It can be overly tempting for some recently hired leaders to want to put their stamp on the department or division that they’ve just been hired to run. This is particularly understandable when the business or unit has been underperforming. But with an all too common regularity I’ve observed new leaders enter successful situations and proceed with little regard to the foundation for this very success: the talented people behind it.
While everyone is impacted by a new leader from the outside who appears to fly solo, the most talented high performing members of the team are often hardest hit. It is usually these success drivers who have been the most deeply committed and have invested the most in time, talent and passion. So it stands to reason as to why they can become the most discouraged when trying to adjust to an uncommunicative new boss who appears to have little appreciation for their ideas or contributions. Thus begins the flight of top talent…and who can blame them?
Here’s a listing of the 5 most common mistakes a new leader can make in their first 6 months with an organizations top performers:
- Fail to invest in learning about the workplace, it’s challenges and opportunities from the team that is there. Doing so makes it seem as if nothing from the past, including successes, matters.
- Hire a management consultant with no prior knowledge or experience with the department/organization/business. This is particularly onerous if the new leader is, similarly, completely new to the workplace. Double trouble.
- Devise a change management strategy with no/limited consultation of the existing team. This sounds so obvious but alas, all too common.
- Micromanage. Especially for those top performers who are used to a high level of trust in their abilities, this is a guaranteed de-motivator.
- Adopt a unilateral decision making style. Again, for team members who are used to providing input and impacting direction, this can be unduly frustrating.
If you are the new boss, you’d be wise to invest time and resources in getting to know the members of the team you’re taking over. Sure, after doing so you may still see the need for change, but at least you’ll now have a good grasp of what and who has brought past success.
Good post. In my opinion and experience of being a swimmer in college, I can say the best way to make up motivated and the only thing you need in my opinion is to go to bed motivated. It’s never good to go to bed with the mindset of not wanting to wake up. We should never want to sleep because there is so much to do. My freshman year I hated setting my alarm clock for 5:30am to go swim, especially in the winter. As a consequence, I woke up tired and without a smile. The day follows the morning. My last three years in college were different because I couldn’t wait to get in the pool at 6am! My life changed.
Thanks Michelle. Yes, I would agree whole heartedly that the attitude that we go to bed with is often the one we wake up with. So we need to do our best to ensure that the attitude that we go to be with is the one that will put a spring in our step the following morning. One of the best ways that I’ve found to do this is to make a habit of writing down, before bed, several things that went well that day, then review these first thing next morning. This helps us to shift our minds onto our successes…and all too often we need help with this.