On Transitions
I often joke that our job as recruiters is part-therapist, but it’s not really a joke. The truth is we are dealing with human beings at some of the most vulnerable points in their professional and personal lives: transitioning to a new job or adding a new person to the team.
You can find a lot of jazzy, exciting quotes about “change” and “growth” and such, but there’s no sidestepping the fact that transition is not easy. It’s complex and bittersweet. I have learned that I must make space to hold the good and the hard equally.
For someone taking a new role, they often have to say goodbye to a job that is comfortable because it’s the status quo. Leaving a company means all those “work friends” disappear…or at least are no longer the daily companion. Taking a new job means putting yourself in a position that you hope is an improvement—whether it be the work you’re doing, the culture of the organization, or the leadership.
But change being positive does not equal easy.
Adding a new person to the team is a transition too. As a leader, you have the responsibility of integrating the new person to your culture and mission, teaching them the new skills needed, and ensuring their success as much as possible. This is not to say it’s all on you—it’s not. But as leaders, I believe we have the responsibility of setting our team members up for success as much as possible. That’s a transition for you. And it’s immensely rewarding—but it can be very hard.
I have hired 3 full-time employees in the last 6 months—the best people in the whole world—but the weight of that rests heavily on me at times. Some moments (and especially as an Enneagram 2), I actually miss having a boss (here’s looking at you, Bob Wilson!). Someone who says, “Great job” and “Here’s what to do next” or even “This is what you need to do.”
Transition is not easy.
As a culture, an organization, or a team, we do ourselves a disservice if we ignore the massive impact transition has on our lives.
Just like the transition of summer fading into fall, the world shifts a bit when you take on a new role or add a new person to your team. You must make space for new rhythms, new growth, and likely, a few bumps along the way.
For me, I’ve learned it helps to acknowledge that change is genuinely hard and to take time for grieving the loss of some of the good things.
The leaves changing colors are beautiful, but that only happens because they’re dying (I know, a bit morbid). They will slowly fade from the fiery reds and oranges to brown, and then fall off the trees. But come April, new growth will appear. And we will all be better for it.