Change in Top Leadership - What to Do, Not Do (But, most of all, don't lose your confidence)

 It's becoming standard: Members of the C-Suite, including the CEO, are being forced out. On Reddit Career Guidance, the poster who reported directly to that leader asks what to do.

Anyone who has experienced that kind of transition understands the danger to job security. The odds are, as the responses indicate, that the new leader will bring in their own team. So, of course, start looking for another job. Also, there is the old-line dynamic of guilt-by-association. If the CEO's tenure had been associated with disappointing outcomes, the team could be perceived as subpar. On top of that there is the assumption that the team in-place will be trapped in the mindset and behaviors of the former regime.

However, given that turbulence can mean opportunity, those left behind could present themselves to the new leadership as uniquely qualified to help them succeed. In that, you have to be aggressive: Pitch the value you can create. Be detailed. Use a slide deck? Maybe if it's brief.

What not to do is hide. Too low a profile can put a target on your back. It also signals a lack of confidence. 

As Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Kanter hammered in her book "Confidence," that usually is a major factor in career upward trajectories. The lack of it also figures in career downward trajectories. 

Holding on to your confidence is also a must in job search. That continuum extends from where you assess you can apply to how you present yourself in the interviews (usually multiple).

Data or the gut for your careers and communications? Both of course. Complimentary consultation with intuitive coach, content-creator, and Tarot reader Jane Genova (text 202-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com).