Surviving a reorg: Thriving in the zone of opportunity

If you work in corporate, you’ve likely seen numerous reorganizations or even been impacted by one yourself. Given recent downsizing in tech, authors have rightfully written about recovering from a layoff. But I’d like to share more about something I’ve not seen many people write about yet: Thriving after an organizational change has put you in a new role and the accompanying zone of opportunity to make choices about your life.

Especially when others lose their jobs, working at a company after a reorg can bring up many strong emotions. Even when everyone keeps their job, you might still experience some combination of contradictory feelings like powerlessness, excitement, dread, hope, and more. After all, you’re going through an identity shift—from manager to individual contributor, one job function to another, or doing your same role with different people.

In all these cases, you’re facing the challenge of acting in a new way at a time when the org change has upended everyone’s sense of the right way of acting. Based on work with coaching clients, research in career development, and my own experiences, here are some initial thoughts on the zone of opportunity after a reorg:?

1. Ground yourself in support from people outside of work

By no means am I saying you cannot get support from trusted colleagues. At the same time, your family, friends and acquaintances can support you in ways that are distinct from your colleagues. In the uncertainty after a reorg, I’ve seen clients double down on work only to quickly burn through whatever limited energy they have left. Those who’ve thrived after org changes instead stay grounded in and energized by their multiple roles and passions in life—as partners, parents, pickleball players, amateur musicians, or volunteers.?

In your role as an employee, be especially discerning in whether, what, and how you express yourself. I’ve personally experienced the sting of accepting a senior leader’s support during a reorg, only to have them turn around and violate my trust by rebuffing me as overly emotional. If only I had heeded psychologist Susan David’s words that, “Feelings are data—not directives.” Do not misinterpret your own strong feelings as a directive to share your personal truth with others who are not prepared to hear. Practice discernment.

2. Open yourself to learning by “trying on” your new role

As quickly as you’re able, take small but meaningful actions that help you experience doing your new job in the new structure for the long term.

This is harder than it sounds. Because the reality of your new job will be different from your most informed mental predictions. (That’s always how it goes, isn’t it?)

In a relevant talk about “mind debugs,” coach Tom Chi notes that, “knowing is the enemy of learning.” That is, when we think we already know something, our stories and assumptions get in the way of unrealized growth and potential.

To clear out loaded stories and assumptions about present circumstances, I often work with clients on experiments that test or disprove their hypotheses, labels, and stories. In the case of being in a new org structure, experimentation to “try on” the role can include:?

• talking to peers who’ve done a similar role, reading their documentation, or having relational 1:1s with new collaborators
• aligning with your manager on “quick wins” to rapidly build trust
• fast-tracking a meaningful-yet-doable project to get external feedback on existing strengths and how you can be even better
• a coaching conversation focused on potentially exciting areas of learning if you take on the role wholeheartedly?

3. Find the power of choice in your zone of opportunity

Some readers will recognize that they’ve tried some or all of these strategies and resettled after a reorg with great success. By the way, “success” includes trying the role, realizing you can live with it, and sticking with the new job because you need income and benefits. Even in the absence of a how-to guide, the amazing people I coach and work with are resourceful and resilient precisely because they have full lives they need to support.

But for other readers, the real “zone of opportunity” may turn out to be in finding a role on a different team or in a different company entirely. If you’re languishing or suffering after an org change, let this be a reminder that you can take small steps today to find a new opportunity to learn, grow professionally, and make the money you need to live. Contact that colleague who energized you; respond to the recruiter outreach; or reach out to a coach to explore a new job (or entirely different career direction).?

Whatever you do, remember that you have power and choice!!