Handle change well
3 Amazon reorgs led to better managers twice (why it's important to consider the possible bright sides when things change and how to do it)
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In three Amazon reorgs, I got a better manager twice.
When things change, it's easier to expect the worst than to expect the best.
Here is how to get the best with less stress in the face of change.
First, a little psychology.
We are hardwired to look at possible bad outcomes first, before we think of positives.
Laid off? → We picture losing the house before finding a better job.
Reorg? → We imagine a terrible new boss before we see an opportunity to expand and learn.
Project fails? → We fear a bad review before we see a chance to learn and overcome.
This fear bias is an evolutionary trait.
As we evolved, the person who heard a noise in the bushes and thought "tiger" lived longer than the one who thought "rabbit."
But this instinct no longer serves us.
First, there are way more rabbits in the world than tigers.
Second, in the professional world, even the "tigers" are not fatal. Even the worst professional setbacks are rarely life-threatening.
When a change happens in our modern lives or modern jobs, we are roughly 50% likely to have something better come out of it. For example, my startup going under is what led me to switch to Amazon, a move that allowed my success.
Own your personal agency. You may not control the change, but you control how you show up in it. Are you the person who creates value and leans in? Or the one who waits for instructions and protection? I’ve seen careers stall for the second group and accelerate for the first.
