Keep your integrity when you are let go

It is important for me to know that my time in an organization left it better than I found it.  Not only do we work for money, we also go to work every day to make a valuable contribution.  When they tell you that they do not want your contribution anymore to their company, it hurts, and feels personal, no matter how they term it.  That is unavoidable, you cannot control how you feel about something. 
There are so many things out of our control, but our behaviors are well within our control.  How we respond is the only thing we can control in this life, so react in such a way as to save your integrity.  I have tried, throughout this ordeal, to conduct myself in such a way that I am remembered in a positive light.  If I do something now to bring disfavor upon myself, I will be remembered for that and not for all the good I have contributed to this organization.  So I have carefully deleted only my personal files, being careful not to delete anything that belongs to the company.  Here is a tip for you:  Anything you created for the company during your employment with them belongs to them, not to you.  I was diligent these last few weeks to make sure and finish any unfinished business for my department that needed to be done.  I have given my opinion about what I think should happen, even knowing that my opinion was probably not going to matter anymore.  I am careful in my exit this week to take from my desk only what is mine, that I purchased with my own money during the course of the 12 years here.  I am trying hard to keep relationships intact as I leave and to help those around me accept their own grief and begin to work through it.
The organization, itself, does not matter.  It is not alive and it does not care.  What makes a truly great organization is the people inside of it.  Everyone from the top to the bottom play a part in keeping an organization viable and strong.  I am taking the people with me, in my heart at least!  Being laid off or having your position eliminated, or even being walked out the door, cannot erase all the great memories I have, nor all the growth I have had.  I take who I am with me when I leave tomorrow, and I take hundreds of people that I would not have had the opportunity to know without this experience.  I will always cherish the relationships I have established and always appreciate the skills and growth I have acquired.  Leaving tomorrow will not erase those things.
So be careful and thoughtful when you exit an organization.  Even if you feel anger or resentment, leave it better than you found it so you will be remembered for the good you brought and keep your relationships intact!