CAUTION: MERGING COMPANIES

RAYMOND A. INGLESI, M.A. PRESIDENT AND FOUNDING PRINCIPAL

"When you absolutely define and understand your core themes, you're going to make better decisions about your life and career." Ray Inglesi, career counselor

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM
By Doug Hubley

PROPER PREPARATION WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN TAKE A TAKEOVER.

We now know that even the most bedrock Maine companies can't resist the siren song that goes, "Take me, I'm yours."

We watch Maine-owned companies like Hannaford Brothers and Brunswick Technologies hand the reins over to out-of-state concerns, and, unless we're stockholders, it makes us jittery. Such mergers and acquisitions strike at our precious Maine identity and sense of self-determination. But if they make bystanders like us uneasy, how do you think the employees in question feel?

"For employees, it's like having a partner in a marriage suddenly switched on them," says Rhoda Mitchell, career counselor at the Portland-based firm New Leaves. Relationships with the workplace involve our personal finances, our sense of self-worth, often our close friendships and even our value systems.

Feelings of shock, fear, helplessness or denial are all normal. So are feelings of relief and liberation. But whether you see it as a threat or a thrill, and whether you stay or go, there are ways to improve your chances of weathering the storm intact.

Ideally, you can come out of it better off than you went in. After all, there have been worse eras in history for job upheaval, thanks to the strong economy and tight job market.

As in so many things, the time to start dealing with changes in the workplace is now -- before transition is even on the horizon.

"You have to position yourself for future opportunities," says Raymond Inglesi, president of Drake Inglesi Milardo, a Portland human-resources consultancy whose services include outplacement. "You can't wait until the opportunity comes. You have to prepare."

Make sure that your financial reserves will carry you through an extended period out of work -- a period of months, not just weeks.

Keep your career assets in order, too. Update your resume regularly. Maintain your network of contacts. Grab opportunities to refresh and expand your expertise. This will make you more valuable if you stay put and more employable if you don't.

Finally, keep your eyes open. Good reconnaissance will tip you off to an pending merger or acquisition, and help you assess your role in it once it arrives. "You've got to be aware of what's going on in the organization," Inglesi cautions. "You can't just put your head under the sand and pay attention to your [own] job."

Listen to the company grapevine, but be discerning. Try to substantiate the buzz and to understand your company's position in the marketplace. Follow changes in corporate strategy, products and the office culture. Research your company in publications, including its own annual and quarterly reports, and on the Web. If you hold company stock, attend stockholder meetings.

When the blow falls, though, even the best preparations will carry you only so far. It's crucial to address the emotional fallout of a corporate restructuring quickly, because you can't make good career decisions -- or be a good spouse, friend or parent -- if your mind is clouded by insecurity or anger.

Feelings of fear and loss of control over one's destiny can be especially counterproductive. Fear is blinding, says Barbara Babkirk, a counselor whose Yarmouth-based firm, Heart at Work, specializes in workplace issues. Fearful people focus on what they're afraid might happen, rather than on the facts of the situation. That wastes time, attention and energy.

Similarly, a sense of losing control of one's fate can be self-fulfilling. People so afflicted "often feel confused, they don't know what to do, they may get angry, they may feel depressed, start to withdraw," Babkirk says.

The antidote is to focus on the facts -- about the corporate changeover and about yourself. In short, you want to reclaim your objectivity. After all, a corporate shakeup might be the perfect opportunity to figure out, once and for all, what you really want from your job and your life.

"It's really important to do some soul-searching, and that's about getting a sense of control back," says Babkirk. "Most people need to slow down and create some time for reflection. And when we're afraid, we tend to speed up."

So give yourself a break and take care of yourself, she advises. "Find time to take a walk, to eat well, to try and create some kind of balance in your life," she says. "That will help you manage the transition much more easily, because it will help build your resources."

Talk things over with family and friends. If you've ever thought about enlisting someone as a personal coach, this may be the time. And don't rule out counseling, whether it be personal or career counseling or both.

Of course, myriad books are devoted to the subject of surviving career changes. Joan Lloyd's "Career Decisions Planner," Charles Handy's "Age of Unreason," Spencer Johnson's "Who Moved My Cheese?" and the career-move bible, Richard Bolles' "What Color is Your Parachute?" are all well-regarded.

Many companies nowadays help workers through corporate upheaval.

"Most of the companies we work with, if not all of them, do a very decent job of taking care of this transition," says Inglesi. Firms like his may be hired to provide services for both employees who stay and those who go. For the latter, outplacement programs include career assessment, personal counseling and job-search training.

The point of your self-examination should be to identify the core values, interests and needs that drive your character. For example, are you committed to living in Maine? Are you a detail person or big-picture type? Should your job reflect, or at least not conflict with, your moral beliefs?

The job that satisfies those factors, which Inglesi calls "core themes," is likely to be a good job you can live with. "When you absolutely define and understand your core themes, you're going to make better decisions about your life and career," Inglesi says. "It's really that simple."

"The actual specific career may not be as critical as making sure that the core themes are met," he adds.

Soul-searching may illuminate those values for you. Or you may prefer some objective assistance -- for example, a career counselor equipped with the personality and aptitude tests that can lay out your inner workings in black and white.

Finding your core themes might even answer one of the biggest questions asked by employees who stay with a company through the big shake-up: Should I stay or should I go?

Either way, try to see the transition as an opportunity. Some may find it easier to go. It's a chance to start fresh, possibly sweetened with an early-retirement package. The corporate shakeup may be just the spark you need to touch off a brand-new career.

If you tough it out, there are ways to maximize your longevity and perhaps improve your position. Keep your performance up, improve it if you can, and be sure to let your managers know what you're up to. After all, if the old employees don't yet know whom they're dealing with, neither do the new kids. Do what you can to assure them of your value to the company.

Write a specific job description and pass it to your manager. Be proactive about the transition -- inform yourself about the incoming company, stay visible, offer ideas for easing the transition. See what you can learn from the new executives. Most important, keep a positive attitude and minimize your contact with the people who don't.

Whether you jump or stay put, remember that job satisfaction is ultimately up to you. People have to take responsibility for their careers, Inglesi says. "The company's not going to take care of them for the rest of their lives. Those days are gone and have been gone for a number of years."