Navigating Change in the Great Reset: Why the "In-Between" is Your Secret Weapon
We’ve all heard the term "The Great Resignation." But as we move through 2026, Australia finds itself in something much more complex: The Great Reset. The professional landscape across the country is shifting at a pace that feels equal parts exciting and exhausting.
According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), job mobility is at its highest level in a decade, with roughly 1.3 million Australians changing jobs in a single year. This isn't just about "job hopping"; it's a structural shift. Current projections from Jobs and Skills Australiaindicate that the average Australian professional will now hold 12 to 14 different jobs across 3 to 7 distinct careers in their lifetime.
Perhaps most strikingly, nearly one-third of the workforce will experience some form of redundancy or involuntary transition during their working life. If you are currently navigating a career pivot, whether by choice or by circumstance, you aren't just "between jobs." You are part of a global community of leaders learning to grow in a new way. You are not alone.
The 4 Roots of Sustainable Leadership
At The Growth Coach, my Sustainable Leadership model is grounded in four leadership behaviours, or Roots that help us grow in to four leadership outcomes, or leaves. When we weather the storm of a career transition, we must lean heavily into the root of Resilient Wellbeing.
Sustainable leadership isn't about white-knuckling your way to the next pay day. It’s about ensuring that your growth is fed by a foundation of clarity and wellbeing so that the resulting "leaves”, your impact and success, don't wither under pressure.
1. Leaning Into the "Neutral Zone"
Most of us treat change like a light switch: you’re either "on" (employed/settled) or "off" (unemployed/unsettled). William Bridges, the pioneer of transition theory, argues that this is where we get it wrong.
Bridges distinguishes between Change (the external event, like a redundancy) and Transition (the internal psychological process). He identifies a critical middle phase called The Neutral Zone.
Usually, we rush through this zone. It feels unproductive, anxious, and "messy”, so natural instinct is to get oneself out of it as soon as possible. But what if we stopped seeing the Neutral Zone as a bridge to be crossed and started seeing it as a state of being?
The Shift: In the Neutral Zone, the old rules are gone but the new ones haven't been written. Instead of panicked doing, lean into intentional being. This is the "seedbed" of your next chapter. It is the only time you are truly free to reimagine your foundations without the weight of your previous title.
2. From "Real Self" to "Ideal Self"
When change isn't our choice it’s easy to spiral into what Richard Boyatzis calls the Negative Emotional Attractor (NEA). We focus on our "Real Self" (our current flaws, our lack of a role, our fears). This triggers a stress response that actually shuts down the creative centres of our brain, which are needed now more than ever in the age of innovation and rapid technological change.
To better navigate the Great Reset, we can learn from Intentional Change Theory (ICT). Boyatzis suggests that sustainable growth is fuelled by the Positive Emotional Attractor (PEA).
The Discovery: From current fears to your Ideal Self. How to do this when you're stressed? Ask: "Who do I want to be in my next chapter?" rather than "What job can I get right now?" By focusing on hope and future vision, you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to see opportunities that a "survival mode" brain would miss.
3. The Power of "Micro-Shifts"
While Bridges gives us the map and Boyatzis gives us the engine, James Clear’s Atomic Habits gives us the daily fuel. Transition can feel like a mountain, but sustainable leadership is built in the valleys of our daily routines.
When your "big" identity is in flux, anchor yourself in "small" wins.
The 1% Rule: Don't try to reinvent your entire career in an afternoon. What is one 1% shift you can make today? Perhaps it’s a 10-minute coffee chat or updating three lines of your CV.
Identity-Based Habits: Instead of saying "I am unemployed," say "I am a leader in transition." Every time you sit down to research or reflect, you are casting a vote for that new identity.
The Vote: From a mountain of change to 1% micro-wins. In the Neutral Zone, your brain craves the finish line—the signed contract, the new title, the certainty. But sustainable leadership isn't a destination; it’s a series of small, intentional reps. Every 10-minute coffee chat, every updated bullet point, and every moment of reflection is a "vote" for your new identity. You aren’t just job hunting; you’re building a foundation. Stop trying to move the mountain in a day. Just focus on the 1% shift that keeps your "Ideal Self" alive while the world is in flux. One habit at a time, you are becoming the leader your next chapter requires.
The Silver Lining: A Shift, Not a Disappearance
Amidst the headlines of "The Great Reset," it is easy to fear that jobs are simply vanishing to be replaced by algorithms or automation. However, the data tells a more optimistic story about the resilience of human-centred work.
According to the latest Jobs and Skills Australia Recruitment Outlook, recruitment activity is actually up year-on-year. As of February 2026, 21% of employers expected to increase their staffing numbers in the coming months—a 1% increase from the previous year.
The jobs aren't disappearing, they are evolving.
While much of the narrative is about replacement, the reality is one of creation. Some 31% of recruiting employers are looking to fill entirely new positions, rather than just replacing turnover. This suggests that while certain tasks are being automated, new roles, those requiring the very sustainable leadership roots we’ve discussed, are being born.
The "Reset" isn't an exit; it’s an invitation to step into these newly created spaces that demand high-level emotional intelligence, strategic clarity, and human connection.
Success in this new era of work belongs to the intentional. When you treat the neutral zone as a workspace rather than a waiting room, use future-vision to bypass survival mode, and stack 1% wins to build momentum, you do more than just find a new role. You build a foundation of sustainable leadership that no algorithm can replace.
Sustainable results require a sustainable start. Take a breath. Inhabit the neutral zone. Let’s build your next foundation, together.
Sources & Further Reading:
William Bridges: The Transition Framework
Richard Boyatzis: Intentional Change Theory (ICT)
James Clear: Atomic Habits & Identity
Jobs and Skills Australia: Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey Data
