An ILLUMINATING Reflection: I was Asked to Leave in 2016. My Life Changed and The Rest is History.

Some meetings can be Life-Changing.

They could be a rude shock to our perfect daily routine.

The point is, are you ready for it?

When I was asked to a one-on-one meeting with the Managing Director one fateful afternoon in January 2016, it never struck me that it will be a meeting that I will never forget.

Weeks before the fateful meeting, rumours were rife that the Firm isn’t doing well for the past 2 fiscal years and retrenchment tranches has been planned for. News seemed to be leaked by personnel involved in the executive meetings and everyone in the main office became jittery after hearing the unverified news.

Looking back, I think I have been pretty nonchalant.

That stratospheric level of confidence was backed by my recent string of commercial deals secured for the company and I have been one of the top performers in the past couple of years.

I walked around the main office as if I was immune to the retrenchment virus. I was definitely young in the Working World and rather naive.

I continue my work as usual as more and more people got visible nervous. People worked longer hours, were spending more time on executive coaching sessions with the direct reports and definitely hogging the office phone booths for longer in order to secure the next client contract. The air in the office was stifling at first and choking towards that week leading to the meeting.

That fateful day of the meeting came. Unlike many of my peers in different industry group who started declining meetings with their Managing Directors using excuses such as client office meetings, I didn’t plan to evade that meeting.

I am good to go. It won’t be me.

And so I thought.

I remembered clearly that it was an 11am meeting.

I went into the office 30 minutes earlier that day. There was a string of work to be cleared and delegated as well as new opportunities to be initiated and pursued. I planned my tasks and made calls to project team members for task delegation. In one of those calls, my junior asked me rather blatantly: -

“Aldric, I know the Managing Director is meeting you today. Everyone I know who met their reporting supervisors this week was given that dreaded letter. Are you afraid?”

It was that exact moment I started thinking that I was in imminent danger.

Yet, I dust those concerns off my shoulders without much thought.

“No, I am not. Let’s just focus on our work.”

That was my response. It was clean and cold.

“Alright, all the best and see you in the client office later!” came the response over the line.

As soon as I am done with my calls, it was 1045am. I remember that my confidence got overshadowed by a sudden swell of worry. “What if…” hijacked my mind. For a brief moment I had a terrible sensation that ran down my spine. For the first time, I thought I might really be axed.

“Stay calm” was the only 2 words I uttered to myself mentally.

I made my moved out of the office call booth and went straight to the pantry to make a cup of green tea for myself. As I did, I saw a colleague that I never knew with a cup of coffee holding the company’s envelope. He was obviously stumped for words. That feeling of helplessness and shocked I sensed, was real.

It is true.

People are asked to go.

The hand that was holding the cup was shaking briefly. 10 minutes before the meeting and I could feel my gut telling me that it is bad news. I was shaking terribly on the inside and forcing a sense of frosted calm on the outside. It was a sensation that I wouldn’t want to experience for the second time.

3 minutes into the arranged meeting time and I started knocking on the door. It is always a bad idea to be late and this time is no different.

“Come in”.

I went in and placed my laptop and cup of green tea on the side of the table.

“Hi Boss, thanks for initiating this meeting today. How are you and what do you have for me today?”

I forced a smile.

It seems that I had trouble being genuine that day.

“Thanks for being early. Indeed, the firm hasn’t being doing too well for the past 2 fiscal years and there are too many issues we have to address.”

I didn’t look at his eyes. I stayed calmed sipping my green tea while listening. It wasn’t long until the punchline is delivered. In fact, it was delivered by the 3rd sentence.

“One of the resolutions that the Directors have passed is a reduction of administrative costs and therefore we have to kick-start the process of rightsizing. I want first acknowledge the contributions you have made to the firm and I want to say that I have fought for the best release package for you. Take a look.”

The moment came. I was given the letter.

It is kind of strange now that I recall how that moment played out. I was actually very calm and did not ask any questions. In a robotic manner, I opened and read that letter. It was 2 months of ex-gratia. It was all annual leave encashed. A Letter of Appreciation was stapled to the Letter.

I read it through once. There were no passing thoughts in my mind at all.

Simply put, none.

As I was almost done with the contents within the envelope, the Managing Director asked if I have any questions and any issues with the arrangement. I was at a loss for words. I am known to be conversant on-demand and on that fateful day — I didn’t come across as the person most people knew. All I did was to utter the following.

“What about my current work?”

With almost no gap present in his response (which indicates that I am not the first one he had to deliver the Letter), he assured me that there were handover plans within the final month of my service. What didn’t help was the tone and temperature that message was delivered. It was cold.

“Are you okay, Aldric?”

My mind started showing the Dark Side.

“Are you nuts!? Of course I am not! Shall I fire you instead!?”

I was screaming loudly and desperately within me. My exterior presence has gone from cold to Antarctica grade sub-zero temperature.

“Yes, I am fine. Thank for delivering this Letter personally. I will take my leave.”

“Please. If you need to have a conversation, my door is always open.”

And that’s it. I left that meeting and I have been officially asked to leave the firm. I don’t recall what I was actually thinking all day, that day. In fact, as I sit and recount this story as I type — I don’t remember what whizzed past my mind as I was walking from the Managing Director’s room to my hot desk.

Or maybe that was the case. My mind was empty.

That final month of service was marked by anxiety. I had no Plan B. I needed a job to keep myself and my family going. That was the period when I spent the most time ever polishing my Resume. I was forced into the fork-road fast. I had to keep asking myself if being a Technology Consultant was my chosen path of professional success. That thought was quickly overshadowed by thoughts of financial stability and my parent’s retirement support needs.

News went out that I was released. I have had received the greatest number of coffee chat invites I ever had that month compared to my entire 7 years tenure in the firm. Most of those was pity party conversations or understanding how the exit process look like. Few were about me and even less were about extending a helping hand.

Almost all, except one.

My mentor was back from a business trip in Hong Kong right about 2 weeks into my final month of service. He called to meet me immediately when he landed in Singapore and while I was in his office, made numerous calls to contacts he knew who are aggressively hiring for technology consultants. He also handed me a stack of Human Resource Consultancy name-cards.

“Call them and arrange for a meeting. I have given them a heads up.”

And I did. I met up with one Human Resource Consultant and I was employed by a competitor firm within 2 weeks after serving my notice. Somehow, this entire experience changed my outlook in terms of my employment experience.

For the first time in the longest time, I made the decision to control the interview process from start to end instead of allowing the interviewers to dictate the situation.

I was prepared for the 3 round interviews and I fought for a higher grade than the one initially offered by Human Resources. I made additional calls to the director in charge of Technology and Human Resource arm to understand their professional needs and demonstrated that I can close that gap.

I was engulfed by burning motivation from within.

I got what I requested. That experience taught me that I have to invest the time and effort to take control of the process in order to get what I want.

At the same time, a different side of me began manifestation.

It is the perspective of objective assessment.

During my first job, I allowed other people’s opinion of me to dictate the value of my work. When my reporting supervisor said “Well done” — I was pleased. When the managing directors said “Great work” — I genuinely believed so.

In my second job, that side of me went away.

Instead, mental filters started appearing.

When praises came along my way — I smiled and never took it seriously.

When criticisms came along my way — I smiled and never took it seriously.

I will decide if I will take any feedback seriously. The only exception is my own feedback and my mentor’s feedback because I trust that he has my best interests at heart. I don’t apply the same treatment to the Rest of The World.

From then on, my perspective of the Professional World and the way I interacted with it changed.

I learnt to trust and respect myself a lot more.

The reverse is also true.

I learnt to take others with a pinch of salt.

This is my working life and I have to be in control.

Do you have any criticisms in terms of the work I do?

I can’t stop you from having those thoughts.

However, please do not expect your criticisms to impact me in any fashion.

Because it simply doesn’t.

Not now and not anymore.

My Life has changed.

The rest as they say, is history.

Related Stories from the Author.

About the Author:

As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.

Because simplicity adds value.

Simplicity helps us gain clarity, and clarity helps us to grow.

And if we are not growing, then what’s the point of anything else?

What do you think about the article? Comment Below!

This is more about me as a Content Contributor on Medium.

Do reach out and say hi on Linkedin!