Rebuild & Refocus: Navigating Career Uncertainty in 2025 | Kenston Henderson, CSP

Hey, great people. Kenston Henderson CSP EPIC Experiences Guaranteed. Listen, I'm so pumped. I'm so excited. I'm also so honored to be here with you, to be able to share some experiences, to be share some of my story, to be able to share some tools that will help you navigate through the unknown, navigate just in new territories. And I hope that this this message encourages you, um, as I'm going to be gifting you with a lot of tools and strategies, things that, um, helped me, and I'm going to be equipping you. And so if you're watching this video right now, chances are you're— you've either, either been laid off, your job may have been eliminated, or you're stuck in a workplace that is slowly draining the life out of you. Okay, that's who I'm specifically talking to. So that's you, stay on. If not, you just want to listen to encourage other people that either they've been laid off, their job was eliminated, or they're just stuck in a workplace that is just, uh, that is just draining them. This is for you. I just need you to know that you are not alone. I'm gonna say it again, you are not alone. And more importantly, you are not finished. There's more for you yet. And so over my 20 years in HR, I've been in some tough environments. I've been in rooms where decisions were made that changed lives. I've also experienced the uncertainty myself, wondering if I would be next without a job. Okay. And so this is hence why I'm doing this video, because I know what it feels like. It looks like to be in a storm as it relates to employment. And I also know there's a way forward. Right. And whether you're in the job and if it is draining, there's some things that you can do to weather the storm. Okay. But I know at the end of the day, ultimately, if it is taking your peace, if it was stressing you out, like at one time in my life, I was getting injections in my scalp. I'm talking about direct injections into my scalp because my hair— I was losing my hair. The doctors didn't know what to do, so they said, get these hair treatments. No. As soon as I left that job, my hair grew back without any treatments. So I want to encourage you that if it's getting to the point where it's messing with your peace, it's messing with your joy, it's messing with your family, your friends, your loved ones, like, we got to put some work in. And so hopefully get something to write with because I'm going to be giving you some clear action steps that you can take even now. I'm going to be giving you 3 action steps that you can take to navigate through the storm while you're in the storm so that way you come out still on the winning side. And I'm going to start off by saying, repeat after me, I can. I will. I must get through this. Say it again. I can. I will. I must get through this. You will get through this. But I always say it's going to take you to do it. And I'm a firm believer of a quote that I came up with that I use in everything that I do is information without activation is just simply a waste of time. So don't just sit on this information that I'm going to be sharing with you, but be ready to take action. Okay. You may need to push pause, but I need you to take some action on these 3 points that I want to call out for you. So the first point is, hey, when you're in one of these situations, you need— and this is even if you're not in this situation— you need to refresh your resume. Refresh your resume. And your LinkedIn profile. You should always have those two things ready, updated, just in case. Okay, um, why your resume? Because it takes a while to get those looking good. Okay, so you always want to stay on top of it, um, just to make sure that it looks good. Okay, this is, you know, resumes are your first impression. Okay, LinkedIn is your first impression of recruiters that may be looking for someone like you. And if your information is not updated, then they will quickly pass you by. Okay. So as it relates to LinkedIn, LinkedIn is like the business social media platform that I believe every person who is in a profession needs to reside, right? Do you know that there's so many groups that's related to your profession on LinkedIn? Like there's tons and tons of people on there. So, um, it needs to reflect who you are. It needs to reflect how incredible, how amazing that you are, the great work that you've done over the years. That's what needs to be on your resume and on LinkedIn. So I'll talk about these two simultaneously. All right. So some key tips are start with a strong summary, one that tells your story not just a list of duties. Highlight your strengths, your values, and what you brought to your team or what you bring to a team. Right. State those things out. They can be in bullet points, but make sure you're, you're really highlighting the strengths, your values, and what you bring to your team or to a team. Ditch outdated objectives like seeking a challenging position and replace them with a brand statement like passion about leading people, centered change in fast-paced environments. Those are real actionable things that add value. Okay. People want to know that you are adding value to where you currently are or where you have been in the past and what you even desire to do in the future. So make those statements strong. Add measurable results whenever possible. Again, people love seeing statistics. If you helped save a company millions or even thousands of dollars because of a process that you created, you want to highlight those things on your resume and on LinkedIn. OK, on LinkedIn, don't just copy and paste your resume. OK. Don't do it. Use your About section on LinkedIn to share your why, what drives you, who you help, and how you create impact. I say that again. In your About section on LinkedIn, share your why, what drives you, who are you helping, and how you create impact. Because if you can show those things, and make them clear, then you're going to start to get noticed on LinkedIn. Your resume is going to start getting noticed by recruiters. OK, now don't sleep on the power of your headline. OK, it doesn't have to be your job title. It should be— it should speak to your expertise. So, for example, I am a professional speaker. So I'll have something like a cultural transformation keynote speaker. So as soon as people get on my page, they know cultural transformation, keynote speaker, winning conversations enthusiast. Those are things that are sticking out to the people who are coming to my page to see what I'm all about. Okay, you can do it too. Okay. Another example could be team culture builder. Or inclusion advocate or leadership facilitator, whatever your title— you want your title to be, make it that. All right. Lastly, for LinkedIn, ask for recommendations from the people that you're currently working, working at the organization, working at past organizations you worked at. Because here's the thing, we can say we're the best candidates for anything., but it's nothing like somebody else saying it on your behalf. So ask somebody. There's a, there's a button on there that says ask for recommendations. And then while you're at it, give a couple recommendations to people who may be in a similar spot as you, or just because you had a great experience with them. So give them a recommendation. All right. So vouch for other people's work. They'll vouch for yours, and that's going to align. It's going to make your LinkedIn strategy, LinkedIn profile really great. If you need some more assistance with that, you know where to go. Follow me for more information. All right. The second thing, let's talk about transferable skills. Okay. Skills you already have, the ones that might not be on paper,, but they are gold in the workplace. Okay, you got to think about what are those transferable skills that you have. Think about this. Have you ever led a volunteer team? Have you ever solved problems on the fly, like out of nowhere? You— or you were listening to another conversation and you're like, ooh, I have a solution. And then you help them bring a solution. Okay. Have you ever trained higher new hires, even if it wasn't your job? Have you ever volunteered in different roles that wasn't necessarily your role and it had a positive impact? Those are transferable skills. Some transferable skills are, are you great with communication? How are you in leadership? Are you a good problem solver? Do you have project management experience? Are you— do you easily collaborate with others who are different from you? Are you— can you— are you adaptable? Right. How well do you do with change? Right. How well do you adapt? How agile are you? OK, how flexible are you when things arise? Like even in this moment, you may be feeling some type of way, but what is your mindset like? I know mindset, it's a transferable skill because you'll be able to face everything and rise instead of face everything and run. Okay, I'm gonna say it again. The mindset is crucial, especially during these moments of turmoil, especially in these moments of you're in the storm, right? Because it's hard to see your way out. But if you can get the mindset of I'm going to face everything and rise, then you're going to move forward and you're going to hone in on these transferable skills. So, for example, I believe strongly that everybody should have the, the, the skill of public speaking. Mm. Yeah, I said it. You probably like Kenston Henderson CSP EPIC Experiences. I don't like talking in front. I believe that everybody should have the skill of public speaking. Because in that skill you're able to convey your message. You're able to lead even better when you speak up. Okay. When you're able to speak well. And so communication is key. To be clear is to be what? Kind. Okay. Leadership is everything. More than now, more than ever, we need leaders who know how to lead well. I'm not talking about the authoritative style either. Okay. There's so many different styles of leadership. You got to find what leadership styles work for you. I know there's not one, not one that fits all leadership style. Okay. You need to be able to lead in different ways because people, every person is different. Every person is unique. So having those skills, those transferable skills are, you know, credible, incredible. You'll be surprised how many skills you've developed in non-traditional roles, whether it's in the community or at a church or even at home, that employers are really looking for. But you just got to call those things for, you know, spend a few minutes, you know, if you need to push pause now to think about what are my transferable skills. Okay. And here's the thing. Don't stay stuck. If you're thinking about it and trying to think about it, you just like, Kenston, I just don't, I can't think of anything. You now have tools and resources that you need to tap into. One of the tools is more than now in the 21st century is ChatGPT. Okay, don't stay stuck. Yeah, I mean, you got ChatGPT, you got all the other AI, Gemini, all those other resources that you can put your resume into and then talk about the other things that you've done and say, hey, pull out all the transferable skills from this and it will spit it all out. Okay. It takes less— it'll spit it out in 20 seconds or less. All you have to do is upload the document in there and it will do the rest for you. So don't stay stuck in this part. Take action like right now. All right, moving on. Part 3. The third thing is how to navigate uncertainty. Now, I told you that, you know, fear— what I live by now is face everything and rise. Because if I, if I live in fear and stay in fear, the negative part of it, then I won't take any action. I won't move forward. I will get in my bed, pull the sheets over my head and just sit there. But here's the thing. If that's you, wink, we don't have time for that. Okay. Excuse my French. We do not have time for that. You are getting up and you are going to move forward. Why? Because you're going to face everything and rise. And this is— I think it's a perfect time to give you my definition of the game changer mindset. Okay. The game changer mindset It's the thing I say again on stages all over the world where I equip these leaders and equip people all over the world with. A game changer is someone that significantly impacts a situation, a circumstance, and raises the level of skill and awareness in themselves and then in the people around them. Right. It's super crucial that you take on this game changer mindset so that way you can navigate where you currently are in a way that is going to probably shock yourself first, but then it's going to shock other people because they're not expecting you to be able to navigate like this. Let's just say you're in a toxic environment right now where you don't even know what's going to take place. You don't know what's going to happen. And you come in there with a face everything and rise mentality. You're going to become curious. Okay, you're going to become curious first because you're going to be asking questions. Okay, why am I feeling the way I'm feeling? Okay, you're going to start exploring. Okay, okay, what can I do to continue to make an impact, to still be seen as valuable? Okay, you're going to be thinking in a new way. How can I change the game while I'm in this storm? Go ahead and just answer that question. Push pause and answer the question. How can I change the game while I'm in this storm? What can I do? What little bit can I do to make a shift in how I show up? You see, I was, you know, I was at a job, former job, where people were getting let go. And we were in a meeting and someone asked, you know, Kenston Henderson CSP EPIC Experiences, you know, you know, you look like you don't want to be here. What? I look like I don't want to be here. Yeah, that's what they said to me. And I was like, wow, they couldn't even ask me how I was doing. They asked, you know, you look like you don't want to be here. That's triggering. So if you're watching this and you're a manager and you say that to somebody, check your thoughts, okay? Because here's the thing. If people are getting let go left and right and you ask a person, they don't look like they want to be here. Or do you truly want them to be there, number one? Or are you truly concerned about their well-being? You got to, you got to, you got to answer that question. But anyways, how I worked through that situation was, again, having the Game Changer mindset. And I asked a question of curiosity. I said, well, there's, there's people leaving left and right, or not leaving, being let go left and right. Um, I'm just— I don't know when it's my time. So, um, can you help me figure that out? Can you help me navigate through this terrain, through this storm? But I understood that leaders, that managers, um, their objective was, was really not to help navigate. It was to help me make a decision. And so if that's you, you got to recognize, is that person helping you or being harmful in trying to push you out? And then you know how to navigate. Sooner you can— if you can obtain that information, the better you'll be able to navigate it. All right, so Navigating uncertainty. Final point. Let's keep it real. Uncertainty, uncertainty can feel like a storm with no visibility, no GPS, no clue which direction is forward. But this is where the game-changing mindset meets the movement. You can't control the layoffs. You can't control toxic bosses. You can't control how you show up. I'll say it again. You can't control layoffs. You can't control toxic bosses, but you can— I say it now— you can control how you show up with what you feed your mind and who you surround yourself with. Before you step into the workplace, on the way to work, what are you feeding your mind? Is it positive things? I know for me it was, it was always positive music. It was podcasts, most motivation, inspiration podcasts. I did that before I went to work and I did it before I went to sleep. Right. Prayer, podcast reflections, music. Music is powerful for me. Find you a playlist or put you together a playlist that will motivate you, will motivate your mind, motivate your heart, your spirit. So that way you can go in with a clear mind, a working mind, a positive mind to get through the day. And you may need to turn on that playlist during the day. Or on lunch or during a break, but do what you need to do while navigating through this storm. Who, who's the people that is in your corner? Are they speaking negatively or positively? Right. There's nothing wrong with keeping it real, but there is such thing as keeping it real gone wrong. Okay. It may be too much. Limit the people that is speaking into you, especially if it is negative, because all that is going to do is add stress to you. All right. I think you got the point. Okay. This, this is the season to double down on growth. You hear me? You can grow while you're in the storm. For example, if you have access to or if you don't, get access to a library card. The library, your local library has resources, so many different resources to help you to navigate through the storms, whether it's resume building, whether it's learning AI, whether it's learning just different skill sets, communication, public speaking. Hey, if you want to enroll in my public speaking boot camp, come on. I'm here for you. It's not free though, but I'm just saying. Take— there's so many free courses out there. Check them out. And again, if you have a library card, I know our library here has so many resources. Join a networking event. Go to networking events. Yes. And you're like, Kenston, I'm an introvert. Hey, but listen, if you are trying to get a promotion, if you are trying to get to another job, networking is key. It's not what you know, it's who you know. What you know will carry you once you get there. I got that from a good one of my, one of my, my ladder, my old mentors. Who you know will help you get to your next role. What you know will help you sustain it. All right. Speak life over yourself daily. You hear me? I'll say it again. Speak life over yourself daily. Speak life over yourself daily. This situation will get better. I will overcome this storm. I will get through this. Like, you're gonna have to punch that negative talk, self-talk, in the face with something positive. So punch it in the face. With something positive, two things positive. If something negative pops up in your brain, you got to give it two positive things to push it out. Because yes, I know you're in the storm right now, but realize the more, the better you talk to yourself, the more you feed your mind with positive things, the more you, you, you read, you're going to get through it. It's not— it's just win, right? You just think about win. But why not start winning through the storm? Remind yourself that you still have purpose. You still have value. The storm won't last forever. Again, remind yourself, encourage yourself. If you're a leader, you're a manager, and you're in this storm too, do this for you, but do this for the people that you are serving, that you are leading, that you're managing, because they need this. But here's the thing, they can't get filled from an empty cup. That's you as the leader, as the manager. So you got to get filled and fueled up with the things that are going to help you continue to lead well. And then manage well, then it's going to work out for your good. Okay. The storm's not going to last always. I said again, the storm is not going to last always. Refuse to let this be your ending. Go ahead and repeat after me. I can. I will. I must refuse to let this, this moment, this experience, this season be the ending. Right now it's just a redirection, but I don't want you to lose yourself. I don't want you to lose your mind. I don't want you to lose the value, the impact that you provide, that you bring each and every day. You're amazing. You're incredible. So refuse to let this time and at this time be your ending. So let me leave you with this. You will get through this. You're not broken. You're being rebuilt. You realize you are building your resilience muscle. You're building your resilience. Go ahead and tell yourself that I am rebuilding my resilience muscle. I am building my resilience muscle. I am building. I am becoming stronger because now this is going to be a part of your story. It's going to be a part of the chapter in your book that you're writing for your life that says you're going to be able to say to your, your, your children, you'll be able to say to your spouse, you're going to be able to say to your friends, look, if I made it, you're going to make it too. And this is how I made it. So, hey, take something from me and use it so that way you can keep running and keep writing your story. This is your time to refresh, realign, refocus, and rise all while during the storm. If this helped, if this was helpful for you, share it with someone. And remember, if you're doing life alone, you're doing it all wrong. I'll say it again: if you're doing life alone, you're doing it all wrong. I'm just Kenston Henderson, your brother from another mother, just trying to help you navigate while you're in this storm. So go ahead, even right now, as a sign of you're in alignment, that say bye-bye, storm. Bye, storm. Or say hello, storm. I see you. I see you. You're all around me. You're all in my face. But you won't be too long. You won't be here too long. So don't get comfortable because I'm changing the game by changing my mindset. I'm taking action on the things that I've heard, and I will get through this. Now, like I always say, you can do it, but it's up to you to do it. You can change the game, but it's going to take you to do it. Peace and blessings, y'all.