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.

Do's and Don'ts of Communicating Organizational Change

For the last few months, my organization has been changing. I have a new leader, I'll soon have some new employees. I've been through more org changes than I can count on my fingers, but this is my first as a leader, and the best one yet. I'm not steering the ship - I'm one of those org chart boxes in the middle - but I've learned a few things that I would like to pass on to other leaders and communicators.


When planning an organizational change:

Don't take the surprise party approach. It never works. Employees can smell change in the air, and they notice when certain leaders start having long meetings with Human Resources in conference rooms. It breeds suspicion and fear. Instead, be transparent: "We're looking at our team's structure to see if it's the best approach." Chances are, your employees have already noticed that your department might benefit from some shuffling, and they may have some useful feedback or suggestions.

Do make space to dream. When we first found out that we would be reporting to a new leader and that our roles would be changing, I started by having a lengthy conversation with my employees about our team's work. What was working well? What needed attention? What would they do completely differently if we could start from scratch? These conversations are inspiring and energizing. 

Do ask your people what they want. I manage a small team, and I feel like I know each of my employees well: their strengths, their interests, their career aspirations. We talk about these topics at annual reviews, at goal-setting sessions, and regularly at our 1:1s. However, an org change can stir up new ideas and interests. It's worth asking questions like "What do you most enjoy doing?" and "Where would you like to go next?" even if you think you know the answer.

Don't lie to people. I was once in a conference room, listening to a HR manager explain a new organizational structure. She said, "This is not a RIF" (our internal acronym for Reduction in Force). The problem was, the PowerPoint document on her screen - which was projected for everyone in the room to see - was titled with the name of our department and the acronym "RIF." My job was officially eliminated a few weeks later.


When announcing a decision:

Do tell the affected people as soon as possible. The people most affected by an org change are the ones who are getting new managers, new job titles, or new teammates. Or, of course, severance packages. Once a decision has been made, they should be the first to know. The rest of the "FYI" list can wait. There's nothing worse than finding out about your own career change through the office grapevine.

Do follow a communication plan with clear dates, time of day, and order of notifications. During a layoff at another company, the telecom team shut off voice mail and extensions for terminated employees before HR had the conversation with the affected people. Nobody knew why certain coworkers' extensions were showing as "vacant" - until an hour later, when everybody knew. Time of day matters.

Do bring people together as humans. Shortly after I found out I had a new leader, he invited me to lunch. A few days later, he invited our entire local team to a hockey game. These little gestures went a long way to alleviating my fear of the unknown. Nobody wants to report to an unfamiliar name on the org chart. If you're inheriting new employees, get to know them in a friendly, low-key setting as quickly as possible. If those employees are spread across different offices, invest in the travel if at all humanly possible.


When you don't know any more about what's going on than your employees do:

Don't be Chicken Little. Leaders set the tone. Don't tell everyone that the sky is falling or the department is crumbling, even if you sometimes fear that it is. Remind yourself and your employees: You're smart, you're skilled at what you do, and the best thing you can do each day is show up and shine your brightest and embrace the opportunities around the corner.

Don't make it all about yourself. A friend found out on a Thursday afternoon that half of her team was laid off. When she returned to work on Friday morning, her manager wasn't there. The manager still had a job, but she had spent the morning exercising with her personal trainer and getting a massage. She was so tense, she explained to her employees when she arrived two hours late. So were they, and the support and reassurance of their leader would have gone a long way.

Do acknowledge the emotions that it stirs up. Even a re-organization with no layoffs, no budget cuts, and great opportunities for everybody is still incredibly emotional. Your employees have been working for a boss they know, doing a familiar job, and suddenly everything is thrown into chaos. There's the uncertainty of adapting to a new leader and new coworkers, the merging of different teams' processes and cultures, and often an insecurity about where they will fit in the new world order. For some people, it's an exhilarating time of opportunity. For others, it's a terrifying loss of control. Often, it's both. Acknowledge this. Let your employees know that it's perfectly normal to grieve for the old way, and to be apprehensive about the new one. Soon, the new way will become familiar, and you'll wonder how you ever worked any differently.

Do embrace the positive. Change can be scary, but change can be wonderful. It's a catalyst for creativity. Things that were previously too difficult suddenly become possible. It can bring clarity and insight. It can bust you out of a rut and turn you into a better, braver version of yourself.

The best thing about change is that it always, always teaches us something. I'm here, excited, and ready to learn.