Penny, let’s call her, dropped me a note last week.  

Suddenly, out of the blue, her company were restructuring and she was going to be ‘exited’ out of the business in this restructure.

I’ve worked with Penny for a few years now.  

Privately and in one of my mentoring groups.  Penny is someone who shows up fully.  Pours herself into what she does.  Has struggled with balance in her life and with her health.  She’s a real worker.

And, just like that, “thank you, we don’t need you anymore” or words to that effect from her company.

We quickly jumped on a private call together to discuss “now what?”…

It truly is a wake up call for Penny – and maybe for you too  – to remember that you’re a commodity in a business.  You can, mainly, be replaced, restructured, redundant.

I’m not sharing this with you to scare you in any way.  I’m sharing it with you to remind you to also treat yourself as a commodity.

What do I mean by that?

• Keep track of what you generate income-wise
• What things have you made happen, avoided, made easier – note them down in a swipe file
• How do you contribute to the team and to the wider goals of the business.  
• Pay attention to the value you add, not how much time you dedicate.  

No one really cares about how much time you dedicate or pour into the business.  They care about what you do and how it adds to the bottom line. 

So, what now for Penny?  

Through connections she now has a ‘fierce’ Employment Lawyer on her team.  Making her way out of the business with fair compensation hasn’t been automatic.  Her company thought she’d roll over and go quietly with their first offer. Nope.  Not happening.

• Take guidance.  
• Invest in someone who knows their stuff and can help you take the emotion out and support you.
• Buy yourself time to regroup, recover and work out “now what”.

This may never happen to you  but it might.  It might also happen to a friend or colleague.  

Remind them to keep an eye on their contribution, keep a ‘swipe file’ which can quickly be called up and to mind.

Oh and remember.  You can be replaced.  Not in your family you can’t but, in the workplace, you can and often will be.  

Perspective.  It’s been a wake up call for Penny and it might just be for you too?

In other news…

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This week I attended an online Event called “Reimagining Masculinity” about how the media sends such mixed messages to young boys/men about how to be a man.  Douglas, clearly closely listening, did a bit of Man-Spreading on the sofa.  Typical!

We’ve had to have a little fruit cage built around our Cherry Tree.  Last year the pigeons stripped every last leaf before the cherries had a chance to grow.  This year – ha!  Let’s see how the cherries fare…