3 Things You Should Do at Work When You’re Dealing with Major Transition

Change and transition is something that we will all deal with. This may be a shift at work or in your personal life and relationships. Sometimes the change is unexpected and hits us at (what we believe) is the worst possible time. Other times, a change is something that is instigated by you but might still be an uncomfortable process. How do you come out on the other side of one of these situations without sacrificing who you are and how you’ve operated through the transition? It’s something we’ve been discussing on the 4word blog and podcast, so I wanted to share some thoughts here, too!

I’ve dealt with many transitions over my career. Some good, some bad, some surprises, and some that I knew were going to happen. The key for me to getting through these transitions was the reaction of the company and my boss.

When you’re going through a major change or transition — at work or elsewhere — it’s vital that you we do these three things: 

• Be honest about what is going on. - Obviously, only share the details that will help those you work with understand what additional stress you are dealing with at that time. If it is appropriate to share the entire situation, go for it!
• Ask for what you need. - Whether it’s time off, extra support with a project or client, or maybe just a few more minutes at lunch each day, be open with your team or boss about what you need to manage your transition or change. Continuing like nothing is going on is rarely the best route to go. 
• Before the transition and after, be that amazing employee that you were before the transition. - Consistency is a sign of a truly strong and resilient person. Depending on the severity of your situation, you will need to take time to breathe and adjust. Taking that time is important, but once you are back at work full time take steps back to ensure your employer is getting quality work from you again.

I wanted to share some examples of transitions in my life to encourage you, if you are going through something similar. I am still here! My changes and transitions were not always pleasant, but their occurrences lead me to where I am today.

When I look back on my life, I went through seven major transitions. My companies reacted as follows, as I went through the three steps I recommended above:

1985 – I was looking for a job while having received a deferred admission in two years to Harvard Business School. I was totally honest in the interview process...and most companies were not interested in me. IBM, however, realized this was an opportunity and offered me a job at a division’s headquarters and gave me three experiences in two years. I still have a loyalty today to people from IBM and to the company.

1988 - When I got pregnant one month after starting my job at Trammell Crow Company , I was very nervous about going to my boss, George Lippe, Managing Partner of the Tulsa office, but I wanted to have him hear the news from me first. His reply back was, “Congratulations! You told me you were planning to start a family. You work fast!” He supported me through my pregnancy.

Trammell Crow Company’s leaders supported me through four major transition. I stayed at Trammell Crow Company for 21 years and was the first and only woman on the Global Executive team when Trammell Crow Company sold to CBRE.

1995 - Seven years later, I filed for divorce. On the day I filed, I went to George Lippe again. When I told George, he said, “I am so sorry. You have given your all to the company these past seven years. You need to take time to get yourself and your three and five-year-olds through this tough time. Take the time you need. We are here to support you.” 

My mentor, Don Williams was the CEO of Trammell Crow Company at that time. He offered me and my two children and my parents his home in Park Cities, to ski over a long weekend in order to “refresh” during this hard time. What an amazing gesture!

2001 – I got remarried and my family became a mother of a blended family of four kids. This transition didn’t have any effect on work. I was blessed! I was getting married to one of my HBS classmates, Chris Paddison, who understood raising kids while having a busy career as he was a single Dad with custody of his two young children. 

2005 - While I was still at Trammell Crow Company, my son — a senior in high school — made some poor choices and spent two different nights in jail over a two year period of time. He decided coming to live with Mom was the right thing to do to get through high school. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that I would be delivering “tough love” and he would be in “Mommy jail.” I went to my boss, Mike Lafitte, the president of the company at the time, and told him we had two choices because my son was my first priority. I could either leave the company or leave work every day at 2:30 and basically be my son’s jailer from school, to work, to home. Mike replied, “Diane, I know you will get your work done and work whenever it is possible. Take care of your son.” As you would suspect, Mike is still one of my dearest friends today, as are Don Williams and George Lippe, and all three are still supporting me in my work, today inspiring and encouraging women in the workplace through www.4wordwomen.org.

2008 – I was really starting to feel “called” to what I knew was my God-given purpose and thought that I would leave the 24x7 corporate world to start the not-for-profit I mentioned above within three years. One of my HBS classmates, now deceased, Jeff Schwartz, came to me with a job offer in January of 2008, after Trammell Crow Company had sold to ProLogis CBRE. I loved my work with CBRE at the time, as they had given me the opportunity to merge the global corporate outsourcing businesses with our current clients of CBRE and Trammell Crow Company starting on January of 2007.

After eighteen months in that job, I was starting to “get the itch” and saw a handful of people ahead of me and didn’t see where my next role for the company would be. In April, Jeff came back to me with a very sweet offer that I couldn’t refuse. I went into Mike and said, “I am giving you my letter of resignation. I am not here to negotiate. I wouldn’t do that to you. I have my successor ready, Jim Wilson.” Mike said he was shocked. I had worked just as hard the day before as I ever had worked, so he had no idea. 

Unfortunately, my arrival at ProLogis was the beginning of the plummet in the stock price due to the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008. I was working from Dallas and serving as the Global COO for a company headquartered in Denver that was fighting to survive. It wasn’t working, so eight months after my arrival the new CEO, Walt Rakovich (still a friend today), decided it wasn’t working, and I left the company quietly.

2014 – From February of 2009 to May of 2010, I went through humbling times. I wasn’t defined by my business card anymore; however, I grew to know who I was, why I was here, and started to pursue my purpose on earth: to help women reach their God-given potential with confidence and be a source to Christ’s love to people in all parts of their lives.

I went to work as a consultant. I was called the Chief Strategy Officer of Cassidy Turley. I joined two corporate boards and four not-for-profit boards, two being the Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board and the Harvard Business School Christian Fellowship’s Alumni Association Board. I also published “Work, Love, Pray” and launched 4word in 2011. 

When 4word exploded, I knew my heart wasn’t in my work at Cassidy Turley, so in the summer of 2014, I left my consulting work to lead my not-for-profit full time. Little did I know that God had a plan, as my daughter Annie was struck with a debilitating nerve condition in the fall of 2014. I have been able to run my not-for-profit out of my home, while being able to be close to my daughter. 

In each transition, I was honest about what I was dealing with and asked for what I needed, and whenever I could be, I was at full throttle. The leaders of Trammell Crow Company and CBRE gave me grace, during these transitions. These companies gained my loyalty.

What are some major transitions you have gone through? Are you going through one now? I hope you’re able to use the three recommendations I mentioned at the beginning of the article to help you through times of transition. Know that you are going through this change or transition for a reason and you will likely look back, as I can, with humbled reflection, and understand why.

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