The saying goes that nothing is certain, but death and taxes. I’d argue that change should be included in that list! We can certainly count on change whether we want it or not…
Change has been on the threshold in my life for at least the last 6 months, and I’ve had a hard time writing freely here without giving away non-public information. So I was quiet. I’m thankful that I was able to see change coming this time from a long ways away so that I could adjust and prepare for it since the end of last year, at least as much as possible.
But, I haven’t been able to talk about it. Until now…
Here’s The News
My employer has finally been acquired by a one of our competitors, and the combined company will be HUGE – the largest company in its category and a force in the industry!
That’s the monumental change that’s been brewing for a while. Any acquisition or merger brings uncertainty and change to the acquired company. Departments are redundant, and people get laid off. Any change necessarily brings with it some feelings of loss and disappointment, but this is especially true at the end of a 17 year old company that so many people I know worked hard to build.
Embracing the Uncertainty Following Change
There’s always a silver lining of some kind if you dig deep enough… I’ve learned a ton in the process, which I could never have learned any other way, including how to notice early warning signs within a company, how individuals react to change, the pace of finalizing a transaction of this size, and how organizations operate in the course of an acquisition. It has changed everything about how I think and operate in my job and in business. My eyes are open now in a way they haven’t been before.
I won’t share specifics here even when I know them, but we don’t know much yet. The transition has begun, and it could mean any number of things to me personally and to the people I know and care about who I’ve worked with for the last 5 years. I’m sure parts of it will be tough. Some of us will have the opportunity to continue working for the company, and some of us won’t. Right now, I’m just glad to be able to speak more freely and that the question of whether it will happen or not is answered. That’s enough for now for me.
I’ll be fine in the process how ever it works out, but I wanted to post about it to explain why the development of posts and projects here stopped. This writing project is important to me because writing is the way I think, and that hasn’t changed despite my temporary hiatus here… I’m back, and I will be posting regularly again.
I hope that you are still interesting in reading and commenting, that your tax returns are already filed, and that your deductions are big!
Sincerely,
Angela
Update: I’m faring well in the transition at work. Mostly because my job doesn’t fit neatly in a box (or an HR job description) and because they don’t have anyone in a comparable role at the new company. So far it’s been an interesting ride and looks to possibly bring some new opportunities for growth or change in my role. We’ll see. 5/12/10
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Wow, big doings! Sounds like you are handling the change gracefully. I hope it leads to some exciting opportunities for you!
Thanks, Kathy. It’s certainly bringing change and new opportunities so far!
I hope it works out well for you, Angela. When my sister’s company got swallowed, several friends went elsewhere, but she has stayed in contact with the group via a GNO that meets once a month. There will be good & bad, trade-offs with the merger.
Good luck!
AC
Thanks, Aunt Claire. It’s definitely showing both advantages and disadvantages at this point! Hopefully, the former will continue to outweigh the latter. :)
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