This post first appeared on my Substack blog.
Change is a constant in tech. As an Engineering Manager, I've had the opportunity to guide teams through evolving priorities, emerging technologies, and organisational adaptations. This isn't just abstract management theory—it's practical experience I apply daily to help talented engineers thrive during transitions.
In this guide, I'll share practical strategies for engineers dealing with various forms of workplace change—from team restructuring to shifting priorities and career uncertainty. These approaches have helped me and many engineers I've worked with maintain focus, motivation, and growth even during significant transitions.
The Reality of Uncertainty
Let's face it—uncertainty is everywhere these days. For software engineers, this has been especially jarring. After the COVID hiring boom, the job market has collapsed—job listings are down 70% from their 2022 peak.1 Engineers across the industry are feeling this shift. These aren't just statistics—they represent changing career trajectories and colleagues adapting to new market realities.
Meanwhile, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot are transforming how we write code, leaving many wondering what skills will remain valuable in five years. I've watched talented team members struggle with this whiplash effect, questioning their career paths in ways they never anticipated.
These rapid shifts in the job market and technology landscape can trigger profound anxiety and stress in even the most talented engineers. Many find themselves questioning their career choices, worrying about job security, and wondering if their technical skills will remain relevant.
Left unchecked, this uncertainty can lead to decreased productivity, burnout, and reactive decision-making. The following strategies offer a framework for regaining a sense of control and purpose amid these unprecedented changes.
Focus Where Your Levers Are
When everything feels chaotic—whether from industry-wide job market shifts, technological disruption, or organisational changes—I've found one principle helps more than anything: focus on what you can actually influence.
You can't control market conditions or executive decisions.
But you can control:
- How you develop your skills
- The quality of your code
- Your relationships with colleagues
- Your response to challenges
This approach isn't just about feeling better—it creates tangible results. When you focus on controllable factors, you maintain a sense of progress that keeps motivation alive, even during turbulent times.
I learned this lesson the hard way. Early in my career, I thrived on increasing responsibilities and frequent advancement, which naturally focused my attention on these external markers of success. Of course, career growth isn't linear in any healthy organisation—it involves plateaus and different types of growth. When my trajectory shifted toward depth rather than just upward movement, I initially found it challenging to recalibrate my motivation.
What helped me navigate frustrating staffing and priority changes was adopting the mindset: "Do the best job you can with the tools and context around you." The tools and context will change. What matters is consistently delivering quality work regardless of circumstances.
This doesn't mean ignoring the bigger picture. We all need to vent sometimes! Find trusted colleagues where you can express frustration safely. Just don't get stuck there—redirect your energy toward what you can change.
The Change Curve Isn't Linear
You might be familiar with the classic Kübler-Ross change curve—that model showing how we move from shock through denial and frustration before eventually adapting. It's useful, but in my experience, it's rarely that neat. It was designed for linear, one-time events like grief and struggles to capture the dynamic nature of modern software engineering.
In tech, change is continuous, often overlapping, and driven by feedback loops, making emotional responses far less predictable and linear.
Real change looks more like cycles within cycles. You make progress, then hit a new obstacle. Different team members experience different phases simultaneously. And just when you think you've adapted, requirements shift again.
Understanding this non-linear reality helps set realistic expectations for yourself and your team.
Engineering Challenges and Value Beyond Completion
Engineers face distinct challenges during organisational change: shifting priorities redirect effort, team structures evolve, and career trajectories adjust to new realities.
I experienced this firsthand while leading several teams through our company's strategic evolutions. In one case, after an experiment-driven cross-functional team achieved its objectives, the company naturally pivoted resources toward new priorities. Later, as market conditions evolved, our team's relative priority adjusted accordingly. These shifts meant adapting to changing resource allocations and team compositions.
Initially, I found these transitions challenging—it's natural to become invested in your team's specific direction. But over time, I recognised that organisational agility is a competitive advantage and that applying the mindset from earlier ("The tools and context will change") helps navigate these changes effectively.
The direct output of our work—code, designs, documentation—represents only a fraction of our contribution. The real impact persists beyond immediate deliverables.
Initiatives I've led that evolved from their original vision still:
- Bridged critical revenue needs during transitional periods
- Reminded us to measure business impact rather than just technical output
- Made the team more resilient to future changes
Connecting your work to broader business objectives provides perspective when specifics shift. Your expertise, collaborative relationships, and problem-solving create lasting impact regardless of changing structures.
In my experience, engineers who adapt while focusing on long-term value creation consistently navigate uncertainty more successfully than those fixated solely on technical implementation details.
Balance Your Motivations
While salary is obviously important (we all have bills to pay, hobbies to fulfill), pinning all your job satisfaction on external rewards makes you vulnerable during change.
As I mentioned earlier, I fell into the trap of focusing my motivation primarily on external factors, which backfired when my career growth curve inevitably flattened.
The engineers who weather transitions best focus on building value that persists regardless of organisational shifts:
- Taking on challenges that expand your technical toolkit
- Mastering skills that are in demand across the industry
- Building a portfolio of solutions to complex problems
- Developing collaboration skills that work in any environment
This approach not only creates mental stability during uncertainty but ensures you're continuously enhancing your market value. When the next change comes—and it will—you'll have tangible growth to show for your time, regardless of project outcomes.
Talk to Your Manager
One of the most underused strategies during change is simple: talk openly with your manager about what's happening.
Be direct about how you're feeling and what you need clarity on. Frame your concerns as specific questions about e.g. priorities, expectations, and team direction. "How might these organisational changes affect our quarterly roadmap?" or "What should I prioritise given this resource shift?" are more actionable than general expressions of anxiety.
The outcomes of these conversations help no matter what you learn. At best, your manager can give you context that answers your questions. If they're also uncertain, you've still gained useful information and built trust through openness.
I've experienced this from both sides. As a manager, I've had team members come to me with concerns about roadmap changes. Even when I couldn't completely resolve their uncertainty, our honest conversations almost always improved the situation. Just naming the ambiguity reduced stress and allowed us to focus on what we could control together. As an engineer before that, I found that managers often had information or perspectives that significantly changed how I viewed certain situations.
Eliminate Uncertainty Where Possible
While some uncertainty can't be avoided during change, you can often clear up more than you think.
When things feel unclear:
- Ask direct questions instead of worrying about general concerns
- Write down what you know for sure vs. what's still up in the air
- Break big unknowns into smaller pieces you can tackle one by one
This takes guts. It's easier to just complain about feeling lost than to pinpoint exactly what you don't understand. Complaining might feel good for a moment but keeps you stuck; asking tough questions moves you forward.
Facts vs. Opinions vs. Rumours
During change, communication gets muddy. People blend verified facts with opinions and rumours until it's hard to tell which is which.
I've noticed how easily "doomsday" narratives spread through teams. "This restructuring means layoffs are coming" or "The company is abandoning our technology stack."
Train yourself to mentally categorise what you hear:
- "The company is restructuring team X" (verifiable fact)
- "This restructuring will lead to more layoffs" (opinion or prediction)
- "I heard from someone that..." (potential rumour)
This simple practice reduces anxiety and helps you respond appropriately.
Create Space for Team Processing
When your team is struggling with change, create structured opportunities to process together. In my team, we've held sessions to:
- Acknowledge where we are in the change process
- Identify specific frustrations and concerns
- Collaborate on what we can improve within our control
The key is balancing emotional processing with practical action. Acknowledge feelings, then focus on next steps.
Building Change Resilience
Change management isn't about eliminating discomfort—it's about developing tools to navigate it effectively.
The engineers I've seen thrive during uncertainty:
- Stay clear about what they can and cannot influence
- Balance external rewards with intrinsic motivations
- Communicate transparently with leadership
- Actively reduce ambiguity where possible
- Distinguish between facts, opinions, and rumours
These skills don't just help you survive change—they position you to grow through it.
The constant in engineering careers isn't stability. It is change itself. By applying these strategies consistently, you can transform uncertainty from a source of anxiety into an opportunity for development.
Your value as an engineer goes beyond any specific project or technology. Your problem-solving skills, teamwork, and ability to build useful solutions stay valuable no matter how your company changes direction. These strengths work well in any team or department, helping you adapt when priorities shift.
Let's connect!
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