On Pins and Needles

Some of you may have heard that Terry's company informed their employees at the end of April that they were planning layoffs for the first time in their history and it would impact the company worldwide. The plan was that the layoffs would be completed by the end of June.

This is always a comforting thought, but not surprising in this economy.

So this last month and a half has been somewhat uncertain at his office, to say the least. A week or so ago they heard that the layoffs would probably happen last week or this week. No details were given on where or when exactly it would take place, how many at each office or how many in each department.

Every day when he came home I would ask if he was still employed and fortunately, he said, "yes".

So this morning at 8:53 am, I get this email from Terry. No more, no less, just these two words.

"It's starting ..."

So, I write him back and say, "Be sure to call me if you get laid off."

Then I wait, and wait...no call, no email...and I wait some more. At least I had some work to keep my mind distracted. And I wait...

At 1:20 pm I get this email.

"I think I survived. But my supervisor is gone, and her supervisor is gone.
I am now operating with a total lack of accountability."

No more details from him, but Whew! What a relief and I laughed out loud at the last line! Can't you just see Terry running around the call center floor like a wild man because he had no supervisor telling him to stop?

Anyway, we're so thankful that the Lord allowed his job to be spared. When we moved back from So Cal, he spent 6 months unemployed because he essentially changed careers, so he wasn't looking forward to looking for another job.

Job Update:

My position at Catalyst has been filled. My replacement starts on Monday and my last day of work (as of right now) is February 15th. Pray for me and the new guy that we can transfer a lot of information and get him up to speed during these next 3 weeks of training.

I don't have another job yet, but I do have an interview for a part time job at Uhlmann Family Offices . They are well connected with Catalyst and I know quite a few of the folks there, so it looks promising, but no guarantees.

I still need to get the lead out and send some more resumes so all my eggs aren't in one basket. Please pray that God will lead me to the perfect position to meet our needs.

MORE BIG NEWS!

After several years of trying to figure out a way to reduce my hours in my job at Leadership Catalyst, we've come to the realization that, due to the nature of my role there, it's just not practical to have someone who's not there full time, 5 days a week. Because I believe that the Lord has laid it on my heart to have some more time at home for family, friends, church, etc., we've decided to take a step of faith and begin looking for a different job that will allow me at least one more day a week at home.

I didn't want to leave the Catalyst team (this photo is most of the team and spouses at our Christmas party) without enough transition & training time, so even though I don't have another job yet, we've already started looking for my replacement (a bit uncertain on my part, but best for all involved, I think).

If you have an idea of someone who could fill an Events Manager role for Catalyst or (for me) a more flexible 3-4 day a week job in the Phoenix area, I'd love to hear from you. I'd also be happy to send along the Events Manager job description for potential candidates and/or my resume if you want more info on my work history and variety of experience.

Please keep this transition in your prayers. As you can imagine, with all the upcoming events that Catalyst has in 2008, there's never really a good time for a change like this. A few possible candidates have surfaced for the Events position, but our goal is to find a very skilled person who can get up to speed quickly to fill that full time role. We’re trusting God for the next step for me as well. I'm excited and wide open on the possibilities that He may bring along.

Thanks for your prayers and any help you might be able to give in the way of referrals, etc.