NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
No economy is immune to layoffs, and with the increased implementation of artificial intelligence and the unprecedented adjustment of last year’s employment numbers, it seems likely that we’ve entered a period where RIFs are common. Lufthansa Airlines announced its plan to cut 4,000 administrative jobs by 2030, and Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, just said the world’s largest bank will be “fundamentally rewired” for the new AI era.
These are two of many examples that represent massive, disruptive changes to our economy and our way of life. And while most of us will eventually be affected in one way or another, we don’t have to flounder without hope. Whether you’ve already been let go or worry that you might be next, the key is to change the way you see yourself, making the prospect of transition less frightening and possibly even liberating.
The core problem for many who lose their jobs is that they define themselves too narrowly, limiting their identity to a single role or industry. When layoffs hit, they feel boxed in and unable to pursue work beyond their last position. That often leaves them afraid, depressed and even victimized.
WHITE HOUSE PREPARES FOR ‘IMMINENT’ FEDERAL LAYOFFS AFTER DEMOCRATS FORCE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Without denying the challenge of being laid off, I’d encourage employees going through the process to take a more complete, insightful view of who they are and what they are meant to do. To do that, they need to see themselves in terms of the unique, transferable gifts they’ve been given, which can be applied to a wide variety of jobs in just about any industry.
One of the best ways I know to identify those gifts is through the idea of “Working Genius.” There are six types of work that show up in every job, in every industry:
- Wonder – pondering opportunities for improvement
- Invention – coming up with new ideas
- Discernment – evaluating ideas and solutions
- Galvanizing – rallying others to act
- Enablement – answering the call to help
- Tenacity – pushing things to the finish line
The truth is, none of us is good at all six. Every person in any industry has two types of work that give them energy and joy; this is where your Working Geniuses lie.
JOBS THAT ARE MOST AT RISK FROM AI, ACCORDING TO MICROSOFT
On the other hand, everyone has two types that drain them and that they don’t do well. We call those Working Frustrations.
The remaining two types of work fall somewhere in the middle, neither particularly energizing nor draining. We call those Working Competencies.
Here’s a question that everyone going through a layoff needs to consider: How much harder will it be to find a job if you don’t understand your geniuses and frustrations — and if you don’t realize those gifts aren’t tied to one role or one industry?
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
To answer that question, let’s consider an example. Let’s say you’re a computer programmer, and your company decides AI can do the bulk of your work. If you only see yourself as a programmer, your job hunt is going to feel desperate and discouraging because you’ll be competing with a flood of other programmers for fewer positions.
Fired State Department workers carry their belongings as they leave the building in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
But if you look instead at your natural, transferable geniuses, everything changes. Let’s say that your geniuses are Invention and Tenacity. That means you enjoy developing novel ideas and then pursuing solutions diligently until they are finished.
As you look for a job, you can now look far beyond programming and even technology, exploring a much broader spectrum of job opportunities that need someone with your geniuses. In doing this, you’ll realize that there are plenty of roles in a wide variety of industries that need someone like you, and that your prospects of success and job satisfaction will be much higher in a job that fits your talents.
Ironically, you might find that your previous job didn’t exactly allow you to use your geniuses. Many people get jobs in fields they studied in school, and many just fall into a job by circumstance. But intentionally pursuing a career that aligns better with their geniuses can lead to them realizing that getting laid off, as hard as it may have been, was exactly what they needed.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Of course, no job is perfect. We all must do things that don’t perfectly align with our strengths. But when we spend most of our time working in our geniuses, we find meaning and fulfillment. When we don’t, we feel stuck.
Without denying the challenge of being laid off, I’d encourage employees going through the process to take a more complete, insightful view of who they are and what they are meant to do. (iStock)
What we need is a paradigm shift, to move from thinking purely about our role and industry and instead focus on our God-given abilities. The world needs those gifts. And when you find a job that lets you use them, you might just look back and see the layoff not as a curse but as a blessing.
