What is to become of me, Sir?

I’ve had a very strange couple of weeks now. I just returned from an amazing vacation in Playa del Carmen, but returning was very bittersweet and strange.

Two days before I left for my vacation, my boss announced his resignation. He and our CEO notified his direct reports in a private meeting. We were stunned. At least I was. I had no idea this was in the works. But what made it even more shocking was that it was Thursday afternoon, he’d be packing on Friday, and Monday would be his last day. (Incidentally, I would be on my Mexican vacation and would not be able to participate in the proper farewell events.) WTF?!!! I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I will probably never know the real story.

“What is to become of me, Sir?” (Eliza Doolittle to Professor Higgins)

I’m very sad because (1) I had a great working relationship with this man; (2) I was able to create my role and provide value to the organization based on my experience, knowledge and interests; (3) I felt good about my position, because of the opportunities my boss availed to me; (4) I was successful; (5) I was appreciated and felted valued; (6) I now have no supervisor, which is not really a big deal, except much of my work is out the door; (7) I’m a woman without a country; (8) I am floating with nowhere to land; (9) I’m attempting to provide interim value, aka scrounging for work; and (10) he was the best boss in my career … and now he’s gone.

I’ve been told that I shouldn’t worry about my job; that I should be okay; that a replacement for my boss will take between 2-6 months; that they want to keep Marlene. So, it’s good to hear that I still have a job. But is it true?

What do I do? I’ve always felt like a fish out of water when it comes to working beside my peers. I had a very untraditional Executive Assistant role, where my boss actually changed my title to “Administrative Supervisor,” since I have direct reports. I was treated as an integral part of his leadership team. He was always upfront with me, and there to listen to me, and acknowledged value in my feedback and contributions. My job was definitely not a heads-down position. I suspect that the powers-that-be will start working on making my job “traditional.”

So, I’m now back at work, but not sure what to do. Everyone else has had a week to process his departure. I’m still in emotional transition. So, I’m just waiting to see what happens next. There are some internal and external opportunities that may be available to me. I’d rather stay with this company, but I need a job and am willing to leave.

Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry but I'm still crying ... a little.