How to Stand Tall In the Big Shoes Of Your Predecessor
How can you shine when you replace a star?
Brian D. Newby learned the hard way. Appointed Election Commissioner for Johnson County, Kan., in January 2005, he took over from Connie Schmidt, a nine-year veteran nationally known for her innovations. She didn't leave right away, however. She moved into an adjacent conference room, intending to spend a month helping him handle three imminent mail ballots on the same day.
But the transition proved awkward. "The longer I stayed there, the more painful it was," Ms. Schmidt recalls. Staffers kept asking her questions that Mr. Newby was too new to answer. It looked like "I was continuing to lead the ship," she says.
She left after two weeks.
When a thorny issue arose days later, Mr. Newby, a former executive at a software start-up and at Sprint, rejected an employee's suggestion that he call Ms. Schmidt. "We have to figure it out," he asserted.
It is far tougher to succeed a success than a failure. You must fill her oversized shoes, keep her winning team happy -- and make your mark without harming a valued legacy. "The worst thing you can do is simply emulate your predecessor," cautions Rich Wellins, a senior vice president at Development Dimensions International, a human-resources consultancy in Bridgeville, Pa.
To excel in such a touchy situation, get a firm grasp of upper management's expectations. "Without trashing your predecessor, ask where they feel improvements are needed. Set goals in these areas," advises Marie McIntyre, an Atlanta organizational psychologist and executive coach.
Then, begin to pursue your agenda -- slowly. Rapid change may foment rebellion in the ranks. Two years ago, a health-care concern promoted a man to district manager of his region's best sales office. He immediately criticized his predecessor for being too lax, demanded extra reports from his salespeople and accompanied them during sales calls. He even interrupted their chats with customers.
Angry reps complained to HR officials. "They just wanted to do their jobs and be left alone," remembers Dr. McIntyre, subsequently hired to mediate the conflict.
It's important to forge bonds with your lieutenants from the start. Build rapport by talking frankly about yourself and praising your forerunner when you describe how you will enhance his achievements.
A field vice president at a high-tech company held a New Manager Assimilation Meeting weeks after he inherited a corporate role from a woman so well liked that several employees cried when she introduced him. During the session, he took the unusual step of showing slides from his high-school yearbook and family picture album. "It helped break down the initial concerns and unknown aspects of this new person coming in," he reports.
The upshot: all seven lieutenants have stuck with him since his October 2002 arrival.
William J. White wishes he had made more personal contact with his new staff when he took over from a widely admired division leader at Mead, a paper-goods maker now called MeadWestvaco, based in Stamford, Conn.
In hindsight, he would have sent each a note describing his managerial style and values ahead of his private meetings with the seven subordinates. "It would have indicated to the employees that I was willing to talk about myself," and further cement ties, he says. The notes also might have eased their feelings of uncertainty and instability.
As it was, some staffers who didn't feel they knew Mr. White well -- and so didn't trust his leadership -- complained to their beloved former superior about his plans to shrink the division's product line-up. Fortunately for Mr. White, the ex-boss headed off a clash. He told the disgruntled staffers, "Go talk to Bill," Mr. White recalls. "People got the message."
The division ended up flourishing under the new boss's command. Mr. White later became CEO of Bell & Howell, wrote a book called "From Day One" and now teaches industrial engineering at Northwestern University.
You can also fill your predecessor's big boots by finding ways for the winning team to win again. That, too, takes a united front.
"Do it collaboratively. Design a future together," urges Grant Levitan, managing director of the Chicago office for executive-coaching firm RHR International.
Mr. Newby decided to involve his entire team in running elections for the biggest county in Kansas. "I wanted it to be 16 stars, rather than one star and 15 support people," he explains.
He inaugurated Monday-morning staff meetings and opened other sessions to anyone with something to contribute.
Now, he and his team jointly figure out "what needs to change." reports Karen Browning, an assistant election commissioner who has worked there 38 years. "He's a super boss."
如何不被明星前任的光芒掩盖
如果你的前任是一颗闪亮的明星，你如何才能不被他的光芒所掩盖呢？
布莱恩?纽比(Brian D. Newby)在这个问题上就有过惨痛的教训。他在2005年1月被任命为堪萨斯州约翰逊镇的竞选委员会委员，接替康妮?施密特(Connie Schmidt)的职位。施密特在这个位置上干了9年，她的创新成果在全美都小有名气。不过，她并没有立即离开委员会，而是搬到了隔壁的会议室，想花上一个月的事件帮助纽比处理即将在同一天举行的三次邮寄投票工作。
然而，工作交接进行得十分糟糕，“我呆在这里的时间越长，感觉就越难受，”施密特回忆说。工作人员不断向她问各种各样纽比还不太熟悉、无法回答的问题，“就好像我还是这里的领导一样，”她说。
她在两周后离开了委员会。
她走后，每当遇到棘手的问题时，有人就会建议纽比给施密特打电话咨询，但每每都遭到纽比的拒绝。他坚持认为，“我们必须自己想办法。”纽比曾在一家软件初创公司的管理层任职。
接替一个成功的前任远比接替一个失败的前任困难得多。你必须要努力达到她的高度、让她留下的那个成功的团队满意，你在取得成绩的同时还不能损害她留下的宝贵财富。“最糟糕的事情就是你只会简单地模仿你的前任”，人力资源顾问公司Development Dimensions International副总裁里奇?韦林斯(Rich Wellins)这样警告道。
要想在如此艰难的情况下超越前任，你需要牢牢把握上级对你的期望。“在避免把前任贬得一钱不值的前提下，征询你上级的意见，看还有哪些地方需要改进，并为此设定目标，”亚特兰大组织行为心理学家、管理人员培训师玛丽?麦金泰尔(Marie McIntyre)这样建议道。
之后，根据目标开始逐步采取措施，但步伐一定不能太快，急剧的变化可能会引起下属的反感。两年前，一家医疗公司任命一位区域经理负责他所在地区最好的销售部门。上任伊始，这位经理立即指责其前任管理过于宽松，要求销售人员提交更多的报告，还和他们一起去拜访客户，甚至在会谈时不时打断销售人员与顾客之间的谈话。
被惹恼的销售人员纷纷跑到人力资源部告状，“他们只想安安静静地做好自己的工作，”麦金泰尔说，他后来被这家公司请来帮助调解这一纠纷。
从一开始就和下属们搞好关系非常重要，为此你应当诚恳地向他们介绍你自己，在谈到如何进一步提高前任业已取得的成绩时，你首先应当对他表示出赞赏。
一家高科技公司的商务副总裁被公司委以新的职务，他的前任深受员工的爱戴，在她介绍这位新经理时，有几位员工甚至留下了眼泪。后来这位新经理召开了一次员工见面会，他别出心裁地用高中时代的校园记录和家庭相册制作了一套幻灯片，在会上放映给大家看，“这有助于消除员工们最初产生的焦虑，让他们能了解这位新人，”他说。
这一著很奏效，自从他2002年10月上任以来，原有的7名下属无一离开。
威廉?怀特(William J. White)在斯坦福德一家名为MeadWestvaco的纸制品制造企业任职，他从一位广受尊敬的部门负责人手中接过了权利棒，在他看来，当时要是能有更多机会和新下属接触就好了。
他事后才意识到，与7名下属私下会面前，他应该将他的管理风格和价值观写下来逐一发给他们。“这应该能向他们传递出这样的信号：我愿意谈论自己，也愿意进一步拉近彼此的距离。”这样做可能还有助于消除下属们对他的疑虑和产生的不稳定感。
然而现实情况是，部分员工感觉并不了解怀特，因此也就无法信服他的领导，这些员工还向他们喜欢的前任上级抱怨怀特收缩产品线的计划。然而幸运的是，这位前任并没有任由冲突发展起来，他对这些员工说：“回去和怀特谈谈吧，”怀特回忆说，“员工们这下就知道该怎样办了。”
最后，这个部门在新老板的领导下业务蒸蒸日上。怀特后来还成为了Bell & Howell的首席执行长，并写了一本名为《从第一天开始》(From Day One)的书。他现在在西北大学(Northwestern University)教授工业工程学。
你还可以想方设法让这只胜利的团队再打一次胜仗，好让自己能与成功的前任平起平坐。不过也也需要团队的团结协作。
管理培训公司RHR International驻芝加哥办事处的董事总经理格兰特?莱维坦(Grant Levitan)建议，整个部门要团结一致，共同规划未来发展方向。
纽比决定发动小组所有的成员都参与约翰逊镇的选举工作，他解释说，我希望能出现16朵红花，而不是一朵红花、15个绿叶。
他首创了周一的员工会议，并与那些提供建议意见的人进行各种面谈。
卡伦?布朗宁(Karen Browning)是选举委员助理，在那里干了32年，她说，如今，纽比正在和他的团队共同制定改革目标，他真是一个了不起的老板。
