“She wants to start having calls every night at 6 p.m.,” my friend Kara said, referring to her new boss.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Yup. She thinks that’s a good time to ‘recap the day.’”
“And she knows you have a two-and-a-half year old and a baby,” I said, as more of a statement than a question.
“Oh yeah.”
“What did you say?”
“I was tempted to suggest we do the calls at 6 a.m., since I’m awake then,” Kara joked. “But instead I asked about having them in the morning — that way we could talk about what we were planning to do that day.”
I could tell right away that my friend’s suggestion was shot down, but I had to know how the new boss handled the situation, and I prodded further.
“Not well,” said Kara. “She seemed really annoyed, and went on a whole tirade about how the ‘country club atmosphere’ was going to change. But here’s the thing — this place isn’t lax at all. It never has been. We’ve just always been pretty much left alone to do our jobs.”
From what I can tell, the formula has worked. Kara has always exceeded her sales numbers, and although the team didn’t touch base every day (which is difficult when so much travel is involved), they made sure to check in with their managers and consult them with any questions or issues.
But now, that’s all about to change.
And so, to help offer some advice to my friend, I did some research on the best ways to deal with having a new boss, and what I found was pretty astounding. The consensus seemed to be that there are two choices:
- Fall in line
- Get a new job
With nearly every article, the underlining theme was that if you want to thrive — or even survive — you better adapt to the new manager’s style. One Forbes piece even channeled Charles Darwin, featuring his famous quote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
In other words, when the new sheriff comes in guns blazing, don a bullet-proof vest.
A little extreme? Maybe. But Kara’s experience isn’t exactly an isolated incident; I seem to be hearing about this ‘new boss, new rules’ phenomenon more and more. In fact, I recently spoke with a CIO who is struggling to adapt to the new CEO’s ways. His frustration was evident as he talked about all of the changes that are being thrust onto a successful, well-run shop.
And here’s the worst part. He’s a brilliant, hard-working executive who could very easily find another opportunity, and I’m not sure his boss even realizes it — or worse, if he cares. It seems he’s too caught up in the idea of righting a ship that is actually right on course.
When I think about him and Kara, it boggles my mind. We always hear about how difficult it is to retain top people, and yet in some cases, they’re slipping right through the cracks.
And so I’d like to propose a third option.
Give the new boss a chance. Hear her out and try to understand why she’s implementing changes, and if that doesn’t work — if you aren’t heard — then perhaps it’s time to search for greener pastures.
Now here’s the second part of it. If you’re the new boss and you’re walking into an organization with solid talent and leadership, resist the urge to shake things up simply because you feel have to make your mark. In my book, there is no faster way to destroy a culture than by enacting change for change’s sake.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And unless you’re staring in an old Western, put down the guns.
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