Im being made redundant next month. I feel anxious and angry. What’s my next step?

Maybe the redundancy could be seen as a relief. The uncertainty and feeling of unfairness can now soon be put behind you.

But before you leave, plan your exit wisely. Don’t let your anger sour relations internally. Be a good leaver, so someone, maybe your boss, believes you will be an excellent ambassador for the business. Phone up all your contacts for a friendly chat, share with them your planned departure and ask if they’ll take a few minutes to give you advice. Please do not ask them for a job. But it’s important to keep in mind that 70% of jobs are never advertised.

As you tenaciously hunt for a job, be sure not to forget that networking, such as attending industry events, exchange of emails and phone call, letters to editors etc, is central to the challenge. Consider outplacement coaching and don’t scoff at interim jobs. You may well be considered for other opportunities at the end of the contract. Some companies even use this as a very long interview process.



Post-Olympics, my team are feeling rather jaded. We have an enormous new project, so how do I get my team to change gear?

Performance coaching is about talking and doing. Are you all clear what “great” looks like in your business? In your part of the food business, I suspect there are many conflicting KPIs so you need to spell out your team deliverables.

Noel Coward said that for him “work is more fun than fun”. What have you done to put more fun into your tasks, and similarly have you really looked at the barriers that stop your people achieving excellence?

Make sure you have regular team meetings where you celebrate success, jointly solve problems and create the warmth of real teamwork. Your role is to make the project real with tangible results for them as well as others. How will they benefit from being on the winning team? Be passionate about the goal and bring it to life. But also ask yourself - are you pushing yourself as hard as you push your team? Increase your pace and others will follow.

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