Walking Over Fire – How Getting Sacked for the First Time in My Career was Probably the Best that Could Have Happened to Me

Almost exactly three years ago, I got fired for the first, and luckily so far also the only time in my management career.

Without a doubt, getting terminated was one of the lowest points in my professional life and something I am not proud of. At the same time, there is no reason for being ashamed for getting the boot (given that it was not for disciplinary reasons).

Stigmatizing people for getting their job terminated is not helping anyone, neither is beating yourself up over it. That’s why I wanted to write this article for a long time, to share my personal experience and tell those of you out there dealing with redundancy or termination, that life and your career will go on, even if it does not feel like that right now.

I do not want to go too much into the details of my termination, but I guess I need to provide a bit of reference at least.

At the time, I was ousted, I was working for a European toy company, running their Hong Kong subsidiary for more than three years.

I was originally hired by the senior patriarch of the company, who sadly died within a year of me joining the company. With the death of the company owner, power shifted to the non-family senior management, with whom I never really came to an agreement on the challenges the company was facing. Where my direct boss saw a technical issue that should be fixed with engineering know-how, I saw an organizational issue in product development that held us back. We were never able to overcome these different opinions.

After having a strong operational record over the first three years, we were facing severe problems in the shipping department in Hong Kong. My boss used the opportunity and replaced me with an older General Manager with an engineering background.

The termination did not come entirely unexpected. I picked up some signals, such as unusual visits to my LinkedIn profile, and of course, I was aware that the operational issues of the months prior had left me vulnerable. Still, I was not exactly prepared when a senior management member told me that they have decided to part ways with me and that I was going to leave with immediate effect.

Mixed Bags of Feelings

After a short and rather emotional farewell to my staff, I marched out with my uneaten lunchbox and two bags of memorabilia.

Picture credit: BigStockPhoto.com

Even three years later, I still remember clearly the mixed emotions I was experiencing on my way home. There was sadness, hurt pride, insecurity, and a good portion of defiance. However, the dominant feeling at that moment was relief. For the first time in years, I was free from professional responsibilities.

My better half was much less relaxed about the situation. Not only was she concerned that I probably would never get a job again, but she also felt that getting fired was something to be ashamed of and likely the consequence of me simply sucking at my job. Her views might have softened slightly since then, but this is not the topic of this article. At that time, she was not very happy about me being very outspoken about my professional predicament.

Putting Myself Out There

While this was surely one of the low points in my professional life, I decided immediately to own the fact that my employment ended involuntarily and did not follow my wife's advice not to tell anyone. Instead, I was very open from the beginning about the circumstances of my employer's separation, towards colleagues and former staff, friends, and in job interviews. And now, with the distance of three rather successful years, I also feel safe to write about it.

First, not telling people that you are looking for a job is about the most stupid things you could do. Pride is rarely ever helpful but especially misplaced when job hunting. It is a simple application of the power-law that your chances to get a job through your network rise significantly with every person who knows you are actually searching.

Of the five full-time jobs that I had in my career to date (not counting my own ventures), I got three through job ads friends had pointed me to. The other two I got through existing relationships with the hiring company.

And second, as for being open about the fact that I got fired: nobody with a bit of brain would believe that I walked out of a job without having an alternative lined up. Being upfront about the real reasons for my departure is far less awkward.

Leaving the Past Behind

I agree; a chip on the shoulder can, in the right circumstances, work well as a motivator. But holding grudges is hardly every healthy. In the end, anger only hurts yourself. The best way to prove a past employer’s decision to let you go wrong is by moving forward as soon as possible.

The first person other than my wife that I met was my favorite MBA professor. He gave me a bit of tough love and probably one of the best pieces of career advice I have ever received: “The two times I got fired in my career, I realized in hindsight that I should have left much earlier by myself.”

I think I knew it already back then, but his candid words sped up the reflection process. Looking back, I should have left my job at least a year earlier. There was no path to long-term success for me with the unresolved fundamental differences with my COO. On top, cracks in the company’s business started showing, and the overall culture inside the head office turned more and more toxic. I had been soldiering on out of loyalty to the late company patriarch, fear of taking the jump out of a well-paid and prestigious position, and most of all for being too proud to admit I failed.

Seeing it from that perspective, I have more reason for being grateful for getting fired than for being angry. If not for my bosses' “push,” I would have likely continued fighting a lost battle for all the wrong reasons.

Getting Fired – Not a Death Sentence but a Push

I totally understand that everyone’s situation is different, and I was privileged in many ways when I got fired. Being in my late 30ies and having recently completed my MBA education were good reasons to remain confident in my employability.

But even if your situation is much harder than mine was, it is generally true that something was not right with your job if you get fired. Either you were not a great fit for the position; you were not appreciated and recognized for your contribution; the business was not doing great in general, or your function or the whole business unit became obsolete.

If you think deeply about it, likely the same was true as it was for me: you should have taken the jump by yourself, much earlier.

The best thing you can do now is to make the best of the push you have just received and turn the energy into something great!

In my case, the experience of getting fired helped me to redefine my career. After three months of applying for a wide range of jobs and a few disappointments, I landed a great job in the same industry, in a company where my experience was much more appreciated.

The experience also taught me that there is no reason to fear getting fired. Knowing that I can “walk over fire” and that I can trust in my own professional brand made me braver, more outspoken, and therefore a better manager.