5 steps to take if you’re freaking out about getting a new boss

Your boss sends you a Slack message to ask, “Can you talk?”, and your mind starts racing to every possible thing you might have done wrong at work.

Then another message quickly pops up (as if she can read your mind!): “It’s not about you, it’s about me.”

During the conversation, your boss shares that she’s accepted a new position.

With all of the organizational shifts, job moves, and layoffs happening in workplaces, you may find yourself in a position where your boss is unexpectedly leaving. In recent months, there has been a wave of very public layoffs at companies with recognizable names, including Meta, Microsoft, and Twitter. So far this year, 210 tech companies have laid off some 67,268 workers.  Even if you haven’t personally experienced a job loss, you may be directly affected by the changes happening in your company, including getting a new boss.

When your boss shares that they’re moving on, whether to an internal role or leaving the company, it can bring up a lot of different feelings. Upon hearing this news, you may be quietly freaking out…or quietly celebrating. Either way, it makes sense to feel uncertain about what’s next.

While you can’t control what will happen in the future, you can create a plan of action for yourself.

Here are five things you can do in the first week after you hear the news about your boss leaving, broken out day by day.

Day 1: Create space to process your emotions

You may be tempted to jump into busy work instead of reflecting, but this can be an important first step. Give yourself some time to process what happened. You might feel worried about your own job security, or you may be concerned about getting passed over for opportunities, or you might just feel relieved. It’s okay to have emotions in the workplace—after all, you’re human. Instead of ignoring or avoiding your emotions, try to be aware of what they might be telling you. You may find it helpful to ask yourself questions, such as “Why is this situation affecting me this way?” Taking time to think through your feelings upfront will help you strategically prepare for the transition ahead.

Day 2: Focus on what you can control

Things that ran smoothly before may now feel uncertain: You may not have a clear reporting line in the short-term or know who approves your time off requests. You may not even be sure if you’ll like your job anymore. Worrying about things you can’t control won’t be productive to you and can get in your way at work. Ask yourself, “What is the one best thing I can do right now?” and get started. If you’re feeling particularly worried about your job situation, direct that energy to updating your résumé. Otherwise, keep doing your job and doing it well. You’ll want to be known as someone your future boss can count on.

Day 3: Clarify your work priorities

Clearly communicate with your interim manager about what you’re working on and ensure that your projects are aligned with what they expect of you. During the transition period, you may be asked to take on some of your former manager’s projects and responsibilities in addition to your own. Ask your interim manager to help you prioritize, so that you can remain focused on the right things. If you’re a people leader, this can also be an opportunity to delegate some of your responsibilities to your team members, so they can be exposed to new experiences as well. 

Day 4: Consider your opportunities

Recognize that this change can be an opportunity for you, too. Consider whether you might be interested in applying for your former boss’s role or what new projects you would like to take on that align with your strengths. Make a plan to discuss your ideas with the appropriate person in your office, whether that is your interim manager or your boss’s boss. If you’re content to continue in your current role, that’s terrific, too. Think through what you’d like your new boss to know about you and how you’d like to positively start off your working relationship with them.

Day 5: Prepare to work with a new boss

Step into this transition and lead from where you are. Though there will likely be a formal onboarding process for your new boss, consider what things they should know from the team’s perspective. Then work together with your colleagues to prepare for the new boss. You don’t need to go over the top or overwhelm yourself in the process. Instead, focus on the organization’s top priorities. For example, you might organize a document with an overview of the current team projects, or a background sheet on the top three clients. All of this creates a welcoming introduction for your new boss, and it will also help keep things moving forward for the team.

Going through a leadership change can be unnerving, and this is part of work life. Use this time to focus on what is within your control, prioritize your work, and consider what opportunities you have as a result of this shift. By following through on this action plan, you’ll set yourself—and your new boss—up for success during these transitions.

Shanna A. Hocking is the founder and CEO of Hocking Leadership, which helps companies and nonprofit organizations build stronger workplace cultures, develop leaders to reach their potential, and support women to thrive at work. She is also the author of One Bold Move a Day.