WORK
Nothing is more discomforting than to have a new supervisor. The toils and recognition of past years just melt away. No matter how good an individual may be it is all about starting all over again. To a new manager the existing staff is a remnant of the predecessor, hence suspicion lurks in his mind about loyalty and the advice received. To the staff, some of whom may have been the blue-eyed of the predecessor, the new manager is an intruder, a usurper and a possible pain. Induction of a new manager sets in motion a galore of suspicion. The comfort zone area gets heated and remains in turmoil.
Therefore, in a situation like that, how should a worker establish a positive, productive relationship with the new boss? The real challenge is first to discover the persona and then learn to manage without kneeling before the new majesty. Total submission and licking of the boots caves in quickly and individuals who attempt this stand exposed. So the best way to address the establishment of cordial working relationship with the new manager is to handle it with outright professional behaviour.
Usually after some years of association, manager and his report recognise fairly well each other’s strengths and weaknesses. So if you have gained confidence of the departing supervisor, it is important to recognise that in isolation with a single individual you can’t discover your talent; it is only in working with multiple bosses that you discover your true self.
As a report to a new manager, it is significant for you to speedily act and take measures to comfort him of his ability to take up the challenge of the new assignment. This can be done through several acts involving your own efficiency and efficacy so that the new boss recognises that your effort is to support him in settling down and getting on the job with confidence and timely actions.
The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are. And if our words and actions come from superficial human relations technique (the personality ethics), others will sense that duplicity.
We simply won’t be able to sustain the fountain necessary for effective interdependence that Stephen Covey refers to in his 7 habits of highly effective people. The new manager with all the subtlety must be made to recognise that his leadership is dependent upon the quality of his followership that he develops. A recognition that interdependence between him and the staff is crucial to productivity must be brought to the fore, almost within a fortnight of his joining - any later than that, opinion begins to crystallise and these could very well be based upon either hear-say or simple miscalculations about people.
Any manager walking into a new role has a lot to do and his to-do list remains long for a very long time. Recognise this reality and step in with empathy to help him do the task by taking some of his responsibilities. He would delegate only upon conviction that you mean good to him. A good working relationship can be established when you start to think and do his assignments with speed and accuracy.
It is equally important to connect emotionally. Towards this end, you need to get to know about the new boss’s family, his interests, which soccer club he supports, what music he enjoys, what other past times thrill, see if you can find some commonality between these aspects with him. This however must be done cautiously. Generally speaking, when personal space of anyone is intruded upon, the defence mechanism goes up and so you may meet an impregnable china wall. To avoid such an outcome, let this affinity develop over a period of time; don’t rush head over heels to such knowledge about his hidden persona. A conversation on a shared extracurricular activity is a great ice-breaker.
There are no snares more dangerous than those which lurk under the guise of duty or the name of relationship (Cicero). Don’t consider anybody dumb. A new manager will be able to see through the excessive boasting or even suspect the speed of trying to get closer to him. It is not to suggest that you lurk only in the background and so far from the place of action that your presence and visibility remains unknown to the new manager.
Despite the anxiety to prove your worth to the new boss, remain alert to the fact that for him too the settling down process could be stressful. All new managers come with great enthusiasm to change everything. They learn with some degree of bitterness that any change will firstly have to be owned by his team with enthusiasm and openness and only then the change process can take shape. It is during these periods that the new supervisor must be handled with care and empathy. You must always remain in appreciation of his need to excel under the burden of his own responsibility.
In handling everyday life of the new manager, try and discover the preferred style of communication. Is it emails, text messages or in person discussions- what is it that is liked. Will he consider you to be efficient if you email or text him at 3 am or will it upset him? Gauge and then apply the preferred mode of communication.
Help the new manager achieve some milestone gains and wins in a short time. Bring to fore that has been in the backyard of indecision; help get it resolved, it would give him instant recognition within the organisation. Don’t pile upon him problems of the history of inaction. That’s negative. Its fallout will be ultimately upon you. Bring to his attention solutions and not problems.
In getting to understand and develop a sound working relationship with a new manager, make sure it is based on sincerity.
The writer is a senior banker and freelance columnist
