How to welcome change with a new leader
Do you have a new boss?
Questions to ask as you connect with your new leader
With the amount of organizational change these days in every industry across the globe, chances are you and your team have a new reporting structure, new teammates, or new boss.
Having a new boss can be challenging for everyone, but it can also bring welcomed change and a renewed sense of focus.
Below are some questions that Integrated Growth works through as part of our New Leader Integration process. The answers to these questions can help you support your new leader and the overall team transition as you level-set your perceptions and bring awareness to expectations.
What you know / want them to know
What do you know or think you know about your new boss?
What would you like to know about your new boss? (For example: hot buttons; values; past career challenges that shaped your new boss’ thinking; how your new boss likes to receive information; what your new boss wants to be briefed on vs. provide input or decide; etc.)
What would you like your new boss to know about you or your team that your new boss may not know already? (For example: Team’s operating style; meeting preferences; initiatives; team accomplishments; what team is most/least effective at doing; roadblocks team is facing; culture; team norms etc.)
Concerns and expectations
What has been working well that you do not want to change about how you’ve been operating?
What are your expectations of your new boss as your leader? (For example: what information or support do you need from your new boss?)
What concerns are there about the transition? (For example: what might fall through the cracks; what could be unintentionally impacted; etc.)
What needs improvement that you want your new boss to impact?
What feedback do you have for your new boss so far? (For example: what should your new boss keep doing, do more of, do less of? What have you appreciated so far? What has your new boss done to ruffle the feathers so far?)
What are your best hopes and worst fears for your new boss as a leader? For your team?
Priorities and requests
What do you think your new boss’ priorities should be for the next 30-90 days? (For example: crucial decisions; organizational climate issues; critical messages to convey; etc.)
What requests do you have of your new boss?
What one piece of advice or wisdom do you have for your new boss? (For example: landmines, stakeholder preferences, background knowledge, people to know, projects to pay attention to, etc.)
Your commitment
What can your new boss expect from you – what are your commitments? What can your new boss count on you to own in this transition?
The more successful your new boss is, the more successful you will be as a result, which highlights the importance of supporting them during this time of onboarding and transition. Consider what efforts might help pave their way to becoming an integral part of the team.
Are you yourself a new leader or hiring new leaders into your organization?
As executives are placed in new roles, there is immeasurable benefit to conducting a New Leader Integration Process that allows for the team and new leader to lay the foundation for success in an accelerated fashion. This process propels the leader and team through the stages of team development more rapidly toward high performance. The impact of a New Leader Integration has a direct ROI on new leader and team member retention, employee engagement, performance and productivity, and bottom-line results.
Research Shows
60 percent of new leaders fail within the first 24 months of starting in a new position
82 percent of those new leaders fail because they did not build relationships quickly enough with their team members
A large percentage of those new leaders fail as a result of misalignment with the organizational and team culture
Outcomes of the New Leader Integration
Rapid increase in the new leader’s knowledge of the team (priorities, pain points, expectations, values, team norms, culture, etc.)
Increase in the team’s knowledge of and trust/confidence in the new leader
Creation of a safe venue for the team to learn more about their new leader’s communication and leadership style, ask questions, connect, etc.
Unearthing of strengths and opportunities for the team as a whole
Rapid integration of the leader into the culture of the organization and team
Agreement on next steps for leadership and team development
Integrated Growth has been developing leaders, mobilizing teams, and transforming organizations since 1998. Founded by Gretchen Reid, their team of highly skilled consultants and executive coaches are known for building award winning leadership development programs, facilitating strategic planning and team development initiatives, and providing executive coaching to help you achieve your greatest mission. We invite you to schedule a free consultation or visit www.integratedgrowth.com for more information.
AUTHOR – Gretchen Reid is the Founder and Chief Change and Leadership Architect for Integrated Growth. She has spent over 25 years coaching leaders and creating award-winning Leadership and Talent Development Programs, directly contributing to multiple awards for her clients, including Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Forbes America’s Best Employers List, Forbes Best Employer for Diversity, and ASTD BEST. She is an Adjunct Professor of Change Management in the Strategic HR Masters Program, Denver University, University College. (MS, Career and Human Resource Development, Rochester Institute of Technology, BA, Psychology & Business Management, University of Rochester)
