The Organic OS - Working Through the Ice Age of Shady, Transient Leadership

 
When a Cold Wind Blows Through 
All too often, team members are faced with the challenge and frustration of a new authority figure, whether they be a new boss, manager or other person with a varying degree of authority. Depending on their degree of authority, they may want to change things as they see fit and this sometimes results in a change of suppliers or new rules that have not been negotiated with the people they affect. It is as though a cold wind is blowing through and the top level staff aren't closing any windows.

In short, the individual team members are on their own to survive the new office ice-age.  Surviving such a scenario includes patience, logic, focus and steps to let your reputation speak for itself, in case there is nobody else to back you up (or, they've backed you up so many times that they feel it's pointless because their suggestions fall upon deaf ears for the most part). If you're on your own, fear not, the new office ice age is no guarantee that you will be completely frozen and locked into the 'new way'.

Anatomy of a Transient, Cold Wind

Very often, it is easy to see the signs of a 'cold air' transient leader heading toward the exit door;  they verbally express their disappointment with company decisions and they engage in obvious networking opportunities, among other activities, that will benefit only them.

Before they leave, though, they will often do favors for outside individuals or companies, and get them involved with the company while attempting to shut others out, simply because they have had previous business relations with them. This is, of course, at the expense of somebody's livelihood.

I'm not suggesting change is bad; on the contrary, change is good. But change is bad when, for example, one supplier is cut in favor of another with no resulting benefit. If the change results in worse service than the previous supplier, a mess has been created  where no mess had existed before. What a mess!

When the CTL (Cold-air Transient Leader) finally leaves, the mess must be cleaned up, but there is the possibility of permanent damage left by the CTL. So, in order to survive a workplace ice age, here are some things team members can do:

1) Protect your reputation, even when nobody has your back! Simply give the best possible service with a smile, no matter what mood you are in, and you will have an incredible amount of armor to protect you, even in your absence. If you are on your way out of the company, but not quite ready to leave, you must still do this and concentrate on how much better off you will be when you are gone.

2) Take note of what changes are affecting you and your team members. Keeping records will give you the advantage when push comes to shove. Do this discreetly, though.

3) Let the CTL know how their decisions are affecting you and your livelihood in a discreet and calm way. Point out the facts and see if they will listen to you and be able to work things out. 

4) Let your voice be heard. Request a meeting either by phone or by office appointment and bring your notes. Ask questions about new policies and procedures and get others on board with you.

So, how do I know all of this? What makes me an expert in dealing with CTL's? Quite simply, I have dealt with this situation in many different industries over the years and have developed a way of a) protecting my reputation when absent and b) have recognized the patterns and used the above solutions to correct the situation. 

The tell-tale signs of CTL's are there, and if a team member recognizes them, they can prepare themselves for the ice age and survive it.

- Buck Moore