Denial, anger...or spot the opportunity?

Faceless Bureaucrat:  I've spent 21 thrilling years in public service as a Faceless Bureaucrat.  I really enjoyed the first 16 and the last 2, there was only one rather soul destroying section latterly in which I felt I was being slowly lobotomised.

At that point I took my little briefcase and left the employment of the NHS for nearly a year to go it alone as a freelance consultant.  During that time I had great fun being paid more to work less with more respect.  But I missed being part of an NHS team and getting the Christmas cards.  I also chose the beginning of the worst financial crisis in decades to set myself up in an area which was, within 2 years, to be subject to some of the biggest cuts.  NHS spend on consultancy has sunk like the Titanic in the past 6 months.

Just as well I snuck back into the arms of the NHS 15 months ago then...?

 I've spent most of these 2 decades in the commissioning side of things rather than the provider (hospital) side.  If it's moved, I've commissioned it and so right now my job is to teach commissioners how to commission.  I deliver workshops to managers, GPs and nurses to help them understand what commissioning is all about and how to manage change successfully.  I give them the good practice theory with a handful of real life examples, get them to apply the theory to their own circumstances through exercises, we all have a jolly good time and 97% of them tell me they would recommend the courses to their colleagues.  Lots of them come back for seconds which is usually nice.

But the NHS has decided in its wisdom that this sort of thing should no longer be funded centrally, but instead happen on a pay-as-you-go basis, something that requires a different scale of organisation behind it to make the marketing, pricing and billing add up.  It's a difficult transition to make, particularly when it's unclear whether any NHS organisation is willing or able to host such a function and take on the inevitable risk involved.

One of the things I teach people about managing change is the transition curve people go through when undergoing any change that is potentially negative.  It starts with denial (it's not going to happen to me!), followed by anger (why is this happening to me?), followed by being lost (what's going to happen to me?).  That's the negative part of the curve from which some never move.  If you're smart you do that bit quickly and move on to the understanding bit (I see what's happening and why), acceptance (I can handle what's happening) and finally - if you're really lucky - advocacy (we should do more of this happening stuff).

So where am I on this transition curve?  My confession is that I've always rather liked change, my life has, frankly, been full of the stuff.  So I don't tend to linger on the denial or anger, rather I like to get my head into the future and try to spot the opportunities - as sure as thaw follows snow there will be some.

As my blog readers will know, I've already spent time and money investing in my future as a trader and am slowly working my way through the learning process.  This is my goal, over all other work goals.  I will be a successful trader, it's just a case of when.  It may take me 2 years, 5 years or 10 years but I'm committed.  I've met many successful traders and they don't have anything I don't.  With discipline, persistence and time it will come.

The question is, how do I keep the pennies coming in whilst I learn this new art?

There are many options for me.  I can allow myself to be made redundant on March 31st, take the pay in lieu of notice which is highly likely to be forthcoming and spend 4 months solid improving my trading. But if I need more time to become consistently successful at trading then I'll be back to job hunting again this spring/summer.  Not the end of the world I guess, the job landscape will be clearer by then and I'm confident I could pick something up, if not permanent then interim and manage to negotiate part time hours just as I have for the last 5 years to give me time to trade.

But if I'm made redundant in March I only get 4 months pay to see me off.  If I can hang on until past Sept 2 (the date I rejoined the NHS in 2009) then all my previous 20 years' service becomes valid for redundancy payment.  This means it would be so much better to be made redundant after Sept - I'd get 22 months' pay instead.  That would fund me to spend time trading for a lot longer...

The problem is not getting some sort of job to take me up to Sept, I've never had a problem bagging a job before.  The problem is that then they won't make me redundant.  I'm not in denial, honest!  I just can't see it happening.  If you've got the experience (which I have), are presentable (which I must be) and sufficiently able to adapt (no problems, love change) plus you're able to make decisions (definite tick) then the NHS never likes letting you go.  And more importantly (if I'm really honest) they hate paying big lump sum payments such as 22 months' salary to anyone.

The fact that I'm currently facing redundancy from April is such a rare and unlikely event for me that it feels like it is The Opportunity.  Of course there's a lurking thought that it may be difficult to get back into employment if I spend 4 months off but then a quick look back at my CV (which I've recently been updating...) reminds me that of the last 10 jobs I applied for I secured 9 of them. And that doesn't include the roles I was given when people approached me as a freelance consultant, I'm only counting those where I had to compete.

I don't want to appear arrogant here but part of grabbing the opportunities of change is about being able to objectively analyse the situation and your position in it, these are the simple facts.

So, having fast tracked my way through denial, anger and being lost I am now trying objectively to work out how I can benefit from this situation I'm in.  If I find another job now or by March 31st what will I gain over and above what I have now?  A sense of security.  Probably nothing more as the odds are in my favour that I can get a job later in the summer, or even wait until winter if I pay myself a dividend from my business account.

But if I sit it out and get made redundant I get 4 months' pay without having to work for it.  This equates to an unparalleled chance to invest time in trading.  An opportunity like that is unlikely to happen again.

Well, I've not yet made my decision.  I guess I'll have a chat with a few people about this and see.  It is of course quite difficult to make this decision because as a Faceless Bureaucrat one likes to have safety nets and minimise risk.  But let's face it, I'm transforming from Faceless Bureaucrat to Bad Assed Trader and Bad Assed Traders take risks to generate rewards.  The question is, am I more Faceless Bureaucrat or Bad Assed Trader right now?