A Choice: Flee the Scene During Organizational Change

“The last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”   Viktor Frankl (1905–1997), Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist   If you recognize that you are unhappy with an organizational change underway at your company and you want to leave your job, it still may be tough — or even impossible in these economic times — to move on to a new position. Staying put may be your only option, but it doesn't have to make you miserable. Action Here are three things you can do make the most of an imperfect situation: 1.   Acknowledge your feelings. Be honest with yourself about what is making you unhappy. Are you scared that you will lose your job? Report to someone that you do not know? If you can't move on now, don't try to convince yourself that you're happy. Accept the situation and know you'll have to deal with it for the near future. It is also in your best interest to keep your good behavior intact. Pouting like a child, lashing out at inappropriate times, not showing up for meetings – I’ve seen it all. Trust me, this behavior does not and will not serve you well.   2.   Be proactive. If leaving your job isn't an option now, start preparing for the time when it will be. Learn a new skill or take on a tough project. Organizational changes usually present many opportunities to do both.   3.   Accentuate the positive. It's easy to focus only on the negative during change. Find good things about your job — a fun colleague, an interesting part of the change project — and let those provide you with the energy you need to hang in. You never know…you just might find that ‘new job’ is staring you in the face.