Dear Bob ... I'm an IT manager. I manage a team of technicians and project managers. I love what I do. I am passionate about project and people. My performance reviews have been strong. I don't like to roll over and agree with everything the people above me want me to do. My team, I believe, would follow me into any battle knowing I will do my best to protect them from harm. I am one of those people that everyon Dear Bob …I’m an IT manager. I manage a team of technicians and project managers. I love what I do. I am passionate about project and people. My performance reviews have been strong.I don’t like to roll over and agree with everything the people above me want me to do. My team, I believe, would follow me into any battle knowing I will do my best to protect them from harm. I am one of those people that everyone confides in knowing I can be trusted. I am one of those people everyone gravitates toward because of my incredible positive outlook on life. I couldn’t have been happier.Now, I’m depressed. I feel nauseated all the time. I can’t sleep. I’m not eating well. Why? Last week, I was told my job is being eliminated due to the department being restructured.I can’t get my boss to admit he knows what’s going on. The CIO won’t explain why he’s kicking me to the curb, he’s always too busy. I think I am taking the fall for something, and I don’t know why. I have been offered a lesser position, at a lower salary, with the department, or I can look for another opportunity full time. But should I take it? I still love the company I work for, I’m just wounded by the ‘powers that be’ and the nonchalant way they agree with everything the CIO feeds them.I know you probably don’t know enough about my situation to advice me one way or another. But, are there steps I can take to ensure “I won’t get fooled again.” Or can you point me to a path toward leaving or staying?– Reorg’ed Dear Reorg’ed …You sound like a good guy who forgot one of the most basic responsibilities of any leader: managing all four relationship directions. From your account, you managed “south” – to the people who report to you – very well. That leaves managing relationships with peers (east), those who make use of your services (west), and those you report to (north). Most likely you messed up in the northeasterly direction.What actually happened? Beats me. It might be that your boss and the CIO were waiting for you to show initiative in elevating your role instead of simply succeeding in it. It might be that your version of not “rolling over” was interpreted as being obstructionist rather than consultative – of saying no instead of exploring better ways to achieve a goal. It might be that, as you suspect, you’re being scapegoated. It wouldn’t be the first time. Nor the second.Right now the question is stay or leave.What the CIO wants you to do is leave. If that weren’t the case you’d be retaining your current salary. What do you do about it? The first step is to understand the grieving process. You’ve experienced a loss; that’s what you’re experiencing right now. As you probably know, the grieving process has five steps: Denial, anger, anger, anger, and more anger.No, that’s wrong. It’s supposed to be denial, anger, negotiation, depression, and acceptance. It’s going to take you awhile to get through it, only you don’t have awhile. So do what everyone else does under these circumstances: pretend.Stop asking your boss what happened. What’s the point? They want you to leave. Shrug your shoulders and get on to the next stage of your career. With your background, you have to have some good contacts outside of IT in the business. Meet with the best of them, let them know IT has reorganized which means you’re looking for something productive to do, and ask if they’re trying to fill a role you’d be a good fit for. Assuming you did a good job for them, it’s very likely one of them will. And spending time outside of IT is a very healthy step for IT professionals to take.If that doesn’t work, and you’re as good as you say you are, take the demotion, do the job just well enough to keep it, and spend the rest of your time and energy finding an opportunity with a company that needs what you do.When you find the right opportunity, make sure you manage relationships in all four directions once you’re there. That will create your next opportunity.– Bob ——– Technology Industry