Subordinates

The first thought of any subordinate upon learning that a new boss has been hired is that their job is in jeopardy or there will be a major organizational change, neither of which is something to look forward to. Do not give any assurances to your staff in the first weeks on the job. The best you can do is to reassure each person that you will fo-cus on individual strengths and try to satisfy personal needs and interests.

Do not expect unquestioned loyalty from your new staff until you establish credibility and gain their respect. Until that occurs, you may have disgruntled employees in your group. If one of them falls in the category of influencer, then you can expect some trouble. Pam faced this problem when she assumed responsibility for the accounting staff in her first week on the job. It took Pam about two months to realize that her supervisor was aware of some difficult staffing issues that he did not discuss with her. During her third month on the job, she had lunch with a group of her peers and a startling revelation was made. Pam’s accounts payable clerk was the CEO’s cousin. Pam had a gossiping influencer lurking in her group. She began to filter her conversations at team meetings.

Taken From:Winning the Interview Game