Tips for Staying Resilient in Times of Change 

*Plus Join me at the Upcoming HBA Panel Event to Explore this topic from Multiple Perspectives*

If you have been reading the news headlines the last few months, you probably have seen titles including the words “restructure” or “lay-offs.” What should you do if your company becomes part of those headlines? Below are some quick tips and your invitation to an exciting panel event that will cover a wide array of perspectives on the topic.

QUICK TIPS 

• Take a breath first.  Often times in times of big change, our body will want to take us into fight or flight mode, and we can start to move on autopilot. Take a deep breath and let yourself process the emotions that may be coming up for you (or that have not surfaced quite yet). What are you feeling (or thinking) now? In general, it’s good practice to do these little check-ins often when you are going through big changes. Acknowledging an emotion can help you make choices around what you want to do with it. You may need to give yourself a few hours to a few days to process before you move into action mode.
• Think about what YOU want.  Consider what you want out of your career and life before you start campaigning in any one direction.  What do you want more of in your work? What do you want less of?  This can be helpful in thinking about how you position yourself internally for new positions and/or what you say when you reach out to your network.  Be clear on what you want to do or areas you are curious about so you can talk to your colleagues about what types of change would excite you – and then be prepared to marry your curiosity with the experience and strengths you already have.  Change can be good – particularly if you consider how to marry it with your goals.
• Develop a clear description of what you want – even if you do not know the exact position or title.  The more clear and succinct you can be about what you are looking for, the easier it is for others to pass along your request. If you aren’t certain on a position, you can structure your ask by leading with an area you want to explore or something you want more of in your next position, followed by what you are good at and love doing now. For example, you might say: “I really want to do more global work applying my cross-functional leadership and new product launch knowledge in vaccines.” Or, you could say “I’m very curious about the start-up environment so I would like to figure out how to put my logistical expertise and leadership to use in a fast-paced environment similar to that.”
• Reach out to your network. Even if you are not the greatest at staying in touch regularly, it cannot hurt to reach out for a discussion. Some people will say no but many will say yes. As a rule of thumb, start the conversation authentically with what made you think of reaching out to them and why you are seeking their advice, describe what you are looking for as clearly as possible, and make sure you leave every conversation with an ASK. An ask can be as simple as a request to circle back to them once you have more clarity on what you are looking for if currently in brainstorming mode.  Or, an ask can be to request to help broaden your network for example via an introduction to others in their network that they think you should meet and/or may be hiring in your areas of interest. And, don’t be afraid to involve those closest to you including friends and family because they will be your most avid supporters.
• Check in with yourself regularly and take breaks as needed.  Particularly in a lay-off situation, it can be easy to feel pressured to get out there right away. Even if it’s important to you financially to have continuity in employment, it can be important to take breaks from the process for your own mental health. By giving yourself breaks from the process through taking time for yourself or connecting into things that bring you joy such as family, friends, or hobbies, you can keep yourself grounded and allow yourself to show up more confidently in your networking conversations. Though it may sound counter-intuitive, by taking breaks, you are actually enhancing your productivity and efficiency on this journey.

JOIN US FOR A PANEL EVENT

 If this topic is of interest, join me at the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) event: Strengthening Your Career Resilience: Strategies for Staying Employed During Times of Change on Tuesday, June 20th from 12 PM to 1 PM EST for a multi-faceted panel discussion. The event is open to both HBA members and non-members. This webinar is hosted by the HBA Suburban Delaware Valley Chapter and the Career Transformations Affinity Group and will provide perspectives on how to best position yourself when jobs are being eliminated due to a lay-off or restructuring. The panel will also discuss best practices to showcase your strengths should a lay-off occur or how to ease your journey into a new position if you are ready to make a change. They will collectively provide perspectives through the eyes of senior business leaders, human resources, recruiting, talent development, career coaching, and firsthand experiences of succesfully navigating a lay-off/restructure. Below are the talented panel.

• Cari Kraft, CEO, Jacobs Management Group Inc.  Cari is the President of a full cycle executive recruiting firm serving the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech and technology fields. Cari has 20+ years of experience and as CEO of Jacobs Management Group, Inc. She leads an organization consisting of master level recruiters that has built a database of 250,000 of the top professionals in their fields and knows what it takes to get noticed. Cari is a proud member of Pinnacle Society recognizing the top 100 recruiters in the nation.
• Susan Childs, MBA, Principal & Managing Partner, LCA Enterprises Limited Susan Childs has multiple years of experience in a variety of industries and roles in strategic HR business partnering and commercial sales within the Manufacturing, Banking, Business Consulting, Telecommunications and Media & Entertainment sectors. Her most rewarding industry experience is within the Healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech industry where she has now been a widely regarded business HR leader within top companies: Takeda, Shire, Astra Zeneca, and Medimmune. Currently, Susan has returned to HR business consulting as Founder and Principal Managing Partner for LCA Enterprise & Consulting, LLC, her family practice focused on community development, professional leadership coaching, youth partnerships, inclusive thought leadership, racial bias awareness, workforce inclusion, cultural diversity and strategic business and people optimizations.
• Christine Vaccola, SPHR, PCC, Global Head, Talent Management, Sanofi  As an experienced HR Leader, Christine drives strategic, enterprise solutions and projects at global level. She is a credentialed leadership coach who supports talents and leadership teams to achieve their key objectives while also driving high performing teams. Currently, Christine leads the talent management process globally for Sanofi, including working on high potential and succession identification and readiness, and oversees the talent process globally and operationally, to ensure solid talent pools and effective development plans to fortify the leadership pipeline.
• Jennifer Gallman, PMP, Information Technology Manager, Incyte Jennifer Gallmann has been in IT Project Management in the pharma space for over 20 years. Starting as an Account Representative at a Marketing firm and then moving into IT Project Manager as a consultant, Jennifer started at AstraZeneca. After working in IT in computer systems validation and project management there, Jennifer is now an IT Project Manager and Business Partner for Incyte Corporation. She serves on the Programming team of the HBA Suburban Delaware Valley Chapter and keeps things running smoothly. on’t be afraid to involve those closest to you including friends and family because they will be your most avid supporters.
• (Me!) Jenn Paster Detmer, MBA, CPCC, ACC, Founder, Executive Strategy Advisor & Leadership Coach, Livthentic.  Jennifer is an executive strategy advisor and credentialed leadership coach. With 20+ years of cross-functional leadership and strategy experience, Jenn supports pharmaceutical companies and start-ups to navigate the pivotal changes that come with a groundbreaking product launch, merger, acquisition, licensing deal, or divestiture. Jenn serves as both a coach and strategic sparring partner for executives and senior leaders that sit where strategy, people and operations meet. She is a mom, coffee-addict, painter, and turtle-fast runner.

While the tips only scratch the surface on career resilience, they can be a quick cheat sheet to help you, your team, and your organization to stay grounded during times of change.  I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming panel discussion for more insights on the topic.  Please do bring your curiosity!

As always, if you are a leader that wants to lean into this topic, you know where to reach me.  I work with leaders, teams, and organizations that wants help developing people-centered ways of working that get real world results.  Do not hesitate to contact Livthentic for an exploratory discussion or schedule directly on calendly.  I see your spark and want to help you grow it into a flame. You can also join our mailing list to stay in touch or follow us on Linkedin, Facebook, or Instagram.