Happy Losers and Unhappy Winners

So at last this transition process starts to play out, after months of denial and then uncertainty. As people find their fate, traditional wisdom would divide us into two groups, winners and losers. I believe, however, there are four groups, just like Harry Potter and his sorting hat created (and, you could argue, with about as much opacity). We can use my old friend the four box model. That way we can have happy winners, unhappy winners, happy losers and unhappy losers. Winners are those with jobs, losers those without. Happy or unhappy is obvious. Like all good 4 box models, it neatly divides the population, and the strategy for each box should be distinctive. Let us start with happy winners, those with jobs they feel satisfied with and motivated to perform well in and retain loyalty to Shell. A big group? I'm not sure. An important group for Shell of course, as they have to provide our forward momentum. The key with this group is to enable them to act, quickly. They need autonomy, tools, information, as soon as possible. At last we see some launches, some new teams coming together and dragging themselves into action. This group also need to epitomise the new culture, behaviours and (dare I say it) cascade the strategy. A big part of the skill they need will be to re-motivate the next group.Unhappy winners might be the biggest group. They have a job, but are not fully motivated. Maybe their development needs have been compromised. Maybe former promises have been disregarded, or terms and conditions worsened. Maybe an ego is bruised by seeing former rivals pass them by, or are suspicious of a new boss. Wow, what a lot of reasons to be unhappy! One friend described her feelings towards Shell wonderfully at the weekend, comparing it to going back with misgivings into a relationship with a boyfriend who had betrayed her. Can things ever be the same again? Rarely. But time heals. This group has to be motivated to discard resentment and find new energy. Indeed the happy winners have a challenge - maybe more than they had imagined. A happy winner friend of mine happily started his new job yesterday by calling together a team of people with useful information to try to create some progress. What did he encounter? A less than helpful reception. Maybe he was being paranoid, maybe a bit insensitive, but he was certainly taken aback. How many times must this scene be being played out around Shell. Are you involved in such scenes? Happy losers are a smallish group but they are around if yuou look carefully, often being very quiet and talking only to other happy losers about pension planning and tax loopholes. Retrenchment always offers a chance to get out for those who can reconcile themselves to change, be ready to move on, and seek the exit. A lot of manoeuvring may be required, and Shell rightly doesn't make it easy. Having conceded a dignified exit to a happy loser, the best strategy is to let them go quickly, remembering to retain their knowledge and maybe to use their energy for transition projects. Unhappy losers are easier to spot, those without jobs who would have rather stayed. Now this is applying to the more normal job groups, this often involves hardship, and Shell and its staff councils rightly attempt to soften the blow. Moving along the SARAH curve from denial to acceptance is not easy, but this group has to achieve this somehow, and the ego gets in the way on every leg of the journey. It remains in Shell's interest to keep this group away from the others and leave their care to specialists, as otherwise they will disturb the rebuilding work of the others. This 4 box model feels potentially useful. In particular, how Shell can re-engage the unhappy winners feels a pressing challnge, but a winnable one given focus, strong communication and listening, and aware and trained behaviours from the happy winners. What can you do?If you are a happy winner, be brave and get active but be sensitive to your colleagues, especially to the unhappy winners. Be true leaders.If you an unhappy winner, first get real - you could always have resigned. Then work out the best path forward, which probably won't include sulking but may include giving some honest feedback to colleagues about your reasonable needs. If the boyfriend called Shell really has betrayed you beyond redemption, then don't hang around being bitter, find another boyfriend.If you are a happy loser, don't rub it in, stay out of the way but be ready to help if asked on transition tasks. As people who have got over the curse of the ego, you can also be generous and try to help the unhappy - winners and losers.As an unhappy loser, you have to regroup, set goals, take advantage of support while it is there, and try hard to be driven by logic and not ego. Be ready to ask for support and to share your tale - it only can help.If you are not in any box yet, keep lobbying, keep delivering, and do your best to be ready for what is coming.