Are You the New Manager? Assess Before You Act!

Starting a new job can be stressful at any level, but when you become the new manager of an existing team it can be especially so. Let’s face it, you are there because either a) the previous manager failed (which means the team may be angry, frustrated or disengaged) or b) the previous well-liked manager moved on (which means the team may be hurting and resistant to change).
 

Your leadership has certain expectations about the results they want from you, and your natural instinct is to want to quickly establish yourself by making some tangible improvements. 

STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

Before you start making the changes that you envisioned or were requested of you, take some time to understand your team and how things work now so that you can determine the best way forward. Here are some tips.

Learn about your team and let them learn about you. Have a one-on-one with each team member. Find out what’s working from their perspective, and what’s not. How do they describe their role on the team? What are their ideas for improvement? What are their expectations from you? Have a team meeting to share about who you are, your leadership style, and your expectations; open the floor for questions and concerns. Listen.

Understand the company culture. No doubt you asked about it in your interview. But give yourself some time to observe it firsthand. Read internal communications, attend a variety of meetings, talk to other managers. Look and listen.

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team, processes, and environment. What is the basis for any “issues” you have been chartered to fix? Are people in the right roles based on their strengths and desires? Are the team goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely)? What additional resources are needed? What needs to be addressed first? What can wait? Look and listen.

Communicate regularly. Change is difficult. But if people understand the “why” of change, and “how” it will make things better in addition to the “what” will change, they are more likely to try to adapt versus outright resist. Recognize and celebrate successful results. Share lessons learned when things don’t go so well. 

Stop. Look. Listen. 

Now, go!

Lead on,

Rebecca