Eleanor Tweddell - Why Losing Your Job Could be the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You

As a redundancy survivor myself, this book reminded me why an ending especially an unexpected one can be the best kind of beginning. Packed full of realistic inspiration, advice and motivation, this is the perfect guidebook for the moment when your career punches you in the face

Viv Groskop, author of Lift As You Climb: Women and the Art of Ambition

Eleanor Tweddell has created a book that is part-survival guide, part-life coach. This book will help you escape the valleys of rejection, bound for the peaks of opportunity

Bruce Daisley, bestselling author of The Joy of Work

This book is so much more than a user guide to life after redundancy its an inspiring lesson in how to deal with the knocks of everyday life, written with humour, empathy and honesty

Debbie Hewitt, MBE, Chair, Visa Europe

A sensitive balance of acknowledging the seriousness of redundancy by providing practical, real-world advice for how to tackle the challenge whilst recognizing that humour can be found in every situation

Joe Thompson, former MD, Virgin Holidays

This book takes away the stigma associated with redundancy and turns it into an opportunity to rethink your career and discover work that works for you

Alison Grade, author of The Freelance Bible

Eleanor Tweddell worked in the corporate world for over twenty years, in senior management positions for companies including Virgin Atlantic, Costa Coffee and Vodafone, until she was made redundant. This inspired her to start her own company, Another Door, to work with individuals and organisations to provide advice and support through redundancy.

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First published by Penguin Business in 2020

Copyright Eleanor Tweddell, 2020

The moral right of the author has been asserted

ISBN: 978-0-241-45898-3

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To Hannah.

Hoping you never need this book, but if you do, you know its going to be OK.

You should get used to hearing this quote, or a version of it. I have no idea how many times I heard it from well-intentioned friends and awkward colleagues in the first few weeks after I was made redundant. Which doors do they mean? And where do they lead to? It may have become a painful clich, but Alexander Graham Bell did have a point. You may feel like a door has closed (or in some cases slammed in your face) but, by the end of this book, youll have gained the ideas, tools and actions to take control of the situation and even recognize it for the opportunity it might be. Another door will open and, when it does, youll be equipped with the insight and confidence to stride straight through it.

My business, Another Door, was born from my frustrations, my worry and my doubts, followed by my hope, new ideas, the feeling of possibility and, finally, gaining the courage to take action. There is opportunity all around you; you just need to want to see it.

This book is designed to guide you through the ups and downs that result after you are made redundant. (I concentrate on redundancy, since that is my experience, but the advice is generally applicable however you have come to lose your job.) Dip in and dip out and you will find the support and expertise to help get you back on your feet again whatever that might look like. Get scribbling; make notes in the margins, highlight, cross out, make this book your own. If you need more space then use a notepad.

Some pages will connect with you more than others and some you will want to come back to more than once. Everyones journey to re-employment is different. You may find that this is a brilliant time to stop and reflect and take a different path in your career. You might want to pursue a new passion. You could start your own business, go part-time or give up work altogether. Losing your job could be an opportunity to consider what is important to you. It could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

The good news is that by choosing to read this book youre already taking action to learn and grow from this experience. Thats half the battle. Adopting an open mindset is fundamental to getting back on your feet and thriving after a redundancy.

I begin the book in , Shock, by examining the first few days or weeks after becoming unemployed. Its a confusing, anxious time. The feeling of rejection can be overwhelming. You might feel as if your life has been interrupted or that you were heading in one direction and now the road ahead is uncertain and your future unknown. Overcoming shock is the first step to moving on. This section will help you tune into how you are feeling and show you how to give yourself space to lean into those feelings as part of the process of getting back on your feet. Your milestone will be the moment you let go of what has happened and start to think of your future.

In , Stuck, I focus on the period between the door closing and you opening another one. Youve accepted what has happened but youre not sure what to do next. The feeling of being stuck means youre receptive to possibilities, ready to make things happen, aware that change has to come. The milestone moment is when you start to have ideas, get curious and begin thinking about what you might do next.

In , Slow, Slow, Go, I address the most common reaction to losing your job, which is to rush into job-search mode. Fuelled by the adrenalin rush of pure panic, its tempting to launch straight into LinkedIn and send off a hundred applications at once. The aim of this section is to help you to focus your regained energy into making progress and not simply being busy. Slow, Slow, Go will help you focus your thinking to achieve clarity about what it is you want to do and turn your new-found energy into action. The milestone moment is when you are absolutely certain what you want to do and why.

In I focus on how you become Unstuck. Here you will find the tools to plan effectively and build the skills and support network that will help you turn your dreams into reality. Now that you have a view of what you want to do, you can create a plan of action and begin to take steps towards your goal. Intentional action focuses your energy on the elements that will produce results. Youve done all the thinking, now you will act and put your plan into place. Your milestone moment is when you share your plans with your support network with absolute clarity and conviction.