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Why Rejection Can Be the Best Thing For Your Career
“We have found somebody to replace you.”
These are words of rejection that nobody ever wants to hear from his or her boss, but the very same are what I received early in my career as a young professional. As I discovered, they were also the words that turned out to be the most profound and helpful words in my career.
Of course, context is important. At the time, I was still rather young and had been promoted to a managerial operations position, responsible for decisions that affected over half the budget of a multi-million construction firm. I was one of the youngest people to fill this position in my industry, and in my opinion, I was having a positive impact.
Early in the year, I applied to a full time MBA program, really out of curiosity more than pragmatism. Because I was doing well in my position, had just purchased a new house and signed a new car lease, I really had no intention of going back to school. In doing so, however, I had to ask my boss for a letter of reference, which I did without thought of consequence.
A few months later, my boss called me into his office very officially, complete with a “please close the door.” My relationship with management was very amenable, and I actually laughed at the perceived severity. My department was humming without incident, so…
