Dear Change Leader,
Over the past few months, I’ve been working with leaders from several organizations that have gone through restructuring. The pressure behind it was the same in each: a tough economic climate that left no room to carry on as before.
What has struck me is how these leaders chose to meet it. Rather than approaching the restructuring as only a cost exercise, they approached it as a strategic reset. They asked what it would take to be fit for purpose: the right people, priorities, and structures to move confidently into the future, with clear priorities and a focused use of resources.
That is thoughtful, demanding work. There were many difficult conversations in the C-suite as senior leaders grappled to align on what ‘fit for purpose’ would really require – after all, the broader climate is still unstable, and anticipated opportunities might not materialize. Tough decisions were made, followed by uncomfortable meetings to inform people affected by the restructuring.
And then, the day arrives on which, with the layoffs having taken place, the new structure comes into being. On paper, the change is now complete.
Here’s what I’ve noticed: this is often the day leaders feel least sure what to say. The people who remain are stepping into a new chapter while mourning colleagues they valued. And the leaders, worn out from getting here, are tempted to say the only thing that feels safe: “We’re live. Let’s get to work.”
If that’s close to where you are, you haven’t done anything wrong. But you may be standing at a threshold that deserves a little more attention.
Change Happens Fast. Transition Doesn’t.
William Bridges drew a distinction that’s useful here. Change is the situational part: the new chart, the new reporting lines, the new priorities. Transition is the psychological part: the inner process of letting go of what was and finding your footing in what is.
Change can happen overnight. Transition doesn’t.
Anthropologists who study rites of passage describe a pattern in nearly every human culture: a separation from the old, a threshold period in between, and an incorporation into the new. Organizations tend to do the first (the layoffs) and the third (the new chart), then skip the threshold entirely. The people who stayed are left to cross it alone.
Staff are carrying a lot at once: grief for colleagues they valued, relief they’d rather not admit, guilt about the relief, and quiet worry about what comes next. Research on layoff survivors suggests that how people experience the aftermath depends heavily on whether leaders were honest and whether the process felt fair. Silence tends to be read as indifference, even when it’s really discomfort.
You may feel like marking the moment risks reopening a wound. In my experience, it’s the unmarked moment that stays open.
Three Ways to Mark the Crossing After A Restructuring
- Name the boundary out loud.
Say plainly that one chapter has ended and another has begun. You’re not announcing good news. You’re telling people it’s okay to notice.
This week: Write three sentences: what has ended, what we’re carrying with us, and what we’re beginning. Then say them to your team in your own words, not in an email.
- Make room for the ending before the beginning.
Rituals don’t need to be elaborate. They need to be sincere. Honoring colleagues who left, whether by sharing what they contributed or simply saying their names, tells people their relationships mattered. Skipping to the future too fast tells them grief is a distraction.
This week: Gather your team for 30 minutes with one question: “What do we want to remember about the people and the work that brought us here?” Then let the silence do some of the work.
- Point toward what’s now possible, and invite their view.
Once the ending has been honored, the beginning has room to land. Be clear about the few priorities the new structure exists to serve, and about what you’re deliberately letting go of. Then ask what opportunities they see. Survivors regain energy when they get to shape what comes next.
This week: Share two or three priorities with your team and name one thing you’re stopping. Ask: “What do you see becoming possible that wasn’t before?”
Back to the Day After
What gives me hope about these organizations isn’t that anyone has a perfect script. It’s that their leaders are willing to treat this as a real moment: a boundary crossed, not a switch flipped. They did the hard work of the restructuring with purpose. Marking the transition is the natural next step, because it honors what has ended so people can step into what is beginning.
You don’t need to do it flawlessly. Say it in plain words. Let people see that you notice what they’re carrying.
And if the day has already passed, if the new structure has been live for weeks and no one has said anything, it isn’t too late. A threshold can be acknowledged after the fact. Sometimes the simple admission, “I should have marked this sooner, and I’d like to do it now,” is itself the most powerful part.
Until next time,
P.S. If your organization has recently restructured and you’re weighing how to mark the moment, or whether you’ve already missed it, I’d welcome the conversation. Simply reply to this email.
Recent Articles
Read other editions of this newsletter for further insights:
“What Leaders Fear to Say (But Teams Need to Hear)” explores why strategic silence during hard times erodes trust rather than protecting it, and how responsible transparency lets people see that their leader notices what they’re carrying.
“When Your Team’s Spirit Feels Broken” looks at why teams worn down by sustained difficulty need acknowledgment of what they’ve been through before any talk of what’s next, and offers three ways to name that journey out loud.
“Who Are You When Everything Around You Changes?” draws on William Bridges to separate the external change from the inner transition it sets off, and shows how a restructuring can unsettle a leader’s sense of who they are in the new structure.
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