Being Fired is the Best thing That Happened to Me!

Do you know what Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey and Anna Wintour have in common apart from being global celebrities and being fabulously wealthy?

They’ve all been fired.

Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a co-anchor. It is reported that she was told she was “unfit for television news.” Winfrey later revealed that the incident shook her to her very core.

Similarly, Anna Wintour, who has been the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue since 1988, mentioned on the Late Late Show with James Corden that she was fired from her job as a fashion stylist. She was reportedly told she would “never understand the American market.” She continued to say,

“I think everyone should be fired. It’s character building.”

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple after dropping out of college when he was 21. However, in 1985 Apple’s board let him go following a power struggle with CEO John Sculley.

In a speech to Stanford graduates, Jobs famously said,

“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me… I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love.”

If you have been fired, you know how devastating it can be. Wintour, Jobs and Winfrey all acknowledged that being fired can feel pretty horrible. And it is okay not to be okay! Remember that there isn’t any shame in getting fired. In fact, just like our above examples, many end up doing their best work after being fired.

This story is personal to me. I, too, have been through this when I was fired from a job years ago. In retrospect, deliberating what I have achieved to date, it was one of the best things that could have happened to me!

Yes, I have come a long way since the incident, but I don’t want to dismiss how I felt at the time. I was shaken up and disappointed. I felt horribly betrayed and overwhelmingly crushed. The company I was let go from was one I was instrumental in starting and growing. I looked up to my boss at the time, so it felt all too personal when I was let go. I felt like all the effort I invested in the company was a waste.

I also still remember that day oh-so vividly. I remember the humiliation of being called into a meeting with the top managers and being questioned as to what I’ve managed to achieve thus far. Only to be told it was not good enough. I remember sobbing on my way home as the gravity of what happened hit me.

The worst part was that I needed to show up the next day and host a press conference! I was the event’s chief organiser, and I needed to act as if nothing had happened.

Being fired also heavily impacted my next job as I only focussed on how it had made me feel. I couldn’t gain perspective and think about all the learnings that life-event handed me. Instead, I felt demotivated to give my new job the energy it deserved. Like in a relationship, I didn’t want to commit to any company and give my all, fearing being fired again.

It took an enlightening talk with my new boss to realise that I needed to move past this incident, and more importantly, change my perspective of it. This was a wake-up call for me and made me realise that my work was my legacy. I needed to move past my inhibitions and invest time and energy in building my legacy.

Being fired is often like a breakup. It sours relationships and abruptly stops you in your tracks. You can’t just snap out of how you feel and move on. There will be a period you will not be okay. So take the time you need. But always have your sights set on what you learned and aim to become better because of the incident.

When I adjusted my mindset, I started to hit my stride. The superstar in me emerged. With that superstar out came the realisation that my growth was stunted at my previous job. I was only allowing myself to be as good as that situation permitted me. So I rose above it.

The opportunity to work at GPC, the awards and recognition I deserved followed. With all this, I was transformed into the person I am today.

I have no regrets, and if I meet my ex-boss on the street, my sincerest sentiments would be to offer him a big thank you!