“Always look on the bright side of life…”
Monthy Python had that one right – however bad things might be looking, that lucky break might be just around the corner. Don’t believe us? We’ll be looking at some celebrity examples all this month…
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Famous Firings
Being let go from your job is never going to be an easy pill to swallow (unless of course you just won the Lotto and you’re being fired because you told the boss what you really thought of him/her…). However, when it comes to picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and getting back out there – it’s some small consolation to know that it’s something that’s happening to the great and the good, and men and women who have gone on to reach extraordinary heights. Don’t believe us? Check out these examples.
Steve Jobs
At 30 years of age Steve Jobs was fired from the company he co-created at 21. After his Macintosh computer debuted to rave reviews but disappointing sales in 1984, his relationship with company bosses was strained. At the time Jobs was also hit by complaints from his team about the demands placed on them. A board meeting the following year saw the board side with the CEO and they removed Jobs from his role. In 1996, however, Jobs returned to Apple and was named CEO one year later, leading the company to its position as one of the most successful on the planet. Oh, and in the years in between? He launched Pixar Animation Studios.
Walt Disney
Back in 1919, a young Mr. Walter Elias Disney was fired from his position at the Kansas City Star newspaper. In a barely believable turn, he was told by his editor at the time that he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas”. Success was still a while off for the young man though, his next venture was an animation studio called Laugh-O-Gram, which went bankrupt before Disney hit 21 years of age. Still armed with a dream, Walt set off for Hollywood and began to make cartoons. The rest, as they say, is history. Years later the Walt Disney company bought ABC, which owned, among many other papers, the Kansas City Star.
Anna Wintour
Her opinion alone can make or break a designer, and the Miranda Priestly character in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ is widely believed to be based on her – but Anna Wintour wasn’t always a top dog in fashion. The Vogue editor started her career in New York working as a junior fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar. She was fired after only nine months, with editor Tony Mazalla branding her too ‘edgy’. Wintour has since said that it was a great experience and speaking to fashion students she told them; ‘I recommend that you all get fired.” It doesn’t seem to have done her any harm…
The Bright Side with Kellogg’s Special K – What will you gain?
