The New Boss at Work

I've seen it happen over and over again - a new boss is hired to manage a team. At first, this situation can make people nervous because they fear they may have to put up with drastic changes or the new boss may not be as nice as the old boss and some may feel like they will be targeted for the chopping block. Uneasy feelings and secret conversations may prevail and that's not a sign of a healthy workplace.

To make matters worse, new bosses may not formally introduce themselves right away and perhaps there will be no official meeting set up to introduce them. This can further make staff members feel uneasy as there can be so many questions left unanswered as the new boss lurks around keeping tabs on the workplace and how it runs. The 'business as usual' concept simply does not work in such situations.

Further complicating things, there may be new directives put in place through impersonal emails or staff members may be subject to hearsay from others who are 'in the know'. I know of one particular situation where a new manager walked around a workplace making changes and questioning everything during the first few days of her new position, which tended to interrupt processes.

So, what can a humble employee do in such situations?
1) Just keep doing what you are doing and be confident that you are doing your best work possible.
2) If you aren't, it would be time to turn that around.

Sometimes, a new regime calls for staff members to remind themselves not to slip and to keep on track, possibly going above and beyond, because staff should aim to be seen as assets, not liabilities (this is not 'sucking up', in fact, if you are already very efficient and people like you, there would be no need to change in the first place).

What can a new boss do?
1) They should get to know people before too long to show that the lines of communication are open from the start.
2) They should get to know the 'real' processes and systems that are in place before they attempt to make drastic changes - and not simply rely on the directives from above.
3) They should avoid making people feel unnecessarily uncomfortable by communicating better with staff.

There are a few other key points new bosses should know about, but those are three of the most important that cannot be overlooked.

As mentioned, I have seen this happen way too many times: a new boss comes in and limits discussions with staff while making drastic changes without fully understanding their new situation. I know that all bosses are not the same and how can they be? But, they should invest in themselves for the betterment of the company by learning how to be a better boss, through training or coaching.

One of my favorite things to do when leading new team members is to smile at them with a warm introduction to put them at ease and find out, first hand, how they do things so I can make intelligent changes if there really needs to be any.

- Buck Moore