At 52, Ken Sher thought he could see retirement ahead of him.

Then he got laid off.

25 years at Johnson & Johnson.

Two kids in college.

One in high school.

And suddenly the story he had been telling himself about the future… was gone.

What hit me hardest in our recent podcast episode wasn’t just the career loss.

It was Ken’s honesty.

He openly shared that the experience was devastating.

That he needed help.

That he worked with a therapist to get through it.

That kind of vulnerability matters.

Because too many leaders tie their identity so tightly to their title that when the title disappears… they feel like they disappear too.

But Ken didn’t stay there.

He rebuilt.

He landed three more jobs in his 50s.

Then turned that pain into purpose by helping others navigate leadership, career transition, and trust.

And he shared one insight that every leader needs to hear:

You should be building your next roof before the current one starts leaking.

In other words:

-Don’t wait until the layoff to build your network

-Don’t wait until the crisis to build trust

-Don’t wait until the transition to think about what’s next

One of the most powerful parts of the conversation was Ken’s framework around trust:

-Transparency.
-Results.
-Understanding.
-Simplicity.
-Teams.

That’s not fluff.
That’s leadership.

You’ll want to hear this one.

Check out the episode HERE.