I’m taking a temporary assignment as senior manager in one of our regional offices (I work for the provincial govenment of BC). It’s an older, established team who just lost their long-time manager to the private sector. I’ve worked with many of them before, as this group provides technical engineering/planning/property services to our field offices. I’ve got about 3 years experience as a mid-level manager, supervising a similar sized team in a field office (which I was also parachuted into, and then won in a competition later on).
It’s tough taking on a leadership role with team members who believed they would be next in the succession line. I battled a similar attitude with others on my current team and it took a good 1.5 years to smooth that bitterness over. Time seems to be the only real effective tool, and proving that I am capable (which often also takes time…it’s not like the movies with a manager shaking things up and saving the unit in one day).
I’m curioius to see if anyone on this board has been in a similar situation and what strategies they used? I can’t find much useful literature. I have colleagues in similar situations who faced it down too…but again, some just said time, others said the problem folks just quit, other offer up that nebulous “communication” strategy.
Time is the correct and only answer. Also, if you want to keep those experienced folks, never let them envy your position that they were hoping to get. Stay later, work harder. You know the rest.
Make sure that the basic goals and objectives are understood and everyone is working off a common set of targets for the next week, month or quarter and year.
If you can assess that folks know what they are supposed to be working on and how it contributes to achievement of those goals, you can gain time (like you say), step back and pay attention to what they do and how they do it.
Ensure the goals will be met, then take time to pay attention, ask questions and listen. As you see how progress is happening (or not) you can think about what you have been observing and choose your shots in terms of what you support and what you wish to change.
Get the feel of the place before making major changes, but you may find that major changes are called for, if people have gotten into unproductive patterns over time just because it’s the way things have always been done.
Keep in mind that while everyone there will be disappointed that he or she did not get the position, they will likely be pleased at least that none of their colleagues did either. You will be everyone’s acceptable second choice.
Thanks for the feedback, it’s appreciated. My boss just assigned me the task of figuring out what every one does and creating state-of-the-union report. That helps a bit with direction.