A senior executive I worked with—let’s call her Marisol—had spent years building trust, driving impact, and delivering results, only to find her role suddenly eliminated during a company restructuring. There was no discussion, no transition plan. Just a few polite reassurances, a severance package, and a carefully worded email later, and that was it.

But instead of being paralyzed by uncertainty, Marisol took control. She reached out to trusted mentors, tapped into her network, and worked with an executive coach while giving herself space to breathe for the first time in years. Then, with a clearer sense of what she wanted next, she rebranded her expertise and pivoted into a broader HR role that recognized the full range of skills she had spent years honing. Read this great HBR article to find out more