Shell isn't the Company I joined - Oh Yeah?

It is an emotional time for many of us. And I've been listening to the expression above and similar ones quite a lot lately. Might it be true? What does it really mean when someone says something like this?
First of all, would you expect or want Shell to be the company you joined? When I joined in the early 80's everyone was saying we were so behind the times that we were still trying to compete in the 60's. If we'd stayed like that we wouldn't have a company at all today. Times change, markets change, winning companies change. Shell changes. Just as well really.
And back then, remember the old codger who said "Shell isn't the company I joined"? Did you respect him or her? Probably not, or at least not wholly. Isn't it a scary thought that you might have become the old codger?
Next, maybe it isn't Shell that has changed so much, but it is you. True, you are less naive now, but are you as optimistic? As energetic? As open? Try the words "I am not the person I was when I joined Shell". How do they sound?
And maybe Shell hasn't changed all that much, and you haven't changed all that much either, but you are just seeing a different part of Shell in a different way. The front door and entrance hall of a house often feel different to the other rooms. Maybe you are just seeing a different part of the same entity, a part that feels less welcoming just now.
It is a bit like saying "X is not the man/woman I married" or "Y is not the son/daughter I brought up". Not generally a smart thought, for all the reasons above.
So, if you catch yourself saying or thinking this, what might you be really experiencing? A reaction against change. Some loss of control. Some challenge to the self esteem. Some perceived loss of status against colleagues. Fear. A sense of loss of dignity. A desire to say something important and a sense that no-one is listening.
These are all valid feelings. Almost inevitable really in the situation many are facing. But address them for what they are, don't look for solace in euphemism. You can ask for help for many of the feelings, and find support among colleagues in the same boat and other supportive friends.
You might also have a constructive point to make, which will get lost inside a general whine. How exactly has Shell got worse? What could people around you do about it to fix it? What could YOU do to fix it? Articulate that, and you might even achieve some change.
Similarly, if you hear someone else talking about Shell changing, don't just dismiss them as another old codger (or worse still, believe them!). Probe for the ideas to make things better. But even more, think what you can do to help. Dignity is not that difficult to provide. It can be as easy as asking them questions, not ignoring them at meetings, not making them invisible, avoiding small slights, taking pains to allow them to leave their legacy behind on livelink or via lunch and learns or whatever. Be generous. You might need the same someday.