Layoffs may very well be blessing in disguise with proper mindset and planning

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No economic system is proof against layoffs, and with the elevated implementation of synthetic intelligence and the unprecedented adjustment of final 12 months's employment numbers, it appears doubtless that we have entered a interval the place RIFs are widespread. Lufthansa Airways introduced its plan to cut 4,000 administrative jobs by 2030 , and Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, simply stated the world’s largest financial institution shall be "essentially rewired" for the brand new AI period.

These are two of many examples that symbolize large, disruptive adjustments to our economy and our lifestyle. And whereas most of us will ultimately be affected in a method or one other, we do not have to flounder with out hope. Whether or not you’ve already been let go or fear that you just is likely to be subsequent, the hot button is to vary the best way you see your self, making the prospect of transition much less horrifying and probably even liberating.

The core downside for a lot of who lose their jobs is that they outline themselves too narrowly, limiting their identification to a single function or trade. When layoffs hit, they really feel boxed in and unable to pursue work past their final place. That always leaves them afraid, depressed and even victimized.

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With out denying the problem of being laid off, I would encourage workers going via the method to take a extra full, insightful view of who they're and what they're meant to do. To do this, they should see themselves when it comes to the distinctive, transferable presents they have been given, which might be utilized to all kinds of jobs in nearly any trade.

Among the finest methods I do know to establish these presents is thru the concept of "Working Genius." There are six kinds of work that present up in each job, in each trade:

Surprise – pondering alternatives for enchancment Invention – arising with new concepts Discernment – evaluating concepts and options Galvanizing – rallying others to behave Enablement – answering the decision to assist Tenacity – pushing issues to the end line The reality is, none of us is sweet in any respect six. Each individual in any trade has two kinds of work that give them vitality and pleasure; that is the place your Working Geniuses lie.

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Then again, everybody has two varieties that drain them and that they don’t do properly. We name these Working Frustrations.

The remaining two kinds of work fall someplace within the center, neither notably energizing nor draining. We name these Working Competencies.

Here is a query that everybody going via a layoff wants to think about: How a lot tougher will or not it's to discover a job when you don’t perceive your geniuses and frustrations — and when you don’t understand these presents aren’t tied to at least one function or one trade?

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To reply that query, let's contemplate an instance. Let’s say you’re a pc programmer, and your organization decides AI can do the majority of your work. When you solely see your self as a programmer, your job hunt goes to really feel determined and discouraging since you’ll be competing with a flood of different programmers for fewer positions.

<img src="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/07/1200/675/state-department-layoffs-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1" alt="Fired US State Department workers carry their belongings as they leave the building in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2025. The US State Department began laying off more than 1,300 employees as part of President Donald Trump's campaign to massively downsize the federal government workforce. A State Department official said 1,107 members of the civil service and 246 Foreign Service employees were being informed that they were being fired. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)" width="1200" height="675"/> Fired State Division staff carry their belongings as they depart the constructing in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)

However when you look as an alternative at your pure, transferable geniuses, the whole lot adjustments. As an instance that your geniuses are Invention and Tenacity. Meaning you take pleasure in growing novel concepts after which pursuing options diligently till they're completed.

As you search for a job, now you can look far past programming and even know-how, exploring a wider spectrum of job alternatives that want somebody together with your geniuses. In doing this, you’ll understand that there are many roles in all kinds of industries that want somebody such as you, and that your prospects of success and job satisfaction shall be a lot greater in a job that matches your skills.

Satirically, you may discover that your earlier job did not precisely let you use your geniuses. Many individuals get jobs in fields they studied at school, and lots of simply fall right into a job by circumstance. However deliberately pursuing a career that aligns higher with their geniuses can result in them realizing that getting laid off, as exhausting as it might have been, was precisely what they wanted.

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After all, no job is ideal. All of us should do issues that don’t completely align with our strengths. However after we spend most of our time working in our geniuses, we discover that means and achievement. Once we don’t, we really feel caught.

With out denying the problem of being laid off, I would encourage workers going via the method to take a extra full, insightful view of who they're and what they're meant to do. (iStock)

What we want is a paradigm shift, to maneuver from pondering purely about our function and trade and as an alternative give attention to our God-given skills. The world wants these presents. And whenever you discover a job that allows you to use them, you may simply look again and see the layoff not as a curse however as a blessing.

Pat Lencioni is a founding father of The Desk Group, a pioneer of the organizational well being motion, and the creator of The Working Genius, which helps leaders perceive office effectivity. He's the bestselling creator of "The 5 Dysfunctions of a Workforce" and 12 different books, which have bought greater than 10 million copies and been translated into over 30 languages.