It seems like every day we see news of shake-ups at the highest levels of blue-chip national businesses, as well as companies in our own hometowns. These changes—whether in response to economic issues, market disruption, or simply the need to stay competitive and relevant—are driving more and more frequent major reorganizations. Almost everywhere you look, the old guard is out—and the new kids are in.
Chances are you’ve seen this movie before:
Your company seems to be moving along well, and the business is growing. Sure, you may not be dazzling Wall Street, but right now things feel good, people are working hard, progress is being made.
Then there is a surprise management shake-up at the top that directly affects your organization. You’re not sure what this specifically means for you and your team, but you’re pretty sure it won’t end there.
And you’re right. There is another change announced, more fallout, then another. It feels like you can’t get the ground to stop moving under you. You try to find some stability, some certainty, some foundation to plan how you regroup and respond. But you may be waiting a long time.
In situations like this, things can change in an instant, and you have little time to regroup. I’ve learned through my Ironman racing experience the importance of quickly cutting the time to respond to reduce potential derailment.
There are two ways you can respond. You can look at this as a loss: “Oh no, not another change!” and fall back on your habitual reactions that create a “Business as usual” response. Or you can take a different approach and adopt a mindset that views change as possibility, not loss.
If you try the second approach, you need to consider: How can you make this turn of events into an opportunity to increase your visibility in the company, to amplify your contribution, to show people what you are really good at? And how can you take advantage of this change as an opportunity to stand out from your peers, most of whom are feeling wounded, worried, wondering what is next—and soon find themselves on the sidelines wondering what happened.
Don’t let uncertainty put you on the defense. Instead of re-trenching and avoiding risk, go on the offensive. Re-engage and use this opportunity and put you and your team in a position to not just weather the next change (because you know there will be one) but embrace it and run like the wind with it!