an organisation that claimed it would put together my CV, give me networking skills, re-invent me and that everything would be wonderful. It offered a 1:1 series of meetings over 2 years. The guy was OK, but you were set into a system – “this is what will happen in meeting 1, and in meeting 2” and so on. With bigger organisations you slot into their system.

This personal coaching is exactly that, personal – personal to you, and what your issues are. You build a great rapport – you talk about the issues facing you in your life, not just following a set process on a bit of paper that says what you ought to talk about next. I get asked questions that help me understand my thinking.

I now have a different way of looking at myself. I have a spring in my step; I have a CV that’s sharp; I feel better in myself. I leave the sessions tired, but inspired, and back in control of my life.

I’d recommend this to anyone. With the busy lives we all lead, anyone in a career can feel they need a little bit of direction. However wonderful we think we are, we all have issues whether business, personal, health - whatever. It’s important to meet up with someone you can have a rapport with and talk out these issues.

If you’ve been made redundant, or come to loggerheads with the CEO or MD and think “This is not working, I want to get out of this - how do I do it?” you get the confidence and inspiration to do it. If you’re going through a mid-life crisis, talk to someone – it will get you back on track, open your eyes and give you the confidence to tackle the next objective. Or if you are at the top of the tree, and I’ve been top of the tree of two businesses now, it can be quite lonely up there. So if you’re CEO and you need to look at the bigger picture, or you think you’re getting stale, or you want to move on, then 1:1 sessions with someone, such as Neil, just makes you think “Wow!”. You are talking to someone who knows, who will help you talk it through and develop your thinking and your skills.

I believe people will know this is value for money by they way they feel at the end of the first session: it’s the support, flexibility and quick feedback they get. The money for this is not a big issue. For someone who has been made redundant stage payments help. The nub of this is that having been at an all-time low I have been made to talk about myself and remember – “My goodness, I was successful”. Neil has the knack of building my self esteem and now I know I have something to bring to the party, I talk more and more positively and I’m moving forwards with more confidence.

Nicholas Craig (Name changed to protect identity)

If you would like to know more about what you can do with executive, business and life coaching, please call Neil on 01737 243589.