This is going to sound odd for some of you, but I want to say thank you to the Project Ascend Team and incompetent leadership throughout the company. If I was not laid off, I would have stayed on the sinking ship and went down without a life jacket. What I learned from the layoff completely changed my perspective on everything. They actually did me a favor by cutting me. There is a whole world of opportunities out there and you only have one life to live. Why waste it being miserable, overworked, and surrounded by toxic leaders that are arrogant, self-centered and spineless.
I was able to find a new home, a place that truly values diversity, respects employees, offers true growth opportunity, understands and values learning, works together, and is led by leaders that know what they are doing. Its not a place of incest, old friends, and the good old boy club. With this new job, my life has already been transformed. This is the best I have felt in years. I wake up in the morning in a better mood. I am excited to go to work, learn from my coworkers, and add value to the organization. I am not telling you this to brag, I am wanting to provide you with hope that it will be better.
For those of you that were laid off (or those who can't wait to leave), stay focused on your path and keep grinding. Your next opportunity may be right around the corner. Never stop learning, growing, and networking. I promise you, once you find something it will more likely be better and it will transform you. I look at it this way, I was paid (through severance) to jump off the sinking ship and knew I would land back on my feet. I stayed positive, continued learning and networking, and was able to pivot quickly. I wish all of my old colleagues and friends the best. Remember, your job doesn't define you as a person. Nor should you let any incompetent leader define you. You are better than that and its time to move on with your life. Use this moment as an opportunity to redefine your life and who you want to be.
I am now signing off from this site. I have removed APA from my stock tracker and will try to forget the memories of how dysfunctional this organization was. However, I will not forget the lifelong friends and what I learned about how not to run an organization. This will serve me well into the future.