The Layoff Lab: 7 Strategies to Navigate Your Layoff or Career Transition

By LaTonya Jackson

Are you still trying to cope with the emotional impact of your layoff while you transition? Have you asked yourself: "Why wasn't I good enough?" “Was I that replaceable?” or “Why did this happen to me?” Do you want strategies to help you navigate your layoff transition?

If YES, then this book is for YOU! In this book you will learn tips and techniques to navigate your layoff and career transition more effectively. The purpose of this book is to provide you with strategies to navigate this career transition so that you can refocus and rebuild your life after layoff.

Some of the tips that you will learn in this book include:
Managing Your Mindset
Creating a Layoff Spending and Lifestyle Plan
Practicing Intentional Movement
Maintain Connection with Others
And more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eyedenti ied Consulting Services, LLC
• Release date: Dec 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781945566165

Book preview

LaTonya R. Jackson, Ed.D.

Eyedentified Publishing Solutions | Springdale, Arkansas

Copyright © 2020 LaTonya R. Jackson

All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including written, electronic, recording or photocopying or by any information storage or retrieval system without the express written permission of the publisher or its authors, except  where  permitted  by law. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in  the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or authors.

Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the authors and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained herein. All trademarks, or names or entities.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020919944 ISBN: 978-1-945566-16-5 (eBook)

ISBN: 978-1-945566-14-1 (paperback)

Eyedentified Consulting Services, LLC d/b/a Eyedentified Publishing Solutions

P.O. Box 6892

Springdale, AR 72766-6892 www.thelayofflab.com

Book Layout © 2020 Show Your Success

Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data (Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Jackson, LaTonya R., 1978- author.

Title: The layoff lab : 7 strategies to navigate a layoff and career transition / LaTonya R. Jackson.

Description: 1st ed. | Springdale, Arkansas : Eyedentified Publishing Solutions, [2020]

Identifiers: ISBN 9781945566141 (print) | ISBN 9781945566165 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Employees--Dismissal of--Psychological aspects. | Unemployment--Psychological aspects. | Career changes--Psychological aspects.

Classification: LCC HF5549.5.D55 J33 2020 (print) | LCC HF5549.5.D55 (ebook) | DDC 658.3134--dc23

Dedication

To Abba Father – may this work and all that follows, yield a harvest for your kingdom.

To Beatrice (Mom) – thank you for supporting me as I pursue my dreams. You gave your womb for me to be here, and for that, I am always grateful.

To Sydni, Josiah, and Nathaniel – I love being your mom, and I am grateful that you teach me how to grow in love every day.

To Maurice – you journeyed through your layoff experience with grace and ease, and it prepared me for the journey I didn’t know I would incur years later. More than that, you allowed me to grow and become more of who I am, vastly different from the woman you married. Thank you!

Acknowledgments

o the laid-off women and men – may this book stir in you purpose and a nagging desire to fulfill it.

T

To the gainfully employed women and men – may this book spark within you a desire for more. I declare that your every need be met given the seed sown by in- vesting in yourself and choosing to purchase this book.

MaryScott

AndreaHall

Natasha TashaSarver

AndreAlonzo

Machelle (Carlos)Pace

Preface

he Layoff Lab goals are to help you increase self- love, which is your confidence, esteem, and cour- age to ensure that you gain clarity as you prepare

T

for the next step. We aim to help you improve your career health and readiness so that you can expedite your ca- reer transition journey. The road ahead may prove chal- lenging, and this book serves as a resource for those who have been impacted.

I want each of you reading this book to improve your situation. I desire for you to be free to express your value and leverage your unique gift mix, either in a career or in a business that you may choose to start. I want this work to help you find a place of fulfillment and joy in some- thing you love to do every day.

And I want you to have answers to questions such  as how will I support myself and my family? I’ve been laid off, what now? Why did I believe I was an invaluable resource? Why do I feel so hurt or rejected based on this experience? And why did this company lay me off? All these questions can be answered as we walk through this book’s journey and look at the seven different areas that have been identified.

Each of the seven areas introduced can affect your personal growth, which affects your professional career.

Preface

By eliminating some of the self-sabotaging behaviors to create or craft a plan to transition, you will move  from  a failure framework to a freedom framework. The free- dom framework focuses on empowering and equipping you with tools to prioritize your needs personally and professionally and then actively pursue the process to attain what you need.

After you’ve read the book, I will invite you to join an ever-increasing community of layoff leaders. Layoff lead- ers are individuals who desire to teach and help others overcome in their layoff journey. Learn more at bonus. thelayofflab.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction      1

Chapter 1. Mindset Matters: Manage Your Mindset      5

Chapter 2. Money Matters: Create a Money

Management Plan      27

Chapter 3. Movement Matters: Practice Intentional

Movement      49

Chapter 4. Me Matters: Seek Self-Care      63

Chapter 5. Marriage Matters: Maintain Connection

with Others      79

Chapter 6. Minutes Matter: Maximize Your Time      95

Chapter 7. Measurement Matters: Define

Success for You      117

Conclusion      139

About Dr. LaTonya Jackson      145

Want More from LaTonya?      147

Introduction

elcome to The Layoff Lab: 7 Strategies to Navigate Your Layoff and Career Transition!

W

I am so excited that you decided to invest in yourself during this transitional period of your life. This book is designed to help you minimize the impact and experience you have after finding out that you’ve been laid off, let go, furloughed or whatever terminology was used during notification.

In choosing to pick up this book, you will find strat- egies, tips, tools, processes, or resources to enable you toward a successful transition into your next right step - whether that be a career in a corporate or employer envi- ronment or a transition into entrepreneurship.

Times are uncertain. The stress and strain of a global pandemic are enough to cause many to feel vulnerable. Then add to that the experience of being laid off in its wake – it’s disturbing, disorienting. It creates an oppor- tunity for dysfunction within organizations, individuals, and families.

This book is essential because many layoffs have been happening over the last several years, but even more occurred during the global pandemic of 2020 - and that was a scary thought to me. I began to research tools and resources for laid-off workers. I found many resources

available to help leaders and employees who stay within an organization where layoffs have occurred but  few for those who are no longer employed and in transition. I began to think to myself – where are the resources to help those who have been adversely impacted by a layoff experience? How could I serve and add value to individ- uals with whom I had a shared experience? And that’s where The Layoff Lab was born.

What exactly is a layoff? For our purpose, a layoff is defined as an issue, a problem or disruption that trig- gers negative personal responses and potential trauma or grief, that can impact your personal belief system, mission, and vision for your future. It is a loss experi- ence that has a potential impact on your identity if your identity was tied to it. Like grief, a layoff has a process by which an individual navigates to overcome the loss. The desired result of walking through the process is that you would renew your mind, recover from the job loss, choose where and how to restart, restore confidence, and recognize your brilliance.

What qualifies me to write on the subject of layoffs? I’ve experienced it. The first time as a spouse with an infant at home. Subsequent experiences occurred with my role, and the teams I were on were eliminated twice! I know what it’s like to feel betrayed, frustrated, like you somehow failed despite having given of yourself, your time, talents, training, and tears. At times, I even tried to transform into the preferred image and likeness of those

who deemed promotable to go and grow where I desired to be. And despite success in navigating transformational initiatives and delivering what others had been unable to accomplish – it wasn’t enough.

One day I walked across the floor to my then boss and said if there are going to be layoffs, could you go ahead and put my name on the list? The day came, and my name was on the reduction enforce list. I still remember my eyes welled up with tears, and there was a lump in my throat and that feeling of betrayal. From that moment, I ques- tioned my decisions. I began to regret what I had asked for because of the fear of having the conversation around value contribution and growth in the organization.

Fast forward four years. I found myself in a corpo- rate-like environment again after writing books and building my business. And within three months in this new environment, my confidence was shot. My esteem was utterly defunct. And I found myself underwater  and struggling. Ten months later, I found myself laid off on March 11th, just as the World Health Organization announced the global pandemic of 2020. And so here I was again with a second layoff experience, wondering what was wrong with me, why had I failed yet again?

What did I do? I had applied for another position in the organization that was more aligned with where my heart was, and they didn’t choose me. They chose an outsider. What was it about me that caused them to choose some- one else? I completely felt like a failure. I felt inadequate

and incompetent. I had a clear vision that this was what I was to do before I said yes, and it had not been fulfilled. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know why. But soon after that, I recognized that these were the same princi- ples that I had dealt with before, that I had to face again

- mindset and money concerns.

Everywhere you go, there you are! I deemed myself the culprit. What was wrong with me? Why wasn’t I able to be successful? Why was I such a failure? I had all of these questions. But the reality was there was nothing wrong with me. I had done everything that I perceived was the right thing to do. I had done everything that I thought would yield the desired