Supporting Wellbeing in Career Transitions: Insights from an LHH Mental Toughness Case Study

I’ve used LHH before in my role as a Regional HR Head - so this poster (at the bottom) immediately caught my attention when I saw it at the Global Mental Toughness Conference in Budapest a few weeks ago.

And honestly, it’s a conversation we need more of.

Most career transition programmes are built around outcomes:

• CVs
• interview prep
• networking
All important. But not enough.

Anyone who has supported individuals through transition knows this is not just a job search process. It’s a deeply personal and often emotionally demanding journey.

What people are really navigating:

• uncertainty
• loss of confidence
• reduced sense of control
• constant second-guessing
Yet wellbeing is rarely addressed in a structured way.

 
What stood out in this research

This is early-stage, qualitative work with a small sample - so it’s not about definitive conclusions.

But the patterns are worth paying attention to.

Using MTQPlus assessment and coaching, several shifts emerged:

✅ Emotional regulation: from reaction to awareness
Individuals became more conscious of how they respond to stress - and more deliberate in their actions.

✅ Resilience: from passive to active
Instead of just “getting through it,” people started to actively choose how they cope and respond to setbacks.

✅ Optimism: from blind hope to grounded clarity
Not everyone became more optimistic - but they became more realistic, more focused, and clearer about their path forward.

✅ Confidence: from assumed to applied
Self-belief translated into action - better decisions, clearer positioning, and more structured effort.

 
What this reinforces for me

Career transition is not a one-size-fits-all journey.

Some individuals gain confidence. Others realise they were overconfident.
Some feel more optimistic. Others become more grounded.

And that’s exactly the point.

Progress in transition isn’t about feeling better all the time - it’s about making sense of what you’re experiencing and responding more effectively.

 
Why mental toughness matters here

The value of the mental toughness framework isn’t in “fixing” the individual.

It’s in providing:

• a clear lens to understand how they respond to pressure
• a common language to talk about it
• a practical way to shift behaviour
It creates clarity - something many people lack during transition.

And when individuals have clarity, they move differently.

A nudge for HR leaders and coaches

If we want to truly support people through career transitions, we need to go beyond the transactional.

Not just: “How do I land the next role?”

But also: “How am I dealing with this transition?”
👉 “What patterns are helping or holding me back?”
👉 “What mindset do I need to move forward?”

Integrating tools like MTQPlus into career transition initiatives is not about adding complexity - it’s about adding depth where it matters most.

Final thought

Mental toughness doesn’t remove the challenges of career transition.

But it does change how people experience them - and how effectively they navigate them.

And in many cases, that makes all the difference.

 
Great work by Nithya Ramaswamy and the team (Steve Asimoudis, Kharmayne Ghadiali, Nadia Laskaridis, Nicola Cowley, Nicole Lim) on bringing this to life.

Looking forward to seeing the full report when it’s published in July.

 
If you’re in HR or coaching and thinking about how to strengthen your career transition approach, I’d be interested to hear your perspective.

#CareerTransition #MentalToughness #HR #Leadership #Coaching #Wellbeing

Check the full details in the poster below:

About Echo Wu

I’m Echo Wu, a leadership coach and mental toughness master practitioner based in Singapore. After years in corporate HR and executive development across Asia Pacific, I now work with executives, entrepreneurs, and their teams to elevate performance, navigate change, and achieve their goals with resilience and positivity.

Whether you’re building something bold, navigating uncertainty, or simply craving space to think differently, I’d love to hear from you.

More at ECHOleadershipgroup.com