Six strategies to help you bounce back and productively move forward.
(Originally published in HBR. Image: Getty Images)
Reductions in scope are often dressed up with neutral terms like “reassignment” or “reorganization.” However, it doesn’t change the fact that your rank, responsibilities, and possibly pay or access to the top brass have suddenly diminished. Effectively, you’ve been moved down a rung — and it can sting.
Scope reductions frequently arise within the context of restructuring, strategic shifts, or mergers and acquisitions. Other times, you can find yourself on the wrong end of an organizational change when a new leader arrives and brings a new vision and approach. And sometimes, you find your scope diminished because your boss has lost confidence in you.
Regardless of the cause, demotions can feel deflating, humiliating, and otherwise painful. Beyond the hit to your ego, it may also leave you confused and second-guessing yourself, wondering what signals you missed and unsure how to move forward.
You may feel like immediately handing in your resignation or retreating and disengaging. It’s natural, but neither response is helpful. Your manager and coworkers are watching how you respond, making it even more critical to approach this difficult situation with composure and pragmatism. Here are six strategies to help you bounce back and productively move forward.
Process your feelings
Even if you felt overwhelmed with your former role and secretly dreamt of having fewer responsibilities, you may feel sad, unappreciated, angry, or humiliated when your scope is suddenly reduced.
To rebound emotionally, acknowledge and accept any negative feelings as natural, given the situation. A scope reduction can feel like a devastating setback, but avoid catastrophizing; remember that the current situation is only a single moment in a much longer career.
Consider the potential silver linings of this change. For instance, Brent, who found himself layered and leading a smaller team when his company restructured, recognized this change would allow him to return to doing the design work he had missed. Mariana, whose scope was reduced when her company was acquired, realized her work-life balance would improve when she no longer had to lead teams on both coasts.
Finally, don’t suffer in silence. Social support is how we get through hard times, so despite any feelings of embarrassment or shame, seek support from friends, family, mentors, or counselors.
Surface underlying reasons
It’s easy to let your thoughts spiral with assumptions about why your scope has been reduced. However, to develop a solid action plan, it’s crucial to determine the actual reasons for the reduction and to understand the bigger picture.
Engage with your boss with modesty and passionate curiosity, and avoid reacting defensively, even if your boss delivers tough feedback that feels unfair. Approaching them with humility will help you follow the evidence — wherever it may lead — and better understand the truth. Ask questions focused on your professional growth, future role, and the transition, such as:
Can you help me understand the main reasons behind this reduction?
What could I have done differently that would have prevented this reduction? What skills or expertise am I missing?
Should I be concerned about my job, given these changes?
How do you see my new role evolving? What contributions and performance metrics will be most critical for my success?
How can I best support the team and the organization during this transition?
Even if the reason for the reduction seems obvious, such as a merger or acquisition, inquire deeply. Unfortunately, there is sometimes more to the change than is apparent. The hard truth is that, for some reason, in your former role you didn’t fit your company’s current goals or future plan. Comprehending the underlying reasons is vital to determining your best move.
Look for lessons and opportunities
Scope reductions can deliver a cold and unsettling reminder that, regardless of tenure or the depth of our relationships, we are all dispensable. Businesses must do what they need to compete. Just as companies must evolve and do what it takes to stay relevant, so must we.
To harvest benefits from a scope reduction, consider the lessons it offers. What can you learn, and how can you use these lessons to improve in your job or in leading your team? Also, ask yourself: How can I make this new role and situation work for me instead of against me? For example, can you use your new position to develop new skills or expertise, access increased coaching or mentorship, or expand your internal network?
Finally, consider how you might convert this setback into an opportunity. For example, David, an IT manager, experienced a reduction in his team’s budget and scope of work. He used the time to pursue a passion project related to cybersecurity and developed a new protocol that protected the company from potential major cyber threats. Ultimately, this project resulted in the creation of a new cybersecurity team, and David found himself at the helm.
It’s easy to let good career hygiene slip when we’re so busy with our current jobs and tending to life’s other responsibilities. A scope reduction is a reminder to continually advance your skills, nurture your network, and keep your resume current.
Reboot your confidence
Scope reductions can severely impact our self-confidence, and it’s essential to take active steps to rebuild it. First, remind yourself that you are not your job. With the rise of remote work and the fading line between our personal and professional lives, it’s no wonder our careers have become such a significant part of our identities. However, your role at work is what you do, not who you are. Don’t over-personalize your company’s decision. A survey found that 19% of U.S. workers have been asked to take on a lower role. Your reduced scope is not an indictment of your worth or future potential.
Recognize that this situation might make your inner critic run wild and you may find yourself increasingly self-critical and ruminating about what you “should have” done. To disarm your inner critic, don’t try to ignore or avoid it. Instead, give it a name to become more aware of when it shows up and talk to it. It may seem silly, but naming your critic and speaking internally with it is an effective psychological technique to foster more objective thinking.
Focus on your role and acknowledge and leverage your talents and strengths. Remember, even Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, was cut from his high school basketball team. Soon enough, the rhythm of the game will return to you.
Zoom out and consider how to move forward
While never initially welcome, adverse events in our lives can prompt helpful reflection on how to build an authentic and fulfilling career. Our values, interests, and goals often shift over time, and this event is an important opportunity to reevaluate yourself. Ask yourself: What do I value? Who do I want to be? How do I define success for myself?
With the reduction in your scope, it’s also natural to wonder if it’s time for a change or if your company is the right place for you. If you feel torn about what to do, pay attention to your emotions and give yourself time. Remember that nothing is forever, and your decision is simply a choice for now. Most career decisions can be reversed or adjusted, and new opportunities always emerge down the line.
Constructing a vision board of what you want in your career and life can help you gain clarity about how to move forward. Selecting and arranging images, words, and symbols that represent your aspirations for your career and life can stimulate your imagination and foster a deeper connection with your inner desires and intuition.
Commit
Whether you decide to stay at your company or start planning your exit, commit to your current position. Identify how to remain engaged in your new role and try to appreciate the positives of the situation, whether that be the work, your colleagues, or simply still having a job. Use what you learned from this situation to build your skills and address any behaviors that were holding you back. Build up your relationships and chalk up some new accomplishments.
All careers have highs and lows, and scope reductions can be particularly challenging. However, genuinely fulfilling and exceptional careers are built on self-awareness, resilience in overcoming obstacles, a commitment to continual learning, and openness to new possibilities. Embrace the opportunity to adapt, focus on what you can control, stay positive, and know better days lay ahead.
With daily fires to fight and limited space to think, I understand how the pressures rob your clarity. As a certified executive coach, I help senior leaders and their teams gain fresh perspective, confidence and new capabilities that accelerate their success. Work with Dina