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On the surface, they looked exactly as you would expect: professional, composed, and focused on supporting their teams. They thanked colleagues, reassured those around them, and left with dignity. Yet a few weeks later, several admitted they had no idea how to answer a question that should have been simple: "What's next?"
It's easy to assume this is simply confidence taking a knock. Neuroscience suggests something different. For many senior leaders, redundancy is not just the loss of a role. It is the disruption of an identity that has been built and reinforced over decades.
Key insight: The more deeply our identity is connected to our role, the greater the psychological impact when that role disappears.
๐ง When leadership becomes part of who you are
The brain is constantly updating its picture of who we are. The responsibilities we carry, the decisions we make, the problems we solve, and the way others respond to us all become part of our internal map of identity.
For senior leaders, this process unfolds over many years. Leadership stops being something they do and becomes part of who they are. That isn't unhealthy. In many ways, it is what enables exceptional leadership. Ownership, accountability, resilience, and the willingness to carry responsibility all grow from this deep connection between person and purpose.
Why this matters:
- Identity and role become closely intertwined.
- The more responsibility someone carries, the stronger that connection often becomes.
- That connection is a strength until it is suddenly removed.
โ ๏ธ Why the impact runs deeper
When redundancy happens, the brain is processing far more than the loss of employment. Status changes overnight. Certainty disappears. Autonomy is reduced. Professional relationships shift. Together, these changes affect the very social needs the brain associates with safety and belonging.
This helps explain why a senior executive who appeared calm in the redundancy meeting can later struggle to write a LinkedIn profile or explain their strengths in an interview. This is not a failure of capability. It is the brain trying to rebuild its understanding of who that person is beyond their organisational role.
Remember: Composure in the moment doesn't mean the brain has finished processing the loss.
๐ The trap of rushing the rebuild
Many transition programmes understandably focus on practical action: updating the CV, refreshing LinkedIn, contacting recruiters, and starting to network. These are all valuable activities, but timing matters.
When identity hasn't yet caught up with reality, those practical outputs often lack conviction. The CV may be polished, but the individual behind it is still trying to make sense of the transition. Recruiters and hiring managers often recognise this. They may not describe it in neuroscientific terms, but they notice when someone's story feels technically impressive yet personally disconnected.
Moving too quickly can lead to:
- A polished CV without genuine clarity.
- Interviews that feel rehearsed rather than authentic.
- Career choices driven by urgency instead of purpose.
๐ก What this means for HR and People leaders
This is why I believe senior transitions require different architecture, not simply a longer version of a standard outplacement programme. Practical career support remains essential, but it should be built on a foundation of identity, confidence, and clarity. Only then do positioning, networking, and career conversations become genuinely authentic.
Before reviewing your current approach, it may be worth asking one question:
Does your current senior transition programme begin with career tools... or with helping people rebuild their professional identity?
The way organisations support senior leaders through transition sends a powerful message, not only to those leaving but also to those who remain. People rarely remember redundancy in the announcement itself. They remember how they were treated afterwards.
โจ Career transition isn't only about finding the next role. It's about helping people rediscover who they are beyond the one they've just left.
We work with HR and People leaders on how their most senior people leave and on measuring what the exit actually produced. If this is a live question in your organisation, message me directly.
Over the coming weeks, I'll be going deeper into the redundancy process. Follow me here to catch them.
๐ References
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