Reorgs can be hard. The nice part is that you have a job, maybe something new and exciting. The hard part is that you have a new manager, with a new personality and new expectations. Getting used to a new boss and a new role can be really tough, especially for someone with a lot of experience who hasn’t changed jobs in a while.

When a reorg hits you hard, you need advice from someone who has a good head on their shoulders, knowledgeable about corporate change, politics, and leadership. You can imagine my surprise when I heard exactly such advice in an ancient history course, in a lecture on Confucius.

Yes, Confucius, the sage who lived in China over two thousand years ago. How far away from corporate acquisitions and reorgs can you get? But Confucius had exactly the right words for me, and I expect for many of my colleagues and friends who are calibrating to new management and new jobs.

Are you experienced, but new to your group?

“Don’t be concerned about others not appreciating you. Be concerned about your not appreciating others.”

Did you move from a position where everyone knew you, to one where few people do?

“Worry not that no one knows of you; seek to be worth knowing.”

Is your new position in the org not as high as your old one?

“Do not worry about holding high position; worry rather about playing your proper role.”

Does the stress get to you sometimes?

“When anger rises, think of the consequences.”

Do you get discouraged as you stumble, making mistakes as you climb the new learning curve?

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

I’m sure that I’m going to learn many things in my new job, and from my new boss. Showing me the relevance of Confucius to 21st century corporate life is an excellent beginning.