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You're Fired!
Terry J. Cusack – President & CEO, STELLAR Fundraising Executives, Inc.You're fired! These words are feared by us all, but it is an unfortunate trend that many professional chamber executives and economic developers are hearing these words from their boards of directors.
Sometimes the termination is warranted, other times it’s not. I know executives that have been fired for fiscal mismanagement, inappropriate sexual behavior or simply not performing. Others are the victims of an ineffective board or non-supportive community.
Some of the most obvious signs that you may be in trouble include distancing of your community and organization leaders, increased scrutiny of your performance and learning that members of the board are meeting without you. A sudden shift in organizational direction or a particularly acrimonious public debate can also be a foretelling sign.
Some of the most important things you can do to avoid being terminated are to build strong and more open relationships with your board members, develop measurable personal and organizational goals, insistence on regular and consistently applied performance reviews and acquiring an intimate knowledge of the organization’s finances. It is best to have a written contract that spells out the terms and conditions of termination, including a separation agreement.
If you do hear those dreaded words, don’t panic and don’t agree to anything without speaking to your own attorney with expertise in labor law. Your goal should be to manage the situation with as little harm as possible to your long-term career objectives and financial well-being. Document as much as you can in writing. Some organizations will want you to leave the premises immediately and others may allow you to stay for a period of time while you seek a new position. Negotiate as much flexibility as possible, including the circumstances of the announcement of your leaving. Avoid creating an adversarial relationship, but insist upon what you believe is fair at the same time. You wield more negotiating power than you may realize.
Regardless of how benevolent the organization may be, you will alternately feel anger, hurt, denial, guilt and finally, acceptance of the situation. Be warned this last phase may be the hardest and longest. Those you considered friends will not publicly rush to your support. They may not give you any reason other than wanting a change in “leadership’ or “direction”, making it difficult to put closure on the situation. They may fear a lawsuit, and thus, will not be forthcoming in providing an explanation for fear it will be used against them. One very successful chamber executive recently told me he still hasn’t put closure on his dismissal he experienced more than fifteen years ago.
Take comfort in knowing you are not alone. Many more executives have been terminated in their career than you realize. There is still shame attached to this situation, so they are naturally reluctant to speak of their experience. It would be a welcome addition to the profession if those affected executives would share their experience with their colleagues and if the associations serving them would provide more resources to assist them in their time of need. As boards become more demanding, we need the benefit of their experience.
Use the situation to determine your own responsibility in the breakdown of the relationship and to begin planning your next steps. It is a time to be used for reflection. Take an honest look at yourself and develop an action plan. Don’t let the normal anxiety you feel take over during this time. You need to be looking forward and using your network of friends and colleagues to get advice and to determine your next employment opportunities.
Ultimately, you will be asked by a potential employer about the circumstances of your departure. It is best to be honest and acknowledge your part in the situation. Explain what you learned from the experience and how you plan to prevent it from happening in the future. Be positive, not defensive and don’t criticize your former employer. Keep the focus on what you will do for them in the future, not what happened in the past. Accentuate your previous accomplishments and current knowledge. Let them know how the situation makes you better prepared and able to help prevent a similar circumstance within their own organization.
Hopefully, you will never be faced with the trauma of the loss of a job. Such a time of stress will be difficult but can also be very rewarding. Many of those who have been terminated in the past say it was the best thing that ever happened to them and helped to make them stronger leaders and managers. Many have gone on to become among the most respected in the industry.
Ideally, it’s best to avoid the situation altogether by taking heed of some of the tips outlined above and by developing your own strategy for avoiding termination. Make a checklist of those things you need to be doing to retain your position and actively manage it as you do the other parts of your organization.
About the Author
Terry J. Cusack, President and CEO of Stellar Fundraising Executives, Inc., started his first company 30 days out of high school and hasn’t slowed down since. That initiative suggests what he can bring to your fundraising initiatives. Prompted by a strong desire to serve, Terry leads the strongest team available with the personal goal of helping his clients’ and their communities.
Terry’s introduction to professional fundraising came while working at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. Advancing to the director of economic development position, Terry led a $10 million campaign. As a loaned executive with Touchdown Jacksonville!, he made sure that the 30th NFL franchise wound up in Jacksonville. That effort – which included selling $75,000 luxury suites in a stadium that had yet to be built for team that had yet to exist – prompted team president David Seldin to acknowledge that, “Terry is among the group of people without whose efforts the team would never have been won.”
As senior vice president for a large consultancy, Terry contributed to the growth of more than thirty communities and other nonprofits around the country. His success continues to earn him national press coverage. He appears around the country, speaking on fundraising, organizational growth and economic and community development.
For ten years, Terry has demonstrated a belief in service by volunteering with Big Brothers of America. Terry need only look to his “little brother” Ben Nowland – an Auburn University graduate, masters student and former All-SEC Auburn football center now playing for the NFL Washington Redskins – for proof that people can make a difference.
STELLAR Fundraising Executives, Inc.
13245 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 4-375
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Phone: 904.270.0153
Toll Free: 888.897.4667
Fax: 904.270.0189
www.stellarfundraising.com |
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