by “Your services are no longer required,” the managing director said to me on a Microsoft Teams call on the morning of Friday, October 1, 2020. My 22+-year career at Accenture was ended in a 2-minute and 24-second call (ever the documentarian, I took a screenshot.) My last day was two weeks later.
Today marks one year since I left Accenture. I hadn’t expected to be laid off (who does?), but, after the shock wore off over the weekend, I knew I was ready to put a period at the end of my career there and begin a new story somewhere else. However odd it sounds, I think back very fondly on my last two weeks, leading two incredibly talented global teams driving the adoption of collaboration tools and Microsoft Teams. As I prepared to leave, I did my best to set them up for success.
It’s the people who gave color and texture to my work at Accenture and having two weeks to say goodbye felt…right. I’d “grown up” there and worked with people all over the world on numerous projects. Thankfully, saying goodbye wasn’t as difficult as it once may have been in our hyper-connected world.
One of the teams I was a part of suggested dinner on my last day to celebrate our affection for working together and to my moving on to new adventures. We sat outside in a heated tent at Zia’s, an Italian restaurant not from where I lived at the time on the north side of Chicago. Most of them braved long commutes to have dinner with me, and I will never forget the kindness and support they had always shown me. They represented the best of the best at Accenture, and I’m forever grateful to them…and so many more who aren’t pictured below. I remember walking back home after dinner feeling so full of gratitude and satisfaction (and wine!) My life just felt so right–like puzzle pieces falling together before me, showing me the beginnings of a whole new picture.
As it turns out, I was ready for something new. I’d been polishing my personal brand–both internally and externally for the previous few years. I’d been diligent in keeping my resume and LinkedIn profile updated. Cover letters flowed easily. And within two months of leaving, I’d accepted a communications manager role at a large non-profit healthcare organization.
My story has continued in new and exciting ways. I’ve loved getting to know my new teammates and my new company culture. My current team is packed with vibrant, talented, supportive (and incredibly funny!) people. Our in-person time has been limited thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we did have a chance to meet up in Chicago in July. And the ease of our virtual relationships translated perfectly to our in-person meetings in the office. I learn from them and laugh with them daily.
But it’s impossible for me to forget those people I loved working with during all my years at Accenture–many of whom I still talk to frequently. “Networking” has gotten a bad rap. But it’s your network of colleagues and friends who inform your experience at any company–particularly one as large as Accenture. It was the people and those relationships that often inspired me to do my best work.
I’m very proud of my legacy at Accenture–particularly around creative communications, storytelling and working with my teams to help them to learn and grow–though I learned plenty from each of them, as well. But, most of all, it’s the authentic friendships I’ve taken with me that still give me the most satisfaction of a job well done.
For anyone who might be struggling with job loss–or any kind of loss, I hope you have a network of friends and colleagues to support you. And if you know someone who is struggling with loss, be part of that network for them.
Invest in authentic relationships. The rewards are infinite.
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