Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

Go for Evolution Not Revolution with Your Change Agenda

A significant change for any team is a change of leadership, and although it is right for you to want to make your mark, the team will always need a little time to adjust. In the rush and excitement to make things happen, it is all too easy—with your determination, great ideas, and vision for change—to ignore the team’s basic needs. This is a destabilizing time for them, and it is important to appreciate this. You will need to give them time, not only to get to know and appreciate you, but also, if the previous leader was much admired, team members will need some time to get over the loss of that person. When a great leader moves on, team members might feel bereaved.

The natural inclination when taking on a new job is to start with an impact to get things moving quickly, and while this determination will be necessary, it can be counterproductive if you have a tough act to follow. Understand that your determination to make your mark and get things done could easily be misunderstood by the existing team. They might interpret your dynamic change agenda as being disrespectful to your predecessor, as well as to them. Making dramatic changes can signal your vision and determination, but it can be viewed as an accusation of incompetence and previous mismanagement. Why else would you be making such dramatic changes, if all was well before?

Let the team know what they are doing well and encourage them to continue. This not only ...