When Integrity Costs Everything

As a forty-something corporate executive, Cheryl’s reputation for competence and professionalism was legendary. After eleven years of dedicated service, she was terminated without notice. The catalyst? Her diligent compliance oversight uncovered concerning unethical practices by the newly appointed CEO.

Through the aftermath of her firing Cheryl experienced a range of emotions: denial, anger, rejection bargaining, depression and soul-crushing self-doubt. For weeks, her former team made frantic calls seeking guidance on systems and protocols they couldn’t navigate without her institutional knowledge.

Cheryl wisely leveraged every resource in her severance package: support groups, mock interviews, video-assisted interview practice, weekly informational interview goals, and fierce self-care. Within just two months of her termination, Cheryl secured work with a company that held integrity and compliance as key operating values while leveraging her unique skill set in administrative behavioral care administration. The added bonus of the new position she accepted was that Cheryl was now afforded the opportunity to stretch her skill set into business development, an area she’d been interested in pursuing for quite some time. A morning routine of providing peers with positive reviews on LinkedIn helped Cheryl during the first month after her firing. She felt that starting every day supporting people she valued made her feel she was making a positive contribution before she embarked on her daily effort to search for a new job.

One of the most remarkable sentiments Cheryl shared in our interview was this passage from Viktor Frankle’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, about his experience in a concentration camp: “One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see the wonderful sunset. Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colors, from steel blue to blood red. The desolate grey mud huts provided a sharp contrast, while the puddles on the muddy ground reflected the glowing sky. Then, after minutes of moving silence, one prisoner said to another, ‘How beautiful the world could be.”

When I asked Cheryl why this passage resonated with her, she said it is so important during the most trying, challenging times in our lives, to look at what is beautiful and to remember to be grateful for all that is good.

Cheryl’s Advice: “Have the confidence to trust yourself completely. Through perseverance and discipline, you will find your path. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.”

• “Listen to advice from your support system, family system, family, friends, and professional groups.”
• “Don’t settle.” Cheryl noticed many peers internalizing failure and accepting positions far below their skill level.
• “Learn to believe in yourself. Don’t let fear or temporary circumstances define your worth.”

If you want to pre-sign up for my book coming later this summer – https://firedtoinspired.com/book/.