Don’t Wreck the Team That You Just Took Over
You’ve just been hired to take over a group of employees. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a CEO, a director, or a manager, or if you’re taking over a team, a department, or an entire company. There are steps you should take—and pitfalls you should avoid—to make the transition to your leadership smooth and successful.
Here’s a story shared by one of our clients and a few takeaways that may help you on your journey toward better management.
What Happened
A new CEO was brought in to head up a small non-profit. The position had been vacated by the prior executive who had lasted a little more than a year, and it had taken the board months to source and hire a candidate. Despite the volatility in the executive office, the staff continued to work in harmony and rhythm, with no measurable interruption in their workflow or results.
The new CEO was already on shaky ground. He had made some questionable comments about colleagues at other agencies, shared eyebrow-raising personal information in the office, and was overly emotional with the staff. He seemed disengaged with the work of the organization, not learning its nuances and workflow, yet had made baffling financial and programmatic decisions without input or experience.
Three months into his tenure, the new CEO identified a certification that he believed would enhance the organization’s marketability. He gave the staff thirty days to take an online test to earn their certificates of completion. In their staff meeting a week before the deadline, he asked the team to see how many had completed the task. Unhappy when only a few employees raised their hand, the CEO suddenly went ballistic, berating the employees in a tantrum that caught everyone by surprise.
Two days later, after some reflection, he offered an apology for his outburst—via a brief, impersonal email. The message fell far short of taking full responsibility for his poor behavior and did nothing to alleviate the awkwardness felt by the staff after his meltdown.
Takeaways
The CEO devalued himself twice: first by his outburst, then by his feeble apology. Still new in his job, his actions branded him as unpredictable and unreliable, and institutionalized mistrust of him amongst his team. It will take a lot of effort to win that trust back—far more than if he’d maintained his composure and professionalism.
At no time did the CEO identify that early completion of the test was a key priority for him. As a result, burdened with a full workload, it’s natural that staff would push the test until the final week. Employees are not mind readers. If the CEO wanted the task done sooner, he should have communicated that clearly and concisely.
Civility works better than barking and berating. A motivational prod to finish the test, combined with thanks for those who had completed it, would have served him much better.
Everyone makes mistakes and has bad days. What matters is how we clean them up. In his attempt to address his bad behavior, the CEO missed a huge opportunity to establish person-to-person working relationships with his team. His ineffectual email sent two unfortunate messages: (1) He’s unwilling to accept responsibility for his missteps in any meaningful way, and (2) he values detached electronic communication over direct contact with his staff.
Employees need to know they’re supported. If a manager attacks his or her team without provocation, how are they supposed to feel supported if a client or stakeholder does the same thing?
Completion of the training had positive marketing benefits for the employees and the organization. However, the CEO’s meltdown and weak apology jeopardized those benefits. Not only did the staff feel resentful of completing this particular training, but they could also easily be wary of future training opportunities if that means more unwarranted abuse.
Though this marketing program was important to the new CEO, he never checked to see how the staff felt about how it fit into the bigger picture of the organization’s mission and vision, delivering it instead as a mandate and another thing for them to do. Explanations don’t always result in buy-in, but good managers always try to educate, clarify, and involve the team.
When a manager is erratic and moody, staff takes a giant step back. They are hesitant to raise important issues. They won’t go the extra mile. They become reticent, and rightfully so. Who wants to risk being the next target of an unruly manager?
Fair or not, people remember bad behavior more than good. Cringeworthy gaffes make for great stories, and victimized employees will always look for sympathy and validation when a situation ends poorly for them.
It’s hard to admit when you’re wrong. However, owning your blunders is crucial if you want to build loyalty and respect amongst your team. The very best way to clean up the mess is a genuine mea culpa, either one-on-one with affected team members or in front of the group. In most instances, people will respect that contrition as authentic and move on.
When you’re a new manager taking over a group, listen and learn the rhythm of the team before you act. Study the way the staff works together, then ease your way into that flow. Unless the need for change is immediate, don’t tear down what’s already been built until you really know the team you’ve been hired to manage.