2- Listen, but recognize that you are not required to respond
Consider the following scenario, which occurred to a friend of mine: today is your last day of employment with your current employer. You’ve chosen to set out on your own and establish a new business after a few years of collecting much-needed skills and experience. When you finish your final comments, a coworker you hardly know pulls you aside and says, “Take it from me. You’ll run out of employment someday.” She argues this based on her personal experiences trying to go it alone. She was fortunate to meet a devoted customer who provided her with a slew of projects to keep her busy. Nevertheless, one day there was nothing, resulting in a significant financial strain.
Although this occurred some decades ago, my friend recalls it vividly since it seemed like the worst thing anyone could say to him at the time. After all, quitting a career and leaving your respected coworkers and supervisors behind to try to make it on your own can be frightening. But he simply nodded, not allowing it to affect him. In reality, he discovered a lesson in all of this, which was to establish a big, consistent client base rather than rely on a single customer. This is certainly a more challenging path, but it enhances the likelihood of success.
