How redundancy, a little home renovation and three important decisions changed the way I approached my career — and opened doors I never imagined.
Many years ago, I faced the first of what has now been three redundancies.
I'd worked for the organisation for ten years and two days.
Yes, those two days count!
The upside was that I received both redundancy pay and long service leave entitlements, which meant I had something many people facing redundancy don't have: a little breathing room.
I had enough time, and thankfully enough money, to keep the plane flying for a while.
But I also had some important decisions to make.
I'd spent most of my working career in general insurance. There had been some wonderful experiences, some great people and, naturally, a few things I'd have been quite happy never to experience again.
My initial thinking was fairly straightforward.
I could find another job with another insurance company, get used to some new walls, and probably encounter many of the same challenges.
Or I could take a different road.
What I didn't realise at the time was that the decisions I was about to make would completely change my approach to career development.
And it started with a simple question.
Decision One: Invest in What Makes You Valuable
Rather than immediately searching for the same role in another organisation, I spent some time reflecting on what I'd enjoyed most about my career.
Not the job titles.
Not the organisations.
Not even the achievements.
What had genuinely made the journey enjoyable?
As I looked back, a pattern began to emerge.
I loved coaching and mentoring people.
I'd already held three positions within the organisation that involved significant people development, either directly or indirectly.
Some of my greatest satisfaction had come from helping people grow, develop their confidence, recognise their capabilities and achieve things they hadn't previously thought possible.
I realised that this wasn't simply something I happened to enjoy.
It was something I wanted to become better at.
So I made my first important decision.
I invested in myself.
I took the experience I'd gained over the years and formalised it through further study, completing two qualifications in organisational coaching.
I wasn't just adding another line to my résumé.
I was deliberately developing a capability that I believed would make me more valuable, regardless of which organisation or industry I eventually worked in.
And here's the interesting part.
I didn't realise it at the time, but that investment, combined with a change in how I approached my career, would eventually help me secure a position at a salary I'd previously considered well beyond my reach.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
There were still two more decisions to make.
Decision Two: Stop Limiting Yourself to What You've Always Done
During this period, I also took on some renovations around the house.
Now, if you've read some of my other stories, you'll know that I consider myself a reasonably handy renovator.
Usually.
And somewhere between whatever I was painting, fixing or pulling apart, I had what I like to call an epiphany.
Although, in fairness, it might have just been a bright idea.
Why was I limiting my career options to the industry I'd always worked in?
I'd spent years developing skills in leadership, operations, customer service, people management, change and now organisational coaching.
Were those skills only valuable to an insurance company?
Of course not.
People are people, wherever you find them.
Organisations need capable leaders.
Teams need direction, encouragement and development.
Customers need excellent service.
And businesses need people who can solve problems and improve performance.
The industry might change, but many of the fundamental leadership challenges remain remarkably similar.
So I made my second important decision.
I was going to start swinging for the fences.
Instead of looking only for jobs that closely resembled my previous positions, I would pursue opportunities where I had the underlying capabilities to succeed, even if the organisation operated in an industry I'd never worked in before.
I was also willing to consider roles with greater responsibility.
If I could already demonstrate much of what was required, and could reasonably learn the rest, why shouldn't I put myself forward?
That single change dramatically expanded the opportunities I was prepared to consider.
It wasn't about pretending I could do anything.
It was about recognising that I could do considerably more than my previous job titles might suggest.
The Phone Call on the Front Steps
I distinctly remember standing on the front steps of our house when the phone rang.
I think I was painting at the time.
The caller asked whether I'd be interested in interviewing for a position responsible for the national intake and front-of-house operations of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) organisation.
Mental health services.
Not general insurance.
Not the career move I'd originally imagined.
But it was a senior management opportunity, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, with working relationships across the executive leadership team.
It sounded interesting.
And, importantly, it sounded like something I could do well.
So I said yes.
The following day, I found myself sitting across the table from the HR manager and the person currently responsible for the role.
We worked through the usual interview questions.
Most were comfortably within my experience. I'd spent years running contact centres and customer service operations, recruiting people and interviewing candidates myself.
Then came the salary question.
And this is where my third decision became important.
Decision Three: Know Your Value — and Be Willing to Back It
Before walking into that interview, I'd made a deliberate choice.
I understood the experience I brought to the table.
I knew the capabilities I'd developed.
I had invested in additional qualifications that would allow me to contribute something beyond operational management.
And I had a clear understanding of the level of responsibility I was prepared to take on, and the remuneration I believed was appropriate.
But perhaps most importantly, I'd made a distinction in my own mind.
I didn't need to accept just any job. I wanted to find the right job.
Now, I recognise that this was made considerably easier by the financial breathing room my redundancy had provided.
Not everyone has that luxury.
But having options had changed the way I thought about the opportunity.
I wasn't there simply hoping someone would employ me.
I was there to establish whether what I could offer matched what the organisation needed.
And whether the arrangement would work for both of us.
So when the HR manager asked about my salary expectations, I gave my figure.
Let's call it $X.
I saw the reaction.
A slight flinch.
It was more than they had hoped to pay.
And then I did something that can be surprisingly difficult in a negotiation.
I stopped talking.
I didn't immediately justify the number.
I didn't start negotiating against myself.
I didn't reduce my expectations to make the moment more comfortable.
I simply waited.
The HR manager explained that my figure was higher than their intended range, but that if I was the right candidate, they would discuss it with the COO to see what flexibility existed.
Fair enough.
About thirty minutes later, while I was on the train heading home, my phone rang.
Both interviewers strongly believed I was the right person for the role.
Would I be available to meet the COO the following day?
Absolutely.
I'd cleared the first hurdle.
But I suspected the next one might be a little higher.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
The following day, I returned to meet the COO.
We'll call him George.
We worked through more interview questions, many of them variations of what I'd been asked the previous day.
Then George raised something unexpected.
"James, we're thinking this role might only be temporary. Perhaps three months. Would that work for you?"
Now, the day before, I'd made a point of asking questions about the organisation, its challenges and what success in the role would actually require.
One of the things that stood out was the employee Net Promoter Score.
It was almost as low as the scale goes.
For anyone unfamiliar with the measure, employee Net Promoter Score is an indicator of how willing employees are to recommend their organisation as a place to work.
A score that close to the bottom of the scale suggested some very serious cultural challenges.
And I couldn't see how simply keeping the operation running for three months would address them.
So I explained my thinking.
"George, after speaking with the team yesterday, a few things stood out to me.
"You need someone who can run the operation effectively, and given my contact centre experience, I'm confident I can do that.
"But with an employee Net Promoter Score of minus 83, your challenge isn't just operational. It's cultural.
"From where I sit, you have two options.
"You can hire someone for three months to keep the lights on, and potentially find yourself in the same position again.
"Or you can appoint someone who can address the operational challenges while also working towards meaningful cultural change.
"Culture takes time to change. It takes willingness, and it takes the capability to make that change happen.
"I believe I bring both."
Then I added something I probably wouldn't have had the confidence to say earlier in my career.
"If you're looking for someone to fill the position for three months, I know several capable people I could recommend.
"But respectfully, I wouldn't accept a three-month appointment."
George gave me a wry smile.
Then came the next question.
"James, you've asked for $X in salary. We're a mental health organisation, and we need to be mindful of every dollar. Would you consider $Y instead?"
I understood his position.
Every organisation needs to manage its resources responsibly.
But I also understood mine.
So I explained what I believed I could bring to the organisation.
Ten years of senior contact centre experience.
Qualifications in organisational coaching.
Extensive experience leading people, managing operations and improving service delivery.
And I could start immediately.
"That combination of capability and availability comes at a price of $X.
"If you need someone for a shorter period or at a lower salary, I understand. I can recommend some people who would do a good job keeping the operation running.
"But I believe this part of your business needs more than that."
Then I raised something else.
I'd actually experienced the organisation's service firsthand, when my former employer had used it as an EAP provider.
And the experience hadn't been particularly good.
I explained that, based on that experience and the conversations I'd had during the interviews, I could already identify ten things I'd want to improve.
In fact, I offered to walk him through them.
And that's exactly what we did.
We discussed the problems, the opportunities and some of the changes I believed could make a difference.
I wasn't simply telling him I was worth the salary.
I was demonstrating what I could bring to the organisation.
And guess what?
I got the job.
At $X.
And Here's the Part I Haven't Mentioned Yet
The salary I'd just negotiated was 50% higher than what I'd been earning in my previous role.
Fifty percent.
That's not a bad return on an investment in yourself!
Now, let's be clear about something.
I didn't suddenly become 50% more capable overnight.
I was still the same person with the same underlying years of experience.
But I'd added new qualifications, expanded the range of opportunities I was prepared to pursue, and fundamentally changed how I understood and communicated my professional value.
I'd stopped allowing my previous industry and job titles to define the limits of my career.
And I'd started approaching opportunities as someone who had something valuable to contribute, rather than someone simply hoping to be given a chance.
The financial result was significant.
But the change in mindset was worth even more.
Because once I'd recognised that my capabilities could create value in different organisations and industries, I couldn't unsee it.
My career was no longer limited to the next logical step on the ladder I'd always been climbing.
There were other ladders.
Other industries.
Other opportunities.
And some of them were considerably more interesting than the ones I'd previously imagined.
One Mindset Shift. A Career Across Industries.
And here's something else.
That shift in thinking wasn't just responsible for one successful job interview or one significant salary increase.
It has carried me through the rest of my career.
From general insurance into mental health services.
From mental health into telecommunications.
From telecommunications into construction materials.
Then into a start-up insurance company.
Back into mental health.
And now, into running my own coaching business.
Very different industries. Different organisations. Different challenges.
Each came with its own language, customers, operational complexities and expectations.
There were plenty of things I had to learn along the way.
And there were certainly times when I wondered what I'd gotten myself into!
But through all those changes, I began to recognise something important.
The industry changed. The fundamental value I could bring didn't.
I could still lead people.
I could still develop teams.
I could still understand operations, solve problems, navigate change and improve performance.
And with each move, I gained something else: new experiences, different perspectives and capabilities that made me better equipped for whatever came next.
My experience in one industry wasn't wasted when I moved into another.
It became part of what I brought with me.
Looking back, I can see that the most important decision I made during that first redundancy wasn't simply to study organisational coaching or broaden my job search.
It was to stop allowing my employment history to dictate my career possibilities.
That doesn't mean I could walk into any industry and immediately know everything required.
Far from it.
It meant recognising the difference between what I already knew, what I could do, and what I was capable of learning.
And perhaps that's one of the most important lessons of all.
Your career doesn't have to be a series of predictable steps within the same organisation or industry.
It can be a journey of deliberately developing capabilities, taking on new challenges and discovering opportunities you hadn't previously considered.
Sometimes that journey will take you upwards.
Sometimes sideways.
Sometimes into an entirely different industry.
And sometimes, as it has for me, it will lead you back to something you've been passionate about all along.
Coaching and developing people.
The very thing I'd recognised that I loved all those years ago.
The real return on investing in yourself isn't just what you can earn. It's what you become capable of doing next.
The Real Lesson Wasn't About Salary
Now, it would be easy to read this story and conclude that the lesson is to be a tough negotiator.
Or that you should always hold firm on salary.
Or that confidence means being prepared to walk away.
Those things can have their place, but none of them is the central lesson.
The real change happened before I entered either interview.
It was the way I had begun thinking about myself, my capabilities and my career.
I'd stopped viewing my experience through the narrow lens of the industry I'd worked in.
I'd invested in developing skills that could create value in different environments.
I'd recognised that I could bring more to an organisation than the ability to perform the duties listed in a position description.
And I'd become more willing to assess an opportunity on its merits, rather than simply hoping to be selected.
I'd shifted from asking, "Will they give me a job?" to asking, "Can I help this organisation succeed, and is this the right opportunity for me?"
That's a very different conversation.
It doesn't mean becoming arrogant.
It doesn't mean overestimating your capabilities.
And it certainly doesn't mean demanding more money simply because you believe you deserve it.
It means knowing what you can genuinely contribute, continuing to develop that contribution, and learning to communicate it with confidence.
Make Yourself More Valuable
I've often reflected on how different that period of my career might have been if I'd simply searched for another insurance job.
There would have been nothing inherently wrong with doing that.
But I would have been making my next decision based primarily on what I'd done before, rather than what I was capable of doing next.
That distinction matters.
Sometimes career progression happens within the organisation where you already work.
Sometimes it happens when you move to a new organisation.
Sometimes it requires changing industries, learning something unfamiliar or accepting a different kind of responsibility.
And sometimes the best move isn't upwards at all.
It might be a role that gives you more time with your family, greater autonomy, better alignment with your values or work that you find more meaningful.
The objective isn't simply to become more promotable. It's to become more capable, more adaptable and better equipped to make choices about your future.
And that begins by deliberately investing in yourself.
Your next qualification might open a door.
A new skill might change the kind of work you're able to do.
A conversation might help you recognise an ability you've been overlooking.
Or an unexpected redundancy might become the opportunity to reconsider the direction you've been travelling.
I don't suggest that every career transition will turn out as mine did.
Sometimes financial circumstances mean taking the job that's available. Sometimes the right opportunity takes much longer to find. And sometimes we need to take a sideways or even backwards step to move towards something better.
But the principle remains useful.
The more you develop capabilities that others genuinely value, the more opportunities you may be able to create.
And with more opportunities comes greater freedom to choose.
Three Questions Worth Asking Yourself
If you're thinking about your next career move, I'd encourage you to consider three questions.
1. What do I do particularly well, and where else could those capabilities be valuable?
Don't limit your answer to your current job description or industry. Consider the problems you can solve, the people you can help and the outcomes you can deliver.
2. What could I deliberately learn or develop that would make me more valuable?
It might be a qualification. But it might also be a new responsibility, a challenging project, a mentor or a capability you've avoided developing.
3. Am I pursuing the next available opportunity, or the opportunity that fits the life I want to build?
Salary matters. So do responsibilities and career prospects.
But so do your relationships, health, values, time and sense of purpose.
The right opportunity should be considered in the context of your whole life.
One Final Thought
That redundancy, after ten years and two days, certainly wasn't how I'd planned the next stage of my career.
But it gave me an opportunity to challenge some assumptions I'd been carrying for years.
I realised that my career didn't have to be defined by the industry I'd worked in.
My future didn't have to be a continuation of my past.
And my next opportunity didn't have to be determined solely by someone else's willingness to give me a chance.
I could do something about it.
I could learn.
I could grow.
I could become more capable.
And I could put myself forward for opportunities I might previously have dismissed.
That's the mindset shift I'd encourage you to consider.
Don't just look for your next opportunity. Become the kind of person who is better equipped to create one.
And when those opportunities come, remember that you're allowed to choose, too.
Continue Exploring
If this story has you thinking about your own career, here are a few related articles and resources:
Fourth Time Was Not the Charm — A lesson I learned about the difference between wanting a promotion and actually growing towards one.
My Why — How years of developing people helped me recognise the purpose that eventually led me into coaching.
Career Coaching & Career Transition — If you're navigating redundancy, considering an industry change or exploring what comes next, discover how career coaching can help you create clarity and take your next step.
Author's note: The interview conversations in this article have been reconstructed from memory to reflect the substance of the discussions and should not be regarded as verbatim transcripts. Names and certain identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.