From surviving to thriving: How you can navigate change

Whether it's a merger announcement, a new strategic direction, or a complete restructuring, major organisational change can feel like the rug is being pulled out from under you. And while you can't control company decisions, you can control how you navigate them. So, how do you ensure you thrive when your world gets turned upside down?

Position yourself for success

Firstly, it's completely normal to panic. The key however, is to channel your emotional response into productive action.

Rather than falling victim to a knee-jerk reaction and ranting to your colleagues over email or via Teams, take a breath and think how that would look to whoever’s responsible for the new organisational structure.

Instead, begin crafting your ‘professional insurance policy’ by privately documenting:

• Everything you’re working on: List every project with its status, key stakeholders, and your specific responsibilities. Note which projects are business-critical and which could be at risk of failure during a major change.
  
  
• Your successes: Be specific about your achievements. You didn’t simply "improve customer service," you "reduced response time from 48 to 12 hours and increased satisfaction scores by 27%." Don't just list what you did - capture the business impact.
  
  
• Your network and value: Who depends on your work? Whose work do you depend on? Which stakeholders would struggle without your input? The more connected you are, the harder you are to displace.
  
  
• What makes you special: Whether you're the only one who knows how to use a critical legacy system, or you manage key clients that would be at risk should you leave; being the single point of failure can sometimes pay dividends.

This exercise is a great way to evidence of your value, regardless of whether you end up advocating for your role, interviewing elsewhere, or positioning yourself for new opportunities in the changed organisation.

Be honest with yourself

Now comes the hard part: honest self-assessment. For many of us, looking inwards can be extremely uncomfortable. But when faced with upheaval, it’s crucial you ask yourself the tough questions, and that you’re as equally tough with your answers.

Think about your skillset and its value:

• Which of your skills will be crucial in the new structure?
• What institutional knowledge do you have that would be valuable during the transition?
• Where are your developments gaps and how can you align yourself with the new organisational direction?

Think about how you fit in the business:

• How central is your role to the company's new priorities?
• What makes you hard to replace?
• How strong are your relationships with the people who will shape the new structure?

Think about your future:

• Where do you want to be in two years, and does this change support or jeopardise this goal?
• What would make you excited about the changes instead of just accepting them?
• If you had to look for a new role tomorrow, what would you want it to be?

We can often get so caught up in surviving change that we forget to ask ourselves if we even want to; which is why the last set of questions is arguably the most important.

Remember, this isn't just about keeping your job - it's about positioning yourself for what comes next, whether that's within your current organisation or somewhere new. Thinking about and having clarity on your future aspirations can ensure you make the right decision, for you.

Be prepared to play the game

If, after taking the time to assess your situation, you’ve decided that what you really want is to stay with the organisation, then you need to think strategically.

Make yourself valuable in ways that matter now. If the business is shifting to digital, volunteer for that tech project you've been considering. If the focus is on customer retention, find ways to showcase your client relationship skills. The key is to align yourself with the new organisational direction and demonstrate your desire to support success in the new environment.

Again, relationships and connections will be key – but they must be genuine. Find authentic ways to collaborate with other teams. Help people solve problems. Share knowledge. Be the person others want to work with. Nobody likes being the centre of attention, but in the midst of a restructure, you’ll want to be viewed as central to success.

Reframe your mindset

The harsh reality is, organisational stability is a myth. Businesses must change and adapt, or else they’ll fall behind. The trick is creating stability for yourself.

That means:

• Building transferable skills
• Maintaining relationships across your industry
• Keeping options open while staying engaged in your current role
• Owning your career path

The people who are best at navigating change are the ones who stay adaptable while keeping their core values intact. They understand that change, while uncomfortable, often creates the exact disruption needed for career growth.

So remember, you’re not a character in your employer’s story; you have the power to write your own narrative. What may at first feel like a crisis, could actually become the opportunity you’ve always been waiting for – you just have to be prepared to see it that way.

For additional insights into managing the emotional experience of change, check out our webinar: riding the rollercoaster of transition.