Plenty of new bosses are introducing themselves to the staff these days. Mergers and acquisitions, buyouts, layoffs, consolidations, and good old-fashioned promotions (remember them?) drive the management shifts. Those changes also create anxiety among the troops.
That's especially the case if you are a mid-level manager, now reporting to a new top boss. You've been carrying out the game plan for the old coach, a plan that might be modified or dropped. Everything and everyone is up for re-evaluation. That can be frustrating if you've spent time and sweat building a reputation you're proud of. You now have to prove yourself all over again.
Let's assume your new supervisor is someone you want to work for and not the Boss from Hell. Here are some tips to help you build credibility from the start.
Recognize that your new boss is looking for three important things from you:
- Expertise: Do you have the skills to take the team where the boss wants to go?
- Enthusiasm: Can you lead change, even when it means undoing some things you had a hand in building?
- Loyalty: Can the boss trust you?
Some new bosses don't want to wait to find out the answers, and instead install "their own person." It might be someone with whom they've already worked successfully or someone they see as an advocate for their vision, unencumbered by past history with your team. That decision may be unfair. You might have deserved a chance to prove yourself. It is one of the risky realities of being a manager, one I hope you don't face.
As you get acquainted with your new boss, consider the power of the following questions:
- How can I help you? It's an open-ended question that suggests a willingness to be supportive and an openness to ideas. It should come in conversations in which you ask other good questions about the boss's vision for the organization.
- How do you prefer to communicate? No kidding. Ask. Every boss is different. One wants written reports, another wants a daily face-to-face, one loves e-mail, another voice mail. Get clarity on when and how the boss wants to share information with you, and you with him/her.
- When do you want to know about history? This is a touchy area, and worth getting out on the table right away. The boss doesn't want non-stop stories about how we used to do things around here, as if only the past represents quality. But there are things from yesterday that are important from a cultural and business perspective: that late, legendary colleague whose name evokes enduring values, the union grievance or bargaining table issue that was a flash point, the lawsuit or ethics gaffe that chills people to this day. If you are the person the boss turns to for perspective, you'll be seen as helpful, not hidebound.
Other advice:
- Minimize dumping. Bosses are wary of staffers who come in and trash past bosses and current colleagues. When you so quickly and freely criticize or ridicule others, the boss will assume you're a loose cannon who'll do the same to him/her.
- Don't be Eddie Haskell. Those of us of a certain age remember Eddie from the "Leave It to Beaver" TV show. He was the oh-so-polite-and-flattering teenager who thought he could fool adults into thinking he was wonderful, while acting like a jerk the rest of the time. New bosses have especially sensitive "Haskell" radar that triggers when new team members start swooning over them.
- Expect to be asked to evaluate your team members. New bosses want frank answers about who contributes at what levels. Let's hope you have been giving continuing feedback to your team so what you tell your boss is consistent with what you've also been telling staff members about their performance.
- Give the new boss time. You might take an immediate dislike to the new person. You may be justified. But your emotions might be getting in the way of your best reasoning during times of change and stress. So make sure you have a good coach or mentor as a check against making rash judgments. Take a little time to see if your first impressions were fair ones.
I've put my last advice to you on video -- a tip for helping your new boss do something important right away:
