My Year of 6 Bosses: Surviving Organizational Change

I had 6 bosses in 2014, and I’m still at the same company, sitting in the same desk.

#1 had been my leader for 3 years when she told me that my team was being moved under #2, who left the company two months later. #3 created a role for me, then helped me move to a new team under the freshly hired #4, who then decided to hire #5, who decided I fit best under the leadership of #6.

Each leader brought his or her own personality, style, and goals for the team. As I tried to adapt and adjust, I sometimes felt like a raft being tossed about at sea.

Change is part of corporate life, and it’s not new to me. I've been the leader drafting the new org chart. I’ve written emails explaining organizational changes. I've been surprised by HR and shuttled into the conference room with the people who get to keep their jobs, and I've been taken to the other conference room and handed a severance package. This year's changes, in the grand scheme, are not that significant. I still sit in the same office. I work with many of the same colleagues. I didn't bother ordering new business cards.

But I’ll be honest: It was hard. As I look back, I'm trying what I consider the best approach for difficult things: Seek the wisdom in the experience, and pay it forward.

Find your North Star.

The North Star is how you navigate when you have nothing else. It’s what you’re working for, no matter whom you’re working for. Mine is: “I use language to make people’s professional experiences more meaningful.” It connects my skill (communication) with my target audience (professionals) and a sense of purpose (meaning). It’s broad enough to apply to a variety of roles, and has stayed constant even as the details of my job changed.

Write a professional summary.

I had never met Boss #2 when I found out he was going to be my leader. Before our first meeting, I made a one-page document summarizing my skills, experience, and interests, from the perspective of “What would a new leader want to know about me?” It was less formal than a résumé, and organized around how I might be able to contribute in the new team structure. I let him know that I’ve managed people, designed training, and led online communities. I shared my Myers-Briggs type and my StrengthsFinder traits. I told him that I value frequent feedback and that I love presenting to groups. His response: “This is so much more useful than a résumé.”

Try bold ideas.

When the very ground of your company is shifting, cracks open up. You can stare at the cracks, hoping they don’t swallow you, or you can throw seeds into them.

Two years ago, I started a project that ran out of steam when it didn’t get the necessary support from a few key groups. I still believed in my idea, so I brought it up again after the leadership changed. They loved it. The project is moving again, and I get to lead it as part of my new role.

Organizational changes can be a great time to suggest new ideas and better ways of doing things, because new leadership is not attached to the old ways.

See in systems.

Companies are living ecosystems just like ponds or cities; big changes in one area flow through the system and impact the whole population. The organizational changes that I went through were the downstream effects of our company’s growth and reaching the limits of our former structure.

Applying the lens of systems thinking is comforting, because it reminds me that what I’m experiencing is not unique, it’s a predictable pattern, and it’s much larger than me.

Take care of yourself.

During my year of 6 bosses, I gained 25 pounds. I didn’t sleep enough, and I compensated by keeping a Keurig under my desk. Wine was my only sure path to weekend relaxation.

When I found myself hiding behind strategically placed children on my Christmas cards, I joined a fitness class and started making changes to my nutrition and sleep. As my physical health improved, I felt increasingly optimistic and resilient. Everything is easier when you’re healthy, including work.

Show up and shine.

I wrote this note to myself and posted it above my computer. As I wrap up 2014, it feels good to be sitting at my desk and reading this note. I’m still here. I have a job in which I get paid to do work that I love. No matter what the future brings, these are two things that I will continue to do.