E-couragement: Thanks for the Push
“Be grateful to everyone. All situations teach you, and often it’s the tough ones that teach you the most.” Pema Chodron
I stood in the oversized conference room with twenty-six of my clients, leaders in a plant that would stand vacant and silent in eleven months. A local manufacturing facility, despite performing at high levels over time, was selected for closure by the end of 2013. The general manager, an engaging leader himself, asked me to facilitate a workshop we created for them, Enhancing Engagement in Times of Crisis. In the midst of helping them, memories of a similar career crisis came flooding back to me.
It was February 2002. “Hello Don,” I responded to the caller. “Sure…10:00 a.m. your house…I’ll see you there.” I hung up knowing this was THE call. Several hours later, I left the meeting with Don learning that in thirty days I’d be unemployed—fired from a business I once owned. Although I had been disengaged for some time and could foresee the end approaching, I didn’t have the courage to make this move on my own. It took the push from Don to set the wheels of change in motion. I vividly recall the feelings that engulfed me: I was dazed, uncertain, and hurt.
On the evening of January 20, 2012, ten years after Don’s push, I was speaking at the memorial service for my wife, Ivy. As a professional speaker, this was one venue I hadn’t trained for. Ivy was my biggest fan and I knew she’d want me to address our family and friends that night. Later, after the condolence line had dwindled, I noticed Don. “Rich, that was beautiful. This is the work you’re meant to do.” My immediate heartfelt response was, “Thank you for coming Don, and thanks for the push I needed to find my work.” Truer words could not have been spoken. Don had given me a great gift in 2002. Over the course of time my feelings of dazed, uncertain, and hurt had bloomed into the feeling of gratitude.
As our workshop unfolded that day, I offered this group of leader’s the encouragement and tools needed for their difficult journey. We talked about the feelings they were experiencing—betrayal, concern, relief, anger, skepticism. This dedicated team was being pushed from jobs they had known for decades. Near the end of our time together, we considered the possibility that several years from now they might replace their current feelings with something new. Gratitude. We agreed that perhaps there would be a time when they’d look back on this experience and think… thanks for the push.
Leave your comments: When have you experienced a life “push” and how did it turn out for you?