How Getting off to a Good Start with a New Boss is Important to Your Future
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly tip for your Best Next Move – where I help you have more agency in your work, acknowledge your capacity to act, and see what you can do right now.
Last week, I shared a tip about how to deal with a “bad boss”. We’ve all had them. Bosses can be a source of learning, inspiration, and support – or not. Recently, I’ve been speaking with clients who feel that their boss does not actively support or advocate for them. This could happen if your boss is new to the organization, or if you have moved within the company and now have a new boss.
Having a new boss is just part of corporate life..and it can have significant implications for your career. In our surveys of hundreds of technology executives, we learned that the #1 confidence killer was having a new boss. You’d think we would be used to these transitions by now, but apparently, we are not.
With a new boss, there are so many unknowns: what is their personal agenda, how quickly can they learn the organization; and how quickly can you demonstrate your value proposition – one that may already be well-established with other people in the company. Your new boss may be playing it safe…. waiting to see what others think about you, seeing how much political capital you have before they go to bat for you.
However your “new boss” syndrome plays out, remember this: it’s critical for you to take the opportunity to create engagement right at the start. Keep in mind that with a new boss… everyone is jockeying for their position… so don’t be left behind while you are worrying, feeling wounded, or sorry for yourself.
So, here’s my tip for Getting Off to a Good Start with a New Boss:
Ask your boss from the start how they’d like to work together with you. For example, who should take the lead in meetings with other execs? What information do they need from you? What decisions do they want to be involved in?
This can help demonstrate your value, while also create alignment with them. It’s better to ask, to set the rules of engagement at the start – then be surprised or disappointed later.
I want 2021 to be a year of momentum for you, one of possibility thinking where you take advantage of the agency we sometimes forget we have.
That’s my tip for this week. I’ll see you next Monday; take care of yourselves!
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