At the Tate gallery in London, there is a painting by Francis Picabia that represents a modernist portrait of a doctor holding a skull. Nothing unusual for the period of cubism during which it was painted. What sets this painting apart is the story of its creation. Francis first painted a somewhatrealistic portrait of a doctor which he couldn’t sell. Then he reworked the painting and instead of the doctor’s head, he painted tentacles coming out of something resembling a head. He managed to sell this version of the painting.

The painting reminded me of the expression“commercial breaking in” I came across at the beginning of my career in the early nineties. It refers to the moment of encountering the reality of the current life, a moment of sudden and often painful adjustment to the new reality.

Creating a new identity is a process that requires time to assimilate the old one and gradually accept the new one. If the process is too fast, the person will still walk in the shoes of the old role with little confidence in the new role. A junior person in the organization showing excellent results will be promoted to manager in a short amount of time. The book of experiencecreated in the previous position is unfinished and has already experienced the fate of being shelved and forgotten. It is replaced by the first chapter of the new book. Even if everything seems fine on the outside, the person feels confused deep down inside.

Big jumps in careers can bring challenges in the field of mental health, both for the individual and the organization. The organization expects the success from the previous position to be repeated, and the rookie manager feels like walking on unstable ground.

Making decisions requires support from within the person, as well as from outside – the organization itself. If there is no support, anxiety arises that will negatively affect both the individual and the company. Creating a new identity requires time and space for development. The book experience made by the old identity should be gradually built up and shelved. Occasionally, it should be taken off the shelf, so the person can remind themself of all the good it holds within – this will also help with the creation of the new book.