Tough Leadership Changes
What do you do when a newly installed leader has the entire team running for the hills? Have you been part of a brilliant team whose well-being and productivity were threatened by a new stakeholder? Is it just the crappy cost of change or is it preventable?
People tend to feel like it’s a binary problem i.e. that the fault lies with:
The Team: “The team needs to suck it up. Whoever’s in charge carries the can, so those taking orders need to get on board or get out.”
Or The Leader: “They’re wildly out of touch, undervaluing and demotivating the team, and destroying the company culture.”
As in all things, the answer lies somewhere in between. Here are three things that, if you give them each equal weight, will diagnose the issue and balance the weight of mutual trust and respect needed to pull off miracles.
Acknowledge that the new leader has been placed in the position for their skills, vision and track record.
They will also likely be under huge time pressure to deliver something quickly.
Acknowledge that the team in place has key skills, experiences and cohesion that have brought the company thus far, and will likely be best placed to help the new leader achieve their goal, if included properly.
Both leader and team need a proper meeting to exchange and clarify both of the above so you can see:
Where the gaps in skills/resources and goals are
What possible working practices need to change to meet the goal
How the new leader intends to martial the group - and what obstacles/opportunities it poses to team efficiency
#Authenticity is listening to each other early to avoid shouting at each other later.
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