Management Churn
It’s that time of year. Old managers are retiring, up and comers seek to advance their careers, senior management changes strategies or consolidates and requires new managers. Whatever the reason, both managers and employees are establishing new internal relationships. And often, managers tend to subconsciously favor those people they have hired themselves.
This may be because they have hired exactly the kinds of people they prefer to work with, they have past loyalties to previous employees, or they simply feel morally obligated to ensure their recruits succeed. Whatever the reason, we’ve all seen it happen to varying degrees.
So what’s the solution if you’re not one of the new manager’s personal recruits? Or for that matter, if you’re a manager who wants to ensure that you are working with the best people and are not prejudiced towards your hires?
The solution, according to Priscilla Claman, President of Career Strategies, is for employees to ‘re-apply’ for their position with the new manager. Claman suggests, “If management churn occurs above you, don’t wait for the new boss to make the first move — or worse — go into hiding until the next change in management. Those who keep their heads down lose out, and those who take initiative survive. So take positive action, and get the closest you can to being hired; simulate it.”
Here’s what we suggest. For New Managers; tell your ‘inherited employees’, you want to get to know them better and request an interview.
For Employees; be proactive and request an interview.
In either case, take the following steps. Make an appointment for the interview. Update your resume, outlining the successes, achievements and contributions you have made and can make for the new leader. Always be positive and future focused.
Make it a 360 process. Managers should use the occasion to learn what people expect of them, and employees should use the interview to uncover what changes or expectations the new manager expects from them.
The bottom line? New management is never ‘business as usual’ and it’s up to you to proactively be a part of the new regime and strategies, or suffer the consequences. Neither new bosses nor new employees can expect to rely on past achievements!
Randy’s What If’s
What if you made an appointment for an interview every quarter…after all, conditions and strategies change quickly in the new economy?