Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:44
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Once senior leadership (especially since your C-levels likely shared your VP's concerns) express concerns about teams being redundant and people start going to the other team (not yours) for things, the writing is on the wall.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:44
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:I've BTDT, and ultimately asked for a package and left. But not after multiple conversations with the leader who made similar changes to my role and my team - in the end we decided to part ways. I think that's the best way for you to handle this. You have a right to feel blindsided, hurt, all of it. But the only way forward is to have the conversations as opposed to going by your assumptions. Prepare your questions - how did they come to this decision? Was consulting you prior to making the move ever a consideration or was it always going to be unilateral? Struggling with with it - how should I interpret this move, what should my takeaways from this be, where do you see my role in the future, etc. Just be prepared that the answers will likely be vague and evading. Ultimately it's your choice to stay and live with the change, hope that it was simply structural and had nothing to do with you or your performance or how you are seen. again - engage in discussions OP it's the only way.
Im having a 2nd conversation with my manager later today. During our first conversation he said this was not a referendum of me, that i built the team and did a great job yadi yadi but him and the vp felt like streamlining functions would be more efficient and that there would just be one director approving things now ( the other one) and the product team will go to that director for everything. He said the decision was made to create this new ‘ analytics’ team under the other VP as his role is more analytics/P&L while my manager’s role was more operational
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:42
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Is this federal government? We're making a lot of decisions like this. Sometimes it's just who has been here the longest gets chosen as the new supervisor. Many were equally good.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:41
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So what is going to be your job now? Are you getting additional work? Maybe they like the work you did and need you to start up a new team. Or maybe they're making you redundant. I think the answer depends on whether you're getting new work in addition.
I had 2 teams under me, was told to just focus on the other team and they will try to bring the Recovery function under me ( which is a failing function that nobody wants or cares about)
Great! It’s failing and you’re so great so you can turn it around! Chin up. Next challenge.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:40
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:First, I’m sorry you’re struggling. It sounds like they made this move without looping you in first or reassuring you that it has nothing to do with your performance. But it really sounds like you answered your own question early on: “ the VP this director reported to always questioned why this team under me existed as he felt like one of the teams under this director was doing similar work.” That’s the answer.
Again, I’m sorry you were blindsided and you sound like a good manager who is proud of your work and your team. But I’ve been in this position before as a team member on the team who is reporting to Manager A, but where Manager B in a completely different department is doing very similar work, also where the rest of my manager’s direct reports are doing very different work to what I was doing. For company efficiency’s sake, it would have been better for my little team of 3 to be reporting to Manager B. But people were afraid to rock the boat and make changes so the odd org structure that dated back 20+ years when the company looked very different was allowed to continue.
Thank you. To give more context my team was focused on credit risk, the other team on FP&A, both teams in the Finance org. So my team would look at loss rates and the other team was looking at P/L impact but they would take over sometimes n start presenting about losses or would start working on strategies without including my team. The Product team preferred working with the other team as they’d say yes to everything while my team would put controls/guardrails in place and questions why are we doing a vs b.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:40
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’m struggling and could use some outside perspective. I just found out that a major part of my job, ( the team I built, shaped, and led) was taken away from me and moved under another Director. We are both Directors, and the VP this director reported to always questioned why this team under me existed as he felt like one of the teams under this director was doing similar work. The decision was made without my input.
I feel blindsided, demoralized, and honestly… embarrassed. It feels like my scope was reduced and I’m supposed to just smile and carry on. What’s making this harder is that I loved that team. I invested so much in building the function, hiring the right people, creating the strategy, stabilizing the operations, and partnering cross-functionally. It was a huge part of my identity at work. And now it’s just gone. Overnight. And I’m left trying to figure out what that means for my future.
Part of me feels like this is a signal that leadership doesn’t see me in the same way I saw myself. That maybe there’s a ceiling for me here that I didn’t realize before. And another part of me is trying to be rational: sometimes org changes aren’t personal. Sometimes it’s politics, optics, or someone else jockeying for ownership.
But regardless of the reason, it still hurts. I feel small, sidelined, and unsure of how to position myself now. And I hate that it makes me question my own value when I know the work was good and the results were real. My team doesn’t know yet as it hasn’t been announced.
I’m trying to hold onto my dignity and professionalism, but inside I’m wrestling with:
• Is this the beginning of being phased out?
• How do you stay motivated when part of your purpose just got pulled away?
• And how do you face your team without feeling like you failed them?
How have you failed your team? Are they or some of them going to be made redundant by this move or absorbed into the other Director’s team? Why would they care either way (besides missing you as you sound like a good boss) so long as they still have jobs?
I don’t know if they will be made redundant, i just know that i won’t be in a position to protect them.
Protect them from what? Does this company just generally suck? If so, you all have bigger problems.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:37
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Look at it this way. If they are similar functions, consolidating them and moving them was probably the best option they could hope for because it saves their employment. In this environment, a lot of places would just have laid off all or most of your team, especially given that a VP has voiced that they are doing similar work.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:37
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:So what is going to be your job now? Are you getting additional work? Maybe they like the work you did and need you to start up a new team. Or maybe they're making you redundant. I think the answer depends on whether you're getting new work in addition.
I had 2 teams under me, was told to just focus on the other team and they will try to bring the Recovery function under me ( which is a failing function that nobody wants or cares about)
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:36
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’m struggling and could use some outside perspective. I just found out that a major part of my job, ( the team I built, shaped, and led) was taken away from me and moved under another Director. We are both Directors, and the VP this director reported to always questioned why this team under me existed as he felt like one of the teams under this director was doing similar work. The decision was made without my input.
I feel blindsided, demoralized, and honestly… embarrassed. It feels like my scope was reduced and I’m supposed to just smile and carry on. What’s making this harder is that I loved that team. I invested so much in building the function, hiring the right people, creating the strategy, stabilizing the operations, and partnering cross-functionally. It was a huge part of my identity at work. And now it’s just gone. Overnight. And I’m left trying to figure out what that means for my future.
Part of me feels like this is a signal that leadership doesn’t see me in the same way I saw myself. That maybe there’s a ceiling for me here that I didn’t realize before. And another part of me is trying to be rational: sometimes org changes aren’t personal. Sometimes it’s politics, optics, or someone else jockeying for ownership.
But regardless of the reason, it still hurts. I feel small, sidelined, and unsure of how to position myself now. And I hate that it makes me question my own value when I know the work was good and the results were real. My team doesn’t know yet as it hasn’t been announced.
I’m trying to hold onto my dignity and professionalism, but inside I’m wrestling with:
• Is this the beginning of being phased out?
• How do you stay motivated when part of your purpose just got pulled away?
• And how do you face your team without feeling like you failed them?
How have you failed your team? Are they or some of them going to be made redundant by this move or absorbed into the other Director’s team? Why would they care either way (besides missing you as you sound like a good boss) so long as they still have jobs?
I don’t know if they will be made redundant, i just know that i won’t be in a position to protect them.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:35
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
I've BTDT, and ultimately asked for a package and left. But not after multiple conversations with the leader who made similar changes to my role and my team - in the end we decided to part ways. I think that's the best way for you to handle this. You have a right to feel blindsided, hurt, all of it. But the only way forward is to have the conversations as opposed to going by your assumptions. Prepare your questions - how did they come to this decision? Was consulting you prior to making the move ever a consideration or was it always going to be unilateral? Struggling with with it - how should I interpret this move, what should my takeaways from this be, where do you see my role in the future, etc. Just be prepared that the answers will likely be vague and evading. Ultimately it's your choice to stay and live with the change, hope that it was simply structural and had nothing to do with you or your performance or how you are seen. again - engage in discussions OP it's the only way.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:33
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Were the teams actually doing similar or duplicative work? It sounds like they are consolidating the function, so there’s probably some truth to that and it’s a business decision. Take a few days and then meet with you boss to talk about the path forward.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:31
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
First, I’m sorry you’re struggling. It sounds like they made this move without looping you in first or reassuring you that it has nothing to do with your performance. But it really sounds like you answered your own question early on: “ the VP this director reported to always questioned why this team under me existed as he felt like one of the teams under this director was doing similar work.” That’s the answer.
Again, I’m sorry you were blindsided and you sound like a good manager who is proud of your work and your team. But I’ve been in this position before as a team member on the team who is reporting to Manager A, but where Manager B in a completely different department is doing very similar work, also where the rest of my manager’s direct reports are doing very different work to what I was doing. For company efficiency’s sake, it would have been better for my little team of 3 to be reporting to Manager B. But people were afraid to rock the boat and make changes so the odd org structure that dated back 20+ years when the company looked very different was allowed to continue.
Again, I’m sorry you were blindsided and you sound like a good manager who is proud of your work and your team. But I’ve been in this position before as a team member on the team who is reporting to Manager A, but where Manager B in a completely different department is doing very similar work, also where the rest of my manager’s direct reports are doing very different work to what I was doing. For company efficiency’s sake, it would have been better for my little team of 3 to be reporting to Manager B. But people were afraid to rock the boat and make changes so the odd org structure that dated back 20+ years when the company looked very different was allowed to continue.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:28
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
So what is going to be your job now? Are you getting additional work? Maybe they like the work you did and need you to start up a new team. Or maybe they're making you redundant. I think the answer depends on whether you're getting new work in addition.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:26
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
Anonymous wrote:I’m struggling and could use some outside perspective. I just found out that a major part of my job, ( the team I built, shaped, and led) was taken away from me and moved under another Director. We are both Directors, and the VP this director reported to always questioned why this team under me existed as he felt like one of the teams under this director was doing similar work. The decision was made without my input.
I feel blindsided, demoralized, and honestly… embarrassed. It feels like my scope was reduced and I’m supposed to just smile and carry on. What’s making this harder is that I loved that team. I invested so much in building the function, hiring the right people, creating the strategy, stabilizing the operations, and partnering cross-functionally. It was a huge part of my identity at work. And now it’s just gone. Overnight. And I’m left trying to figure out what that means for my future.
Part of me feels like this is a signal that leadership doesn’t see me in the same way I saw myself. That maybe there’s a ceiling for me here that I didn’t realize before. And another part of me is trying to be rational: sometimes org changes aren’t personal. Sometimes it’s politics, optics, or someone else jockeying for ownership.
But regardless of the reason, it still hurts. I feel small, sidelined, and unsure of how to position myself now. And I hate that it makes me question my own value when I know the work was good and the results were real. My team doesn’t know yet as it hasn’t been announced.
I’m trying to hold onto my dignity and professionalism, but inside I’m wrestling with:
• Is this the beginning of being phased out?
• How do you stay motivated when part of your purpose just got pulled away?
• And how do you face your team without feeling like you failed them?
How have you failed your team? Are they or some of them going to be made redundant by this move or absorbed into the other Director’s team? Why would they care either way (besides missing you as you sound like a good boss) so long as they still have jobs?
Anonymous
11/18/2025 10:23
Subject: I feel so sad and don’t know how to cope
I’m struggling and could use some outside perspective. I just found out that a major part of my job, ( the team I built, shaped, and led) was taken away from me and moved under another Director. We are both Directors, and the VP this director reported to always questioned why this team under me existed as he felt like one of the teams under this director was doing similar work. The decision was made without my input.
I feel blindsided, demoralized, and honestly… embarrassed. It feels like my scope was reduced and I’m supposed to just smile and carry on. What’s making this harder is that I loved that team. I invested so much in building the function, hiring the right people, creating the strategy, stabilizing the operations, and partnering cross-functionally. It was a huge part of my identity at work. And now it’s just gone. Overnight. And I’m left trying to figure out what that means for my future.
Part of me feels like this is a signal that leadership doesn’t see me in the same way I saw myself. That maybe there’s a ceiling for me here that I didn’t realize before. And another part of me is trying to be rational: sometimes org changes aren’t personal. Sometimes it’s politics, optics, or someone else jockeying for ownership.
But regardless of the reason, it still hurts. I feel small, sidelined, and unsure of how to position myself now. And I hate that it makes me question my own value when I know the work was good and the results were real. My team doesn’t know yet as it hasn’t been announced.
I’m trying to hold onto my dignity and professionalism, but inside I’m wrestling with:
• Is this the beginning of being phased out?
• How do you stay motivated when part of your purpose just got pulled away?
• And how do you face your team without feeling like you failed them?
I feel blindsided, demoralized, and honestly… embarrassed. It feels like my scope was reduced and I’m supposed to just smile and carry on. What’s making this harder is that I loved that team. I invested so much in building the function, hiring the right people, creating the strategy, stabilizing the operations, and partnering cross-functionally. It was a huge part of my identity at work. And now it’s just gone. Overnight. And I’m left trying to figure out what that means for my future.
Part of me feels like this is a signal that leadership doesn’t see me in the same way I saw myself. That maybe there’s a ceiling for me here that I didn’t realize before. And another part of me is trying to be rational: sometimes org changes aren’t personal. Sometimes it’s politics, optics, or someone else jockeying for ownership.
But regardless of the reason, it still hurts. I feel small, sidelined, and unsure of how to position myself now. And I hate that it makes me question my own value when I know the work was good and the results were real. My team doesn’t know yet as it hasn’t been announced.
I’m trying to hold onto my dignity and professionalism, but inside I’m wrestling with:
• Is this the beginning of being phased out?
• How do you stay motivated when part of your purpose just got pulled away?
• And how do you face your team without feeling like you failed them?