MANAGEMENT TIPS

 

BUILD TRUST WITH A NEW C-SUITE LEADER

When new executives take the reins, they quickly form opinions about whom to trust and rely on. If you’ve spent years building relationships with their predecessors, you may feel like you’re starting over. But leadership transitions also offer an opportunity to demonstrate your value and forge new bonds. Here’s how to establish yourself as a trusted strategic partner. Introduce yourself early. Reach out within their first week. Offer to share insights about how your function operates, its challenges, and what they should know. Understand their priorities. Learn what they were hired to accomplish, then show how your team’s work supports that agenda. Help them navigate relationships. Introduce key stakeholders and share relevant context about organizational dynamics to help them avoid surprises. Support their changes. Raise concerns tactfully, then offer to pilot new approaches or gather data to help move their initiatives forward. Showcase your team. Highlight top performers and explain how you’re developing talent through succession planning and stretch assignments. Build relationships with their inner circle. Get to know colleagues who can offer insight into the executive’s priorities and communication style.  Excerpt from Havard business review on management.