When change is inevitable, true grit surfaces – In appreciation of the unsung heroes and heroines who did not roll over and play dead

In this day and age where organizational change is constant, employees have to be agile and be ready to act quickly and pivot in the direction that the company charges forward. To be able to do this constantly and consistently will take a toll on anyone. Hence, the term change fatigue was coined. Browsing through Wikipedia, “change fatigue is a general sense of apathy or passive resignation towards organizational changes by individuals or teams. Organizational change efforts are all too often unfocused, uninspired and unsuccessful. Research shows, 70 percent of transformation efforts fail, often caused by change fatigue.” Nick Morgan in the Harvard Business School article “Do you have Change Fatigue?”, cited that most successful changes are not top down broad stroke changes. A glance at Glassdoor on various companies which have gone through changes this year, adjectives found from the negative reviews were "confusing”, “no drive”, “complex”, “senseless”, “politicking” etc. Morgan found that successful changes were those initiated by the ground where the people found value and wanted it. Top-down change can be successful if the management continually communicates the change message. Morgan suggested at least 6 times or it will not get heard. Management also needs to support the simplification of processes to support the said changes. Moreover, management has to take on resistors. When change is done right, positive reviewers from Glassdoor posted – “lean”, “supportive manager”, “many opportunities”, “good exposure”.

All too often we have had changes thrust upon us. During my networking sessions, I have had many people approach me telling me of the ambiguity they are dealing with, the sleepiness nights that plague them, the sense of dread that surrounds them. A few shared of the unease they feel not for themselves but altruistically for their friends who are sole breadwinners and who will become financially worse off if they do not have a job. When will you know you have a role available for you after the reorganization? Being patient while still maintaining excellence in your current work will take so much out of you. Yet, professionals will not let their work reputation suffer in spite of these uncertainties. I have even heard of an executive who did hand over from early in the morning until late in the evening on his last day of work. That dedication is something to be admired. In all honesty, how would you feel when you are told that you no longer have a role in the company, a company in which you have given your all what with the late night calls and the sacrificed weekends? Bitterness, shocked, anger? It is believed that one would go through the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) to deal with this shock.

I have the good fortune to witness the tenacity of professionals from many organizations who have gone through major reorganizations. Hence, I am listing the positive reframes that I have seen these resilient professionals act upon to get out of their funk.

Ready cash - Make sure that you have a least 3 to 6 months of pay set aside. This should take care of your most immediate financial needs if you do not have a regular income. While making their mortgages, children’s education, living expenses and insurance payments were a part of their worry, these professionals had already put some money aside for emergencies.

Reach out - Share your concerns with your colleagues who are probably in the same boat. Have a chat with the management or Human Resources to see if they are able to share the latest organizational update with you. Well placed executives who have not been issued non-disclosure agreements are able to piece things together quite accurately and will be at liberty to share insights with you.

Resume - Even if it is beyond your control and you are still tense from not knowing whether you are one of the named, update your resume. This will give you some semblance of control. Listing your achievements will make you feel so proud of yourself, wouldn’t it?

Review - This is the time take stock of what you have done versus what you want to do. Do a gap analysis and map out how you want to bridge the gap. You can talk to the people who are already in the role that you want to do, read up on the pros and cons of the role. Do reach out to executive search professionals too. I have seen a lady executive pick herself up within a week of being let go and was systemically hitting the streets talking to headhunters.

Reskill - Once you have ascertained where you want to be headed, you can reskill yourself through elearning, going back to school or networking in the identified industry. I know of a learning and development executive start her own thriving business, supporting herself and her family independently beyond her own expectations. A male executive changed careers and went on to become a trained teacher. Another senior executive went back to school to gain more knowledge in his area of expertise. A person went from being an IT high flyer to become an award-winning visual artist.

Relax - You got to where you were through your own capabilities. Recognize yourself for it. Given adequate cash flow, go for a break if you had kept yourself in the rat race all these while. You deserve it!

Reenter the market - Sometimes, doing what you currently are best at will be the most viable option. Go for temporary roles while you continue to interview for a permanent role. I know many people who took some time to find their next position. The positive to this is that they ended up being better paid and in a better establishment compared to their previous organisation.

Rock and Roll - If you get to remain in the new organisation, you may have additional responsibilities or may have to take on new role and may have to report to a new manager. Take heed that you are still in a familiar organisation with people you know and have worked before. Essentially, you are still in the same organisational culture. So do be prepared to perform to the best of your ability.

This article is written in appreciation of all the unsung heros and heroines whom I have seen react positively when organizational changes affected them. I sincerely hope that folks who are going through an unsettling period of organizational change take solace in the fact that change can effect positive outcomes. It is how we react to the change that would determine how successfully we can reposition the next career move. Go ahead and design your own silver lining in the cloud!