Whether your company has been in business for three months, three years, or
three decades, the process of changing the corporate name (or any other major
brand identity element) is unsettling. Given how much energy, creativity,
and personal sacrifice is required to help a business thrive, people can,
understandably, become emotionally attached to the identities of their
companies. If you have dedicated a significant portion of your life
building a company called ABC, it is often difficult to imagine that you
can be happy and successful working for the same company called XYZ. Even
when you completely support the strategic business purpose being
addressed by a corporate name change and are excited by the
opportunities the change represents, it can be a stressful and
emotionally charged time for you and your fellow employees.
The main reason change can be stressful is that it requires action and reorganization. Any time you make a major life change, you need to rearrange how you operate, how you respond, and in some circumstances, even how you identify who you are. We've all had experience with major changes -- getting married, getting divorced, having or adopting a baby, buying a home, moving to a new city, taking a new job, or changing career directions. Changes like that, no matter how positive, involve a concerted effort on our part to adapt to the new identity context, situation, or environment. And making this effort is often as stressful as it is constructive.
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