Imagine this – you’re the new Product Manager, stepping into the hushed anticipation of a room full of fresh faces. Each gaze is a mirror reflecting your own inner turmoil.
Will the team respect me? Will they see I’ll add value, not hold them back? How can I prove I was the right choice for leader?
The pressure is on, and the clock is ticking. You roll up your sleeves and dive in. You start calling out areas of improvement and making changes you know will propel the team to success.
The response from the team…is not what you thought it would be. At best, you’d call it lukewarm. You even detect hints of resentment.
What went wrong?
The Mistake – Easy to Make, Hard to Fix
It’s a mistake I’ve seen even senior executives make when leading new teams. Once made – it’s very difficult to recover from.
They take over a new team, and immediately begin pointing out areas of improvement. It’s fueled by a desire to show value and inspire confidence in their leadership.
It always backfires. It’s essentially telling the team, “You haven’t done a good job up to this point, and I don’t trust you know what needs to improve to be successful.”
Ouch. And that bad first impression? It lingers, even years later.
Do This Instead
Fortunately, there is a simple way to avoid this mistake.
Learn the team’s history, first. Acknowledge that history, then propose changes.
You’ll be amazed at how a little context can shift your perspective.
Is a key metric not good enough? Find out where the metric started, how much the team improved it and in what span of time. Instead of a team lacking focus, you might find one with strong momentum.
Is a key product launch delayed? Learn about obstacles that remain, but be sure to ask about obstacles overcome. Instead of a team lacking urgency, you might find one with extraordinary resilience.
Is there a missed opportunity? Ask the team to walk you through what they have considered in the past. Instead of a team lacking vision, you might find one that is ruthless about prioritization.
Reap the Rewards
Imagine – you take over a new team.
As the team’s new leader, you first spend time listening and gathering context. Once done, you reiterate the team’s victories, acknowledge their hard work, then talk about how you will partner with them to take it to the next level.
That is a leader they will follow.
