Very few paths to the top are smooth and it’s unlikely that you’ll be lucky enough to get through your whole professional life without having a change forced on you at some point.
The good news is that sometimes what seems like a setback can actually turn out to be an opportunity. That could mean re-doubling your efforts in your chosen line, finding a new role one step removed from it or changing track completely and deciding to throw yourself into following your passions.
Chef Steven Halcrow is someone who has experienced job loss and come back stronger.
“I was sous chef in a Glasgow restaurant when I was let go. The money was great and I learned a lot from the chef but over time our relationship deteriorated. Although it felt good to be free of a job that had started to get me down, I had gotten used to the financial stability and the fact that it was no longer there did worry me at first.”
“I then worked in a few places, including large scale corporate operations, fine dining establishments that were a little past their prime and farm-to-plate country-style kitchens.”
“Later, I applied for a stage at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie’s at Gleneagles that holds 2 Michelin stars. The stage led to a job offer and every single facet of the way the kitchen operated was so disciplined and well managed that I had no room for complaint. It is easily the hardest job I have ever done, but I came to realise that this is to be expected when operating at the top of your field.”
“Although it was incredibly gruelling, it pushed me in ways I did not ever think possible of myself and I got a great deal of satisfaction from knowing that I was able to work at that level. It also turned me into a considerably more confident and disciplined chef than I was when I first walked in the place.”
Steven’s story is a sign that the dream can happen, you can be let go from a role and come back stronger to find your ideal position. After all, for a chef, it doesn’t come much better than working in the kitchen of a restaurant boasting 2 Michelin stars. If Steven’s story isn’t inspiration enough, then we’ve put together a list of some of the famous names who have known the adversity of losing a job but haven’t let it stop them.
Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t ‘Buddies’ with the St Mirren board
These days, Sir Alex may be a living legend known for his achievements with both Aberdeen and Manchester United but back in 1978 he was sacked by St Mirren (the only sacking of his managerial career). He was also unsuccessful when he took the club to an employment tribunal, during which the St Mirren chairman Willie Todd said that Ferguson had “no managerial ability”. Oops.
Post-redundancy uplift for Michelle Mone
Starting in brewer Labatt’s sales & marketing team at the age of 20 as an office junior, by the age of 22 Michelle Mone was in charge of it. When the company was taken over by Whitbread though, she was made redundant. In 1996, while attending a function wearing an uncomfortable bra, she decided that she could design a better cleavage-enhancing bra than those currently on the market and the Ultimo brand was born. The Scottish businesswoman hasn’t looked back since.
J.K. Rowling’s bosses didn’t believe in magic
The Harry Potter author had already been struck by inspiration at the point when she was sacked a secretary role by. In fact, it was precisely because of her literary muse that she was let go from the role. Apparently she was spending too little time on the job and too much working on stories about a certain boy wizard. A prioritising of her time that seems to have worked out pretty well!
Losing your job can be a worrying and stressful time but it’s important to try to keep your spirits up, your health strong and your mind focused on finding the next opportunity that’s right for you.
Hopefully our list of people who have overcome job losses and gone on to better things has provided you with a little bit of inspiration as you embark upon an exciting new phase of your career..
Steven Halcrow photo supplied by himself.
Sir Alex Ferguson photo by Austin Osuide and J.K. Rowling photo by Whitehouse.gov, both used under Wikimedia creative commons agreement.
