Working through loss: managing unexpected change

I have a close friend, let’s call her Jane. She holds an MBA from a top school and has worked on both sides of the Atlantic. Proud and accomplished, Jane has enjoyed stints as an entrepreneur and leader and her resumé boasts some of the most dynamic and exciting firms in fast-moving consumer goods. While at times she has struggled with giving too much of herself at work, she’s always considered her life to be as full as it was successful, by any measure. 

That life was knocked sidewise six months ago. A change in leadership at Jane’s company set off a chain reaction. Budgets were slashed, departments downsized, and a slew of redundancies announced. For the first time since leaving university, Jane found herself without a job. 

When she called me to tell me the news, I was shocked – but I was confident that she would bounce back. The Jane I knew would quickly see this setback as an opportunity, a chance to try something different, to chart a new course and blaze a new…