• SCENE BEGINS IN THE OFFICE OF INFLEXION ADVISORS, WASHINGTON, DC. IT’S THE FIRST MONDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY AND MARK IS DRINKING RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF COFFEE.
• *phone rings*
• Mark: Inflexion, this is Mark.
• Caller: Hey Mark, this is (exec from large firm). Hope you had a great holiday!
• (2 mins of pleasantries discussing dysfunctional family antics, rough travel and leftovers)
• Caller: Well, we just laid off (person/function/business unit) and we’re not going to pursue (strategy/initiative/idea) after all. Man, I can’t believe the axe came down so hard. Of course we have to adjust for the (economic downtown/stock market/shrinking client budgets), but this is pretty rough, especially around the holidays.
• Mark: (vomiting quietly into office trash can) That’s really rough news. What are you guys doing to support those who were termed?
• Caller: No idea, but I heard the packages are pretty bad. You think I might be next???
• (call segues into self-preservation discussion, what I’m hearing in the market, if anyone is hiring, etc.)
• Mark: Did anyone on the exec team see this coming?
• Caller: I mean sure, we knew things were bad but didn’t really see the (shining red flashing *danger* light/need to adjust exec comp/evening news). Well, let me know what you’re hearing out there and take care.
• END SCENE

Just repeat that over and over again and you’ll get a sense of my day. Which brings me to our two “shittys”:

1. The Market Is Going to Get Worse: I’m not an economist but I am a realist. Given that most of the calls I received aren’t yet public, I sense that the cascading effect will continue through at least the remainder of the year, and likely longer. We need to strap in for a bumpy ride and prepare for rough waters.
2. People Aren’t Taking Care of One Another: This one is really shitty. Times are tough, most people are struggling, and I typically see attitudes of self-preservation taking hold. This isn’t even Darwinian, as the fittest aren’t necessarily the ones who are surviving. I’m seeing behavior that under normal circumstances would be considered abhorrent. Which begs the question – Have you done anything to help someone out, including just placing a call and letting them know you’re there if they need a shoulder or ear?

Believe me, I know there are more than two out there. I think what I’m finding so difficult to swallow is the instant invisibility that comes with unemployment. Friends and former colleagues don’t reach out because the recently disenfranchised embody the fear that comes with joblessness. The Golden Rule still applies people, so befriend someone in need, stop being selfish and let’s keep the conversation going.