Name: Surviving Change at Work
Author: Vanessa Gennarelli
ISBN: 978-1-952616-62-4

foreword by Cassidy Williams

Find clarity as you drive toward the next step in your tech career.

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The reality of working at a high-growth organization can be tough to endure. From product pivots to constantly shifting expectations to personnel turnover, it’s enough to cause whiplash. If this is your first (or second, or even third!) rodeo in a tech job, and you’re wondering how to stay upright amid the tumult, Surviving Change at Work will keep you grounded.

Vanessa Gennarelli brings to bear years of hard-earned expertise in this essential handbook, sharing extensive research, case studies, and practical exercises to help you find clarity as you drive toward the next step in your tech career. Along the path, learn how to apply the art of persuasion and influence, and assess organizational lifecycles for better decision-making. You’ll gain strategies for navigating shifts in culture with resilience, and frameworks for planning—and sustainably growing—your career.

This book explores:

How to plot your career path by evaluating a company’s business lifecycle
Steps for navigating shifting culture dynamics and new structures
Frameworks for gaining influence and leading through transition
How to identify your priorities and create an aligned career plan, now and for the future

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Vanessa has an incredible ability to address the tough questions we’re all wanting to ask, even when we’re too afraid to ask them—or we don’t know who to go to. In this book, she offers invaluable career advice that’s grounded in personal experience and packed with great wisdom and practical tools. Written in Vanessa’s inimitably no-nonsense style, this book is a treasure.

Shanku Niyogi

VP of product at Databricks

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When it comes to careers, there are few wrong choices you can make, except one: not choosing at all. Surviving Change at Work helps you intentionally design a career with purpose, rather than simply letting your career happen to you.

Sean Blanda

VP of content at Crossbeam

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Because of her proven expertise leading teams and her personal thoughtfulness, Vanessa understands the necessary dialogue between organizations and individuals like few people do.

Emily Goligoski

Head of research and SVP at Charter

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Change is a constant in our careers, and having a game plan to deal with it is key to survival both on a personal and professional level. Thank you, Vanessa, for recognizing the need for a field guide like this.

Lynda Smith

Former CMO at Twilio and mParticle, and GM at Nuance

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About the Author

Vanessa Gennarelli is the principal of Fortuna, a change management firm, and the chief operating officer for Raise.dev. She has led cross-functional teams at rapidly growing organizations, including GitHub Education through its acquisition by Microsoft. While at one of the largest tech companies on the planet, she learned how to navigate cultural differences, integrate new processes, and help direct reports thrive through change.

With a background in instructional design, Vanessa has a master’s degree in technology, innovation, and education (Harvard). She is a former research intern at MIT Media Lab and a graduate of the LEAD Program (Stanford Business School). At home in Philadelphia, she invests in small businesses through the Circle of Aunts and Uncles, a group dedicated to supporting local entrepreneurs. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Circadium School of Contemporary Circus.