The first and most important thing is to maintain a positive attitude. Know that there are many success stories out there. Many persons that hold senior level executive jobs in some of the world's largest organizations today have, at some point in their career, faced uncertainty. The uncertainty is not just in the form of looming or actual termination but also in a stalled career and missed promotions. You can get back on track and what is required is to have an elaborate plan.
Next, you must seek to identify the root cause. How did you get to the negative position you are? It could have been due to a continual clash of opinion with colleagues that developed a negative perception of your capability to function within a team environment. Maybe, there was a perception that you were not pulling your weight on tasks assigned to you. Alternatively, you may have across as overly domineering which a common accusation is made towards person holding management jobs. Another possibility is that your skill set may have become redundant over time.
The bottom line is that you must look at what happened and use this information to chart a path to recovery within either the same organization (if you still work there), a different institution or even going into private business. Understanding what happened will be important if you choose to take either one of the three paths. Sometimes the problem may require some form of counseling or in extreme cases, therapy. There are organizations that have this as part of their performance management and behavioral correction path before showing holders of director jobs the door. Some may consider it embarrassing but an institution that goes to this extent of salvaging behavior that is not in tandem with its ethos is commendable.
In the unfortunate event that you were forced to leave the organization, you might opt to take time off the market to re-strategize. Obviously, during this time, you may require to have a temporary means of income that would ensure you do not struggle with meeting the basic day-to-day expenses. You may want to upgrade your professional skills by attending appropriate courses. In fact, this could be the time you can re-evaluate your interests to establish whether what you were doing is something that interests you. Invest in knowledge that would place you in better stead for the industry that most interests you. If you are called in for an interview, do not try and hide the circumstances that led to your termination or resignation at your previous employer. Be forthright but be careful not to appear to cast your past boss in negative light, as this would invariably be viewed in bad taste. Seek to mend fences with your previous boss. Their recommendation or lack thereof could cost you that next job. In any case, that is the minimum persons aiming for director jobs are expected to do.
