Lessons on Belonging Through Change
It was painful to arrive in the UK with only a limited English vocabulary. Back in Iran, I had been an independent freelancer, earning well and managing life without anyone’s help. Here, even ordering a sandwich required a dictionary. There were no mobile phones with apps to guide me. The streets and neighbourhoods didn’t look like the films I had watched. Even the police department used the word alien to identify immigrants.
And yet, I knew my future was here, and I wanted to stay. That desire for what was to come kept me focused.
Fast forward 24 years, and life looked very different. I had a senior role in pharma, two children, a mortgage and school fees to pay. Another reorganisation arrived, but this one was different. The entire leadership team left. I was the only one who wasn’t made redundant. On paper, that looked like security. But inside, it felt as though the culture had shifted, and it no longer sat right with me.
I was torn. Do I stay because of the golden handcuffs, the pension, the tenure, the financial commitments? Or do I take the risk of leaving? Fear crept in. This wasn’t the fearless girl who had once left Iran with nothing but a suitcase and a dream. This was a mother with responsibilities, and she was frightened.
Then I remembered her, that brave girl who had faced the unknown with no plan B. If she could take that leap, perhaps I could too. I wrote a plan, not to escape fear, but to act in spite of it.
As I see so many organisations going through reorganisations today, I can’t help but draw parallels with this journey. The lessons I picked up along the way may help you navigate your own transition and find your why.
Lessons from an immigrant journey that apply to reorganisations
1. Belonging is built, not given At first, you may feel like an outsider. That is natural. Belonging isn’t in the org chart. It comes from people: the colleagues who include you, the leaders who inspire you, and the teams you choose to connect with.
2. You always have a choice You are not a tree. If the environment no longer aligns with your values, you can move. Staying only because of the “golden handcuffs”, the mortgage and the school fees can feel like a life sentence. Staying with purpose is a commitment.
3. A big enough why carries you through Challenges feel unbearable without meaning. But when you know your why, every obstacle becomes a milestone. That is what kept me going when everything felt alien.
4. Growth happens in the stretch The moments when you feel most uncomfortable are the very moments you are expanding your capacity. Growth rarely happens in comfort zones.
5. Focus forward Have a five-year plan and renew it regularly. Focus on what you want, not on what is broken. Take small steps in that direction. Progress compounds.
Final thought
Change will test you, just as immigration tested me. But it will also stretch you, grow you and offer you choices. Keep your focus on your why, and remember, you’ve got this.
👉 When you’ve faced change, what helped you find your why?
