When the sand shifts: Navigating change at work
Considering recent advertising and media industry developments—WPP's profit challenges and re-sizing, the potential OMG-IPG merger that sets them to be the largest group, AI affecting all parts of the sector, the advertising and media world is once again facing substantial transformation. For many professionals in these organisations and across the industry, these developments represent more than mere business news—they challenge our fundamental sense of stability, security and belonging.
The sands are shifting, and Transitional Intelligence (TQ) has never been more critical. TQ is the ability to navigate and thrive through change by combining resilience, emotional understanding, and adaptable thinking through a deep understanding of the transition process. It supports team stability, fosters connections, and drives collaborative growth rather than becoming stuck in uncertainty and overwhelmed by loss.
Humans are naturally affected by this, some speed through the transition phases, others get stuck. Perceived losses can fundamentally alter our perception of security, identity, sense of belonging and competence at work. Our assumptions on how life should be are challenged, belief systems rocked sometimes creating losses and panic. We can quickly find ourselves feeling a whole host of emotions; lack of confidence, despair, what’s the point? Let’s not forget though shifting sands often creates great opportunities for those that can transition through the losses and begin to explore what is possible.
Processing Change: A Guide for Individuals
When facing organisational change, we often experience what is a genuine non-death loss. When I am working with clients and I ask them to describe what they have lost, it isn’t just the tangible thing – the job/promotion, its deeper and attached to how they see themselves and the world. Some examples maybe certainty, opportunities, security, status, competence, belonging, connections. Strong TQ enables individuals to recognise these changes, manage emotional responses, and take constructive steps forward.
Here's how to navigate these turbulent waters:
Understanding Your Assumptive World
We all operate with an internal map of how things "should" work. When organisations change direction, merge, or struggle financially, these assumptions are challenged. Ask yourself:
What beliefs about my professional future feel threatened?
Which values (fairness, loyalty, recognition) feel compromised?
What expectations have I held that may need recalibration?
By reframing these challenges with a TQ mindset, individuals can shift from feeling powerless to actively shaping their path forward.
Processing Professional Loss
Major industry changes often trigger grief-like responses:
Acknowledge your feelings. Disappointment, anxiety, or frustration are natural responses.
Name what you're losing. Is it status? Security? A vision of future progression?
Anchoring emotions. Instead of saying, I have no confidence, ask: Where specifically do I feel uncertain? This clarity reduces overwhelm
Separate facts from catastrophic thinking. TQ helps us focus on reality and our resourcefulness rather than worst case scenarios where our minds can often leap to.
Building Resilience Through Uncertainty
Resilience isn't about avoiding difficult emotions—it's about emerging stronger through them and bouncing back:
Challenge your narratives. Just because we think something doesn't make it true.
Identify what remains within your control. Focus energy on your sphere of influence.
Seek perspective. Connect with colleagues and mentors who have weathered similar changes.
Document your learning. What skills are you developing through this challenge?
Guidance for Leaders: Increasing TQ to Steer Teams Through Uncertainty
Organisational and team leaders play a crucial role in shaping how people experience change. As leaders, we must simultaneously process our own responses while guiding others. Leaders with high Transitional Intelligence (TQ) create environments where employees feel supported, valued, and ready to embrace what’s next.
Create Psychological Safety
Normalise uncertainty. Acknowledge that change can be disruptive for everyone.
Be visible and available. Your presence matters more during instability.
Encourage honest dialogue. Create spaces where concerns can be voiced without judgment.
Focus on What Matters
A leader with strong TQ helps teams stay grounded and forward focused:
Clarify priorities ruthlessly. What absolutely must happen, regardless of organisational change?
Connect daily work to purpose. Help team members see meaning beyond structural changes.
Celebrate small wins. Recognition becomes even more important during uncertainty.
Model Realistic Optimism with TQ
Acknowledge challenges whilst highlighting opportunities. Balance is essential.
Share your own journey. Appropriate vulnerability builds trust.
Focus forward. Help teams see beyond immediate disruption to potential futures.
The Paradox of Change: Why TQ is essential
Perhaps the greatest challenge during times of industry flux is the need to simultaneously process loss whilst performing at our best. This tension requires us to:
Create boundaries around rumination. Allocate specific time to process change, then refocus.
Establish new routines. Structure provides stability when everything else feels uncertain.
Reconnect with your professional strengths. Remind yourself of what you bring to any table.
Change, while uncomfortable, often reveals capabilities we didn’t know we possessed. The advertising industry has evolved multiple times, and those who develop their TQ will not only survive these shifts—they’ll define what comes next.
Final Thoughts
As we process these industry developments, remember that our response to change reveals more about our potential than stability ever could. The question isn't whether change will come—it's who we'll become through it.