In this episode of the Laid Off Legends podcast, Leo speaks with Chilumba, a former Microsoft employee with almost two decades of experience. They discuss Chilumba's journey through layoffs, the cultural shifts at Microsoft, and the emotional impact of being laid off. Chilumba shares insights on preparing for the layoff experience, rebuilding identity, and finding purpose after leaving a long-term position. The conversation emphasizes the importance of resilience, community support, and leveraging skills for future opportunities.

Key Summary

Chilumba was laid off in 2023 after two decades at Microsoft.

He experienced a cultural shift at Microsoft from a competitive to a collaborative environment.

Survivor's guilt is common among those who remain after layoffs.

The layoff announcement can come unexpectedly, even for high-performing employees.

Coping with layoff news requires mental preparation and emotional resilience.

Rebuilding identity after a layoff can be challenging, especially when work defines self-worth.

It's important to take time off to process the layoff experience.

Leveraging skills and frameworks can aid in the job search process.

Investing in personal projects can provide a sense of purpose post-layoff.

Community support is crucial for navigating the emotional aftermath of layoffs.

Resources mentioned

Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (EO 14028)

The last project Chilumba worked on was driving conformance EO 14028 for the Edge organization.

https://www.nist.gov/itl/executive-order-14028-improving-nations-cybersecurity

Chilumba’s email to the team: "Bye-bye and thank you for the ..... the cookies" was a play off the expression "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Long,_and_Thanks_for_All_the_Fish

It's a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and has become a humorous way of saying "Goodbye". It refers to dolphins, who were much more advanced than humans had thought, leaving Earth prior to its destruction

"Loose lips sink ships" was phrase he used about how bad rumors and can hurt businesses; but heleveraged that information to plan (together with other signals). The phrase is used to remind people of the dangers of speaking without thinking or sharing confidential information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loose_lips_sink_ships

OKR - Objectives and Key Results

A popular business framework that Chilumba adapted to track parts of his life where he wanted to move the needle around 4 focus tenants of Health, Self, Wealth, and Career.

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/what-is-an-okr-definition-examples/

ADO - Azure DevOps

The Microsoft DevOps planning platform he uses to track my Job Search journey with a project code name of "Gig Scouting"

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/user-guide/what-is-azure-devops

Global Seed Initiative (GSI)

Global Organization that Chilumba serves on the Board of Directors

https://www.gsi-farming.org/