When Your Job Shakes, You Don’t Have To
- Brainz Magazine
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
Written by Lisa Sheerin, ICF PCC Executive Coach | Transforming Confidence, Communication & Leadership
Lisa works as an executive public speaking coach, actor, and fitness enthusiast. She is passionate about helping people overcome imposter syndrome and find their authentic voice to unlock career success in business and beyond. She is the founder of Speak Proud.
In a world of restructures, “strategic realignments” and never-ending change, it’s no surprise that so many high-achieving professionals feel like the ground beneath them is never fully stable.
At the recent Women In Research (WIRe) event at Netflix HQ, London, Show Up For Yourself, I shared a simple idea that landed deeply with the room:
Your role is temporary. Your identity isn’t
Job titles change. Teams get reshuffled. Strategies pivot. Sometimes those decisions are made with you. Sometimes they’re made about you. But who you are underneath the email signature, your values, your character, the way you show up for yourself and others, that runs far deeper than any job description.
When your role wobbles, it’s easy for your confidence to wobble with it. But that’s exactly the moment where a different kind of leadership can emerge, the kind that isn’t dependent on a title, a pay grade, or where you sit on the org chart.
The illusion of security: “If my title is safe, I am safe”
Many of us were quietly trained to believe that confidence comes from external stability:
The “right” job title
The “good” brand on your CV
The salary band that proves you’re doing well
So when something shifts, new leadership, budget cuts, a promotion you didn’t get, a project that’s pulled at the last minute, it can feel like a personal attack on your worth.
You might recognise some of these thoughts:
“If they’ve changed my role, maybe I’m not good enough.”
“If I were really competent, this wouldn’t be happening.”
“If I don’t feel secure here, I must have done something wrong.”
The problem is not ambition. The problem is that when your self-worth is welded to external conditions you don’t fully control, you're left feeling like you're not in control.
The truth is blunt but freeing: organisations will always move pieces around the board. The only way your confidence survives the reshuffle is if it’s built on more than the square you happen to be standing on.
Your role is a chapter, your identity holds the pen
So what does it actually mean to say, “Your role is temporary, your identity isn’t”?
It means remembering that:
Your skills and experience don’t vanish because a strategy changes.
Your values don’t evaporate because a restructure is announced.
Your voice doesn’t lose its power because someone else got the title.
Your role is a context in which you express who you are. It’s not the container that creates you.
When you really let that sink in, your internal questions shift. Instead of, “How do I prove I’m worthy of this role?” You move towards, “What kind of person do I want to be in any room I walk into?”
That’s where lasting confidence starts, not with a title, but with a decision about how you want to show up.
Confidence at work: Less performance, more alignment
At WIRe, women shared stories of looking confident on the outside while feeling anything but on the inside.
Presenting to global stakeholders while silently worrying they’d be “found out.”
Over-preparing for every meeting because they were sure someone would ask the one question they hadn’t thought of
Saying yes to everything to avoid disappointing anyone, and burning out quietly in the process
This kind of performance-based confidence is exhausting. It’s also fragile. The minute something shakes a critical comment, a change in reporting line, a tough piece of feedback, it cracks.
Identity-based confidence looks different. It sounds like:
“I may not have all the answers, but I am committed, capable, and willing to learn.”
“Even when this is uncomfortable, I will speak up for what I know is right.”
“My value doesn’t disappear because of one difficult week or one difficult person.”
That’s not arrogance. It’s alignment, knowing who you are and letting your behaviour match it, even when circumstances are less than ideal.
Five practical shifts to stay steady when things shake
This all sounds great in theory. But what do you actually do when your job feels uncertain, your confidence is dented, and your nervous system is on high alert?
Here are five concrete shifts you can make, drawn from the themes we explored at WIRe:
1. Stop over-apologising, it quietly drains your authority
“Sorry” is powerful when it’s needed. But when it becomes a reflex, “Sorry, quick question,” “Sorry, can I just add,” “Sorry if this is a stupid idea,” it sends a signal to everyone listening, including you, that you are somehow in the wrong simply for existing in the space.
Try these swaps:
“Sorry to bother you.” to “Do you have a moment?”
“Sorry this might be a silly question.” to “Here’s a question so we’re clear on the detail.”
“Sorry for the delay.” to “Thanks for your patience, here’s the update.”
Tiny language shifts create noticeably different energy in the room and in your body.
2. Don’t aim to be liked, aim to be respected
Being liked is lovely. Being respected is vital.
When your priority is to be liked, you:
avoid hard conversations
over-explain and justify yourself
water down your ideas so nobody feels challenged
When your priority is to be respected, you:
say what needs to be said, clearly and calmly
set boundaries without guilt
accept that not everyone will agree, and that’s okay
Ironically, when you stop twisting yourself into knots to be liked, people often end up trusting you more. They may not always agree with you, but they know where they stand.
3. Take agency, even in small ways
When work feels shaky, your brain wants to freeze or fantasise about escape. Both are understandable. Neither move you forward.
Agency doesn’t have to mean dramatic gestures. It can look like:
asking for clarity on expectations instead of silently worrying
booking time with your manager to discuss development, not just delivery
reaching out to someone you admire internally for a coffee and a conversation
updating your CV and LinkedIn, not as a panic move, but as a quiet reclaiming of your story
Action, even small action, reminds your nervous system: I am not powerless here.
4. Treat resilience like a muscle, not a personality trait
We tend to talk about resilience as if some people “just have it” and others don’t. That’s not how it works.
Resilience is built through reps:
The awkward presentation you delivered anyway
The feedback that stung but helped you grow
The project that went sideways and taught you something about how you operate under pressure
The crucial piece is reflection. After a tough moment, ask yourself:
What did I handle better than I would have five years ago?
What did this reveal about my values?
What support do I need next time?
That’s how experiences become strength, rather than just scars.
5. Remember, you know more than you think
It’s easy to over-index on the brain on data, evidence, frameworks, methodologies. All vital. But human potential goes beyond the brain.
Intuition, pattern-spotting, emotional intelligence, lived experience, these are not “soft” extras. They’re part of your professional toolkit.
The next time you second-guess yourself, try this reframe, “If someone else said the exact sentence I’m about to say, would I think they were being ridiculous, or insightful?”
Most of the time, you’ll find that you’d happily trust someone else with your level of knowledge. The invitation is to extend that same trust to yourself.
When your job shakes, you don’t have to
You can’t control every restructure, every budget cycle, every leadership change. You can control how you speak to yourself in those moments. You can control the boundaries you set, the way you use your voice, the actions you take to honour your values, even when the picture isn’t clear.
Your role is a chapter. It will change. It’s supposed to. Your identity, your integrity, your courage, your capacity to keep showing up, is the thread that runs through every chapter you’ll ever write.
When you remember that, the ground may shake. But you don’t have to.
Read more from Lisa Sheerin
Lisa Sheerin, ICF PCC Executive Coach | Transforming Confidence, Communication & Leadership
Lisa works as an executive public speaking coach, actor, and group fitness instructor with over 20 years of experience. A graduate of a three-year drama school program in London, she began her career in theatre and film, where she faced and overcame imposter syndrome. Today, she empowers others to embrace their authenticity and transform self-doubt into confidence, combining her acting expertise, fitness training, and passion for personal growth. Her mission is to guide others toward a life where they can speak and live proudly.
