Following Your Boss to a New Job Requires Careful Balancing Act
As a child, you probably played follow the leader. But now that you're grown, is that game a wise career choice?
Not necessarily.
Joining a former boss at a new employer turned out badly for Tom Gmitter. He became chief information officer at a Las Vegas construction company in fall 2003 so that he could again work for George Langis, the company's recently hired finance chief. However, Mr. Langis left the next spring, and his successor stripped Mr. Gmitter of key duties. As a result, Mr. Gmitter soon quit, too.
Despite considerable risks, people often ride the coattails of a departed leader. The chief executives of Schering-Plough, Gap and Mirant have each tapped loyal lieutenants from prior employers for their current leadership teams.
To be a successful follower, though, you should scout for possible land mines in advance -- and quickly establish your credibility on the job. Don't presume the manager you followed will look out for your interests, advises Lauren Mackler, a personal and executive coach in Newton, Mass. "You have to take responsibility for your own career path," she says.
First, go beyond standard due diligence about a potential workplace. "Check out the culture" through extensive interviews with the top brass, Mr. Gmitter suggests.
He admits he did little homework about the Las Vegas firm and what he later found to be its "mean-spirited" culture. "I knew George," he explains. "I knew our values and culture were compatible." Now a YMCA personal fitness trainer in Nashville, Tenn., Mr. Gmitter initially worked for Mr. Langis from 1989 to 1993. He says he figured his former boss "would be a buffer between me and the rest of senior management."
Another important step is to find out why your old boss chose his latest gig, how long he intends to stay and whether his leadership style fits well there. You don't want to hitch your wagon to a falling star.
In addition, check out the career paths of the protégés he recruited to follow him in the past. "Have they gone on to loftier roles?" asks Brian D. Walker, president of Wise Group, an executive-search boutique in Fairfield, Conn. "There has to be some benefit to making the move, whether that be money, status or professional growth."
Once you decide to move, gather critical insights from your ex-supervisor about the new employer's key players so you will be able to hit the ground running. That's how "I earned my stripes early," remembers Dan Flack, a technical writer in Greensboro, N.C. In 1999, his former manager at a cellular-phone company encouraged Mr. Flack to join him at a software-development business, where they became peers.
"He told me who's who, who's blowing hot air, which guy will run with [an assignment] and which guy will slack off," Mr. Flack says. The upshot: Mr. Flack unsnarled a big backlog of customer complaints faster than expected.
You also need to anticipate resentment for being your sponsor's crony. Invariably, there is " 'tissue rejection,' which describes how the old guard treats someone perceived as too close to power," says Jeremy Garlington, an executive coach in Atlanta.
One solution is to forge bonds with the old guard so they see you as more than "Joe's Guy." In early 1998, Frank Sibley went to work for Terry McDermott, a former boss then leading the National Association of Realtors. The new senior vice president gained support from frustrated colleagues by helping them sell a stalled project. "You go from being a problem for the rest of the staff to being an asset," Mr. Sibley says. He also promoted his own ideas on their merits, he says, rather than declaring, "If you don't like it, I'll go to Terry and he'll approve it in a minute."
When Mr. McDermott retired earlier this fall, the trade group's board begged Mr. Sibley to stay. "I've made a lot of political alliances and, hopefully, proved my value to the organization," he says.
A follower must "work twice as hard to build lateral alliances" because "you are working against that [internal] jealousy," advises Maggie Craddock, a New York executive coach. A few years ago, a small Wall Street firm hired a head of fixed income who had previously reported to its chief executive elsewhere. But the new hire failed to create close ties with associates she was coaching. They groused "that the guy really didn't know the business," Ms. Craddock says, and "he never made a full transplant." Eight months after the CEO left, those veteran insiders forced out the fixed-income head.
It's a good idea to take extra measures to enhance your credibility and separate identity. Respectfully disagree with your former manager at times. Volunteer for special task forces far from his or her realm. And make sure everyone at work recognizes your unique contributions.
But think twice before following the same ex-boss twice. You risk looking like a lapdog rather than a leader. "If you're tagged as a serial protégé," warns Hal Reiter, CEO of recruiters Herbert Mines Associates in New York, "you may slow down your career."
跟著领导走也得进退有度
孩提的时候，你可能喜欢事事跟著领头的人走；但既然你已经长大成人，再在职场上这么做是否明智？
回答是不一定。
汤姆?吉密特(Tom Gmitter)就去了一个新公司投奔老领导，但结果并不好。2003年他加入拉斯维加斯一家建筑公司当首席信息长，因为这家公司新聘请的首席财务长乔治?朗杰斯(George Langis)是他原先的上司，吉密特想跟朗杰斯继续并肩作战。然而，朗杰斯第二年春天就离开公司，而其继任者削减了吉密特的主要职责，因此他很快也辞职离开。
虽然风险很大，可人们常常跟随领导离开原先的公司。先灵葆雅公司(Schering-Plough)、Gap和迈朗(Mirant)的首席执行长在离职时都带走一支忠于他们的队伍，充当其新就职公司的核心管理团队。
不过，为确保“跟随战略”的成功，你应该事先评估一下可能存在的风险，并在新职位上迅速展现自己的价值。不要指望自己跟随的老领导能为你的利益考虑，马萨诸塞州的个人及管理人员培训师劳伦?麦克勒(Lauren Mackler)建议道，“你得把握自己的职业生涯。”
首先，仅对新工作做例行的调查是不够的。“要与高级管理层深入交谈，了解新公司的文化。”吉密特说道。
他承认当时自己没怎么了解拉斯维加斯的那家建筑公司，后来才发现其公司文化非常“令人不齿”。“我了解乔治，”他解释道，“我们俩的文化价值观都很一致。”吉密特现在是田纳西州纳什维尔基督教青年会(YMCA)健身中心的教练，他曾在1989年到1993年期间为朗杰斯工作。他说自己以为老领导“能协助他处理与新公司高层之间的关系”。
下一重要步骤是了解你的老领导为什么要去新公司，在那里打算呆多久，其领导风格是否适应新公司的文化等。你不想城门失火，殃及池鱼吧。
此外，看看那些以往跟随老领导的人职业道路走得如何。“他们有没有更上一层楼？”康涅狄格州一家猎头公司Wise Group的总裁布莱恩?沃克(Brian D. Walker)说道。“你跟老领导走的话，一定要有所收获，在金钱、地位或是专业技能方面。”
一旦决定这么做，那你就要从老领导那里深入了解一些新公司关键人物的情况，做好充分准备后投入新工作。“这就是我较早崭露头角的原因。”北卡罗来纳州的一位技术类作家丹?弗莱克(Dan Flack)说道。1999年，他曾在一家手机公司工作，那里的前任经理劝他一起加入了一家软件开发公司，两人再次成为同事。
“他告诉我新公司的人员情况，谁是光吹牛不干事的，谁是踏踏实实干活的，谁是偷懒成性的。”弗莱克说。结果是：弗莱克以出乎意料的速度解决了大量顾客投诉。
你也得准备接受作为老领导圈内人所带来的坏处。一般来说，总会有人对你有些“组织排异”现象。因为你太靠近权力中心，公司的一些老员工会对你存有戒心，亚特兰大的一位管理人员培训师杰勒密?加林顿(Jeremy Garlington)说道。
解决途径之一是和老员工打成一片，让他们接纳你成为其中一员。1998年初，弗兰克?希伯里(Frank Sibley)投奔时任美国全国地产经纪商协会(National Association of Realtors)负责人的老上司特瑞?麦克德莫特(Terry McDermott)。这位新上任的高级副总裁帮助同事使一个陷入停滞的项目得以顺利进行，从而赢得同事们的信任。“你从同事眼中的问题人物变成了有用的资产。”希伯里说道。同时，他还把自己的一些创意变成同事的功劳，而不是摆出一种“你要不合作，我就去找特瑞搞定”的姿态。
麦克德莫特2005年初秋退休时，该协会的董事局恳请希伯里留任。“我在这里发展了不少盟友，因此我的价值得以体现。”
跟随者“必须付出加倍努力来和其他人建立伙伴关系，因为你的敌人之一就是内部对你的嫉妒”，纽约一位管理人员培训师麦琪?克莱多克(Maggie Craddock)说。几年前，华尔街一家小公司聘请了一位固定收益债券部的负责人，他曾是公司首席执行长的旧部。然而，这个人没能和公司高层（即克莱多克的客户）建立紧密的关系。管理层对其评价是“这人一点也不懂业务，”克莱多克说，而且“他根本没有融入新公司的环境中来。”8个月后，首席执行长离职，其他高层就将那人排挤出公司。
此外，你还应该采取其他手段增强你的可信度，并和老领导划清界限。在一些场合要礼貌地发表与老上司不同的意见，自愿参加一些不在老上司职权范围内的项目，并确保公司每个人都认同你对公司做出的贡献。
然而，第二次跟随老领导换工作时，更要三思而行，因为你会让人觉得是条哈巴狗，而非一个管理者。“如果你被打上某人死党的标签，”纽约招聘公司Herbert Mines Associates的首席执行长豪尔?瑞特(Hal Reiter)警告说，“那你的职业生涯可能发展缓慢。”
