It’s a horrible word, redundant. It sounds ugly and it looks ugly.
A quick search on Google will show you the word redundant means this:
1. No longer needed or useful; superfluous.
2. (of words or data) Able to be omitted without loss of meaning or function.
It’s an especially horrible word when that’s what you’re told you are. “You are redundant (you are superfluous and can be omitted without loss of meaning or function).”
How harsh is that?!
Well, as I’ve found out, it’s only about as harsh as you want it to be. Once you get past the very real human emotion of not being wanted the reality becomes quite liberating. But you have to let it.
I know there are many people who, in a redundancy situation, choose to blame everyone and everything but themselves. In some cases they may be justified, but how does that change the outcome? No-one has a right to any given job. No-one has a right to employment. The world doesn’t owe anyone anything. If you want a job from someone else you have to earn that through hard work, loyalty and, ultimately, performance. And even then you might not get it.
It’s a nice lesson in life. If you actively take responsibility for yourself, for your choices, actions, and reactions, then you will never have a problem. A redundancy situation becomes one laced with opportunity and adventure.
For me, going through this has been an exercise in how far I’ve developed. Back in the day I would have been in the blame camp. I’d have been bitter. Twisted. And more stressed than would have been healthy.
Now? Well, I choose to leave those emotions to the entitlement brigade. My choice is to treat the situation for what it is. My future is unwritten and I get to create it for myself. And, after all, you don’t get truly wealthy working for someone else so this is a great chance to give that a go.
Thankfully, in my case, I had plenty of warning and plenty of time to get my head around what was happening. Maybe my reaction would have been different if it had been sudden. Yeah, it probably would have been as I am not that much in to surprises.
I was involved in the process and, indeed, on the New Zealand management team of the company that decided to get rid of me. Long before things were even made official it was clear what was going to happen and I was able to start planning my future. Maybe I was lucky (which is a whole other philosophical discussion to have. We’ll park that for another day).
Anyway, now I get to do this.
Who else has been made redundant recently? What are you doing about it?