How To Survive Manager Changes
When you get a new manager, treat it like a new job. Slow down your "work" and invest time in relationship building, goal-setting, and alignment.
Client: I spent years building up my reputation and credibility with my manager and her peers in leadership. Two months ago, they left the company. My company then brought in new leadership that operates differently. I’m no longer invited to the same meetings, and my recommendations don’t land the same way. What should I do? Should I leave as well?
Leadership changes are a fact of life in the corporate world. After you have been at a company for some time, you will experience leadership changes that directly impact your work. Even when they are much needed, these changes are disruptive. New leaders bring with them:
New working styles: Perhaps they bring more processes and forums from larger companies. Perhaps they prefer longer written communications. Perhaps they default more to one’s title in decision-making. Perhaps they are more visual than long-form writing.
New ideas: They change the priorities and strategy. They have new goals and ideas. They don’t value the same work the same way.
“Their people”: Great leaders often have people who follow them across companies. These are people they already implicitly trust and know well.
When new leaders join, it can drastically change the working environment. Often, that is why they are brought in. The company has grown to a point where new ways are needed. The old strategy wasn’t delivering results. The previous leaders disagreed on future direction with the board of directors. Whatever the reason, it’s important to reinvest in setting up your work and reputation.
Treat it like a new job
Many people underestimate how much they need to reinvest in re-communicating priorities and decisions, and building up their influence and reputation when new leaders join. After all, you’re still doing the same job in the same office. It’s natural to just keep doing things as you have.
However, this is where formerly high-performers get stuck and may become frustrated. Why am I not invited to the same meetings? Why aren’t they coming to me for these questions? Why aren’t my projects given the same attention?
The reality is that when a new leader joins, it’s a reset. It’s helpful to think of it as starting a new job. When you start a new job, you naturally invest upfront in getting to know people, revisiting priorities and strategy, and building up credibility through small wins. It’s valuable to take the same approach with new leaders.
Get to know them: ask questions about their priorities, how they think, what they want to accomplish
Revisit priorities with them: Walk them through your priorities and focus on the why and what. What is the anticipated impact? Why is this important? Who benefits? Why this project over other options?
Demonstrate small wins: Prioritize getting a few wins while they are new. You want them to see early on that you deliver impact. These don’t need to be big, as you won’t have time: doing an all-hands presentation, helping close a sales deal, or squashing a few code bugs.
New leaders don’t have the same context as the prior leaders. They also often don’t have the same priorities and ways of working. Rather than getting frustrated at the change, slow down and proactively invest in the ramp-up and reset with the new leaders.
Yue’s Coaching Corner
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Should I leave too?
When considering whether to leave the company as well, assess these three dimensions:
Is this a “change you’ve been waiting for”? Are you excited to learn from this person? Or does it completely change the ways of working in a direction that you don’t prefer?
What is your reputation with the part of the organization that is not changing? How much influence do they have on your career next step?
What is the market like for switching jobs? Would you be excited about following the prior leaders to their new role? Is it a favorable environment for job-seekers? Is your skillset in high demand?
In general, if you are excited about the new direction and the hiring market isn’t great, then stay, even if it means that next promo might take a few more quarters. When there is a better match between your strengths and preferences and the needs of the business, your career tends to accelerate. In the near term, it may feel slower to reinvest and rebuild your reputation. However, in the medium to long term, you will see your career take on a faster trajectory than before.
However, when the new direction and ways of working aren’t well aligned with your strengths, leaving may be the better option. Rather than your value and influence increasing over time, you may see it decrease the longer you stick around. A simple question to ask yourself may be: Would I join this company and team right now if I were considering options? If not, then it’s a strong signal to plan your exit.
That’s all folks! See you next week at 3:14 pm.
Yue
One of my biggest mistakes was not building a relationship with my new boss. I avoided him because he intimidated me. He was misogynistic and a bully. However, by avoiding him, I had no connection, had no information about his objectives and how to align myself. When the opportunity came along for a promotion, he chose someone else despite my performance. Lesson learned.
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