Last Tuesday night I had the pleasure of hearing Mary Lou Quinlan, the author of What She's Not Telling You, speak at the AWNY (Advertising Women of New York) workshop.
The title of this AWNY workshop was Reinvention in a Recession. The event began at 6:00pm and most people were in their seats by 6:15pm. Normally 6:00pm is a bit early to start an event but this group was ready to go.
Mary Lou asked the audience how many were in transition- which meant they were unemployed, looking for jobs, exploring new careers or scared to death that they would lose their current job - and nearly half of the audience raised their hands.
Mary Lou then asked the audience to answer a series of questions called GAMES:
Good Intentions: One of these days I will...
Approval Seeking: Who are are you pleasing by staying put?
Martyrdom: How do you describe a typical day's trials? Who do you vent to?
Ego Protection: What keeps you in your job? What self image am I trying to preserve?
Secret keeping: Is there something that you want--a reinvention you dream of--that you haven't told anyone about?
After each question, she asked for volunteers to share their responses. Little did I know how emotional this would be. There were women who were out of work and lost hope, drive and self esteem. Some were afraid to get back into the workforce. One 40ish year-old was terrified that she would lose her creative ad job to a young 20-something. A magazine editor who lost her job a year ago (and didn't understand "digital") had an interview scheduled with a shelter magazine the day they announced its closing. The atmosphere of doubt, fear, and empathy permeated the beige room of the 21st floor in the Time Warner Building.
As I left the workshop and entered into the empty shops at Columbus Circle, I realized that in order to survive, we need to push ourselves and ask what we can do differently to navigate this new economy.
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