When They Let You Go - 'Can You Hear Me Now?'

It happens all the time. For one reason or another you fall out of favor in your job, and they wish you well on your future endeavors, or as I experienced in the Christian Contemporary format they tell you they will be praying for you, and then you put the things that hung on your wall in your trunk, and you drive away.

Whether the termination was your fault or not, the next move is to get through the bitter and angry stage as quickly as possible. You can't avoid this stage, you will experience it, but treat it like a La Quinta Inn, and stay for as short a time as possible. Glean the good from the experience, learn from the areas where you can improve and clear the negativities to make ready your next opportunity.

It may be a week away, a month away, a year away, or perhaps, several years away, but while you're waiting, you can put your skills to work in ways you never thought possible. Radio has a way of forcing us to be great marketers, skillful social media minds, relationship builders, creative writers as well as promotions and event planners. Until your email starts to fill with new opportunities, stretch your skillset and try to do something out of your comfort zone. By the time you're ready to head back to something steady, they'll find themselves hiring somebody far better than you...the new you.

And don't seek vengeance on your last place. You, being gainfully employed will be vengeance enough. And in some cases, you may show up working against the very people who once called you teammate, and in that case, you may, very well experience being avenged firsthand, and it will be sweet, but it still shouldn't be your main focus. It isn't your best trait, anyways. Show that one, instead.

SPRINT MAKES VERIZON CRINGE

For actor Paul Marcarelli, who became instantly known in 2002 after his "Can You Hear Me Now," Verizon 'Test Man' commercial campaign caught on, and ran for almost 10 years, can you imagine what it must have felt like knowing that the thing you've already done, may just happen to have been the peak of your career?

Paul went through it too. His agent calls to tell him Verizon will no longer need his services, that they believe they've done all they can with the character and the campaign, and that its reached the point of oversaturation and is no longer effective. And even though he made millions doing it, it still had to hurt.

But then, in one of the smartest 'make the switch' campaigns in product history, Sprint puts Paul back to work in a different color shirt.

Verizon looked at Paul and saw a tube of toothpaste that looked pretty-close to empty. Sprint saw the same tube and knew, if we can just squeeze enough for one more brushing, we may have something; and indeed, they did.

Your best work is still ahead of you, and the best news is somebody is already recognizing that.