Got Laid-Off? How to Put on Your Best Game Face and Rebound Like a Winner

Available for Interviews: Rob Cornilles.

For a quarter century Rob Cornilles has been known as the “sales coach for sports.” His firm, Game Face, Inc., pioneered executive training for professional and collegiate sports teams and has since advised more than 40,000 executives at more than 300 sports brands worldwide, forever changing how sports and entertainment properties connect with their fans.  

 

Talking Points from Rob Cornilles on How to Turn a
Setback  Into an Opportunity When Laid Off:

“We have to let you go.” Six words that can make or break a career. So far, COVID-19 has left more than 26 million people or 23% of the workforce unemployed. So, what next? Treat your layoff like an athlete treats an injury. Heal, then make yourself stronger. Build up new skills—starting with how you’re going to market yourself to your next employer.

When laid off or facing a career change, workers and executives should
do what athletes do when sustaining an injury:

1. Hit the showers, ice your joints, and get some rest. The shock to your psyche is just as traumatic as an injury to an athlete’s body. Doctors treat the injured area with comfort and care. Sales and career coaches to professionals, should do the same.
2. Medical workers examine the athlete’s injury; But how about diagnosing the professional’s flaws? What was the root cause of the layoff? Was it a “freak injury,” or was there a weakness that was susceptible to break and finally did?
3. Rehabilitate. Athletes build up stronger muscles around the injured bone. Businesspeople build up skills in areas where they are possibly underperforming. Great coaching leads to better connecting, communicating, and collaborating among colleagues and those who hire.
4. Committed athletes turn a setback into success. Training executives to turn a vulnerability into a skill—making candidates stronger, more nimble, and much more marketable for entry back into the game—that’s winning!

Developing the right skills now is the best way to rehabilitate a career. Take advantage of a clear calendar and build new business muscles so that when you’re back in the game, you become an all-star! That’s exactly what we do at Game Face. The future is uncertain, but one thing surely is: When we eventually return to our new normal in the workforce, professionals looking to land their next job need to stand out from the crowd.