I write a lot about emerging managers. Those people naturally stand out as leaders and are eventually placed in management positions to lead their own teams. Not all managers fall under this category, though. As a leader grows in seniority, they might join the management team in a new company, which comes with a whole new crop of challenges.
Joining an existing team as a new manager can be daunting. On top of needing to learn about the company culture fast, you'll have to put out fires in your team sooner than you think. You will fast-track leading a group of people you probably don't know, caring about them and helping them grow in their roles.
These are my best tips for when you find yourself in a situation like that:
Learn the Team Lore
First, you're going to have to do some spelunking. You should learn as much as possible about the team's history, including your predecessor's management style and goals (if applicable). Find out what your team members are working on, what they are passionate about, and their biggest obstacles.
During your initial weeks, prioritize listening over talking. Attend all the team meetings you can find and shadow the conversations, taking copious notes when people speak. How is the energy in the room? Who emerges as a natural leader? Who talks a lot, and who avoids talking in public?
You can also check with the previous manager during your handover meetings if there's an overlap. If that's impossible, talk with your manager and check in with HR until you have a good idea of the team's history and legacy.
Start Building Trust
After shadowing the team for a while, you should get to know your team members personally. During your first 1:1 meetings (you set those, right?), discuss their strengths and weaknesses with everyone and give them a chance to discuss the most pressing team challenges. Do you notice any patterns immediately (easier), or are everyone's challenges different (more complex)?
If there is an overlap with your predecessor, ask them to do 1:1:1 manager handoffs. 1:1:1s can be tricky and awkward, but they're an excellent way to set the tone right at the start of your relationship with your direct reports.
Take the time to understand everyone's role and their career aspirations. Throughout the discussions you'll have with them, get them to answer these questions:
What do you enjoy more about your current role?
What are your biggest challenges about your current role?
What works well in the team and why?
What needs to be improved and why?
What motivates you?
What are your career goals for the next year(s)?
What skills are you interested in developing further?
Do you have a good work-life balance? If not, how can I help?
Use this set of questions to help you create an outline for each direct report. Enrich that outline with insights from your conversations going forward.
Remember, trust is a two-way street. Be transparent about your management style and early priorities. Let your team know that you are not immune to making mistakes and that you value their feedback and criticism. This openness will help establish a healthy feedback culture and build trust.
Most of all, be consistent. It doesn't matter if you promised the world in your first 1:1 if you never follow through with what you promised. Avoid leaving people wondering about your next move; instead, overcommunicate until you become a broken record.
Understand the Team Dynamics Before Attempting Change
Change is tough on teams. Switching managers can leave people feeling vulnerable and anxious about their jobs, no matter how safe they might be. If you come in swinging, that unease will blossom into full-blown anxiety and strong resistance to change.
Culture change is always tricky; you must understand the team dynamics before attempting any drastic change. My advice for middle managers investing in culture change is always to seek out the "influencers" in their teams. They are the people who naturally lead others, often without any authority. Ask for their feedback and get them on board with your plan for the future. The changes you suggest will be much easier to implement if they emerge organically from the team.
Naturally, your new team members will be suspicious of your arrival and thus resistant to change. They might have liked their previous manager better and have yet to decide what to make of you. Don't let that discourage you from earning their trust.
Prioritise Low-Hanging Fruit Issues
To build momentum, look for easily fixable issues for your first few days after onboarding. Some stale internal documentation may need updating, such as the team's onboarding process or project guidelines. Or a meeting that doesn't serve the team's needs and must be revisited, like a weekly status update meeting that could be replaced with a more efficient email update. Or the previous manager still needs to share login details for an essential project management tool with the team.
Fix those "easy" issues first to start your management journey. Removing chronic annoyances plaguing your team is an excellent way to build trust and put your best foot forward. As the newcomer, you bring a fresh set of eyes, so spotting those oft-overlooked issues is easy.
However, you should avoid focusing on trivial issues and moving on to fix what's not broken. Enlist your team members' help and remove the obstacles that look easily fixable. Then, focus on more strategic changes, such as improving the team's communication processes or implementing a new project management tool. Set up a roadmap for what comes along, including regular check-ins to ensure these changes are effective.
By the way, I love the idea of a Management Bugs board, first found in Radical Candor and then covered at length in James Stanier's excellent blog. "Management bugs" are those issues that float around a team, lacking proper documentation and progress reporting. These could be recurring problems like inefficient meeting structures or unclear project responsibilities. Setting up a public Kanban board to keep track of them is an excellent way to increase transparency and ensure these issues are addressed promptly.
New Kid On The Block
When you're the new kid in school, it's normal for others to be sceptical about what you bring to the table. Unlike internal promotions, you're not just stepping into a new leadership role but also adapting to an unfamiliar workplace with its ownculture, processes and unwritten rules. Understanding how things work, building trust with your new direct reports, knowing the power dynamics before suggesting change and focusing on simple issues first will help you navigate this daunting transition.