Jesse Jacoby
Good things are possible when new managerial blood is brought into an organization. For one thing, there are often fresh ideas. You know yourself how easy it is to get so close to something that you can’t see the forest for the trees. You can’t see a solution that’s obvious to someone from the outside. And, of course, if you don’t grow, then the status quo will feel normal. It will be the thing that you sub-consciously pursue. If you were asked point blank if this was your goal, then you’d deny it outright; nevertheless, it wouldn’t change the fact that you were in a rut and loving it.
Another good thing that can come from new managerial blood is that it can begin to change an organization’s culture, or that of a department or unit. You see, the culture may be healthy; but quite often it’s not. In fact, one of the primary reasons that people change jobs is because they don’t like their bosses. If they’re unhappy with them, then they’re probably unhappy with the environment that they have created. A new boss can cause everyone to breathe the proverbial sigh of relief.
There’s a danger to bringing in new blood, however, that must not be overlooked; and the thing is that while it is often seen by the organization as a good thing, from the perspective of the employees, it isn’t. That’s because it implies that there is no one there already who is good enough.
While this could be true and often is, it doesn’t change the fact that there will be those who think they are or that someone else is. And the problem is that when you bring in new blood, you’re in effect telling everyone that they’re wrong.
No one wants to be wrong.
The risk, therefore, is that you could isolate and demotivate your employees by bringing in the new managerial blood that you’re convinced you need. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t do it; only that you have to recognize and deal with the potential repercussions for having done so.
How do you do that?
One way would be to anonymously “poll” those who will be supervised by the new person – to find out who they recommend. Now, you have to couch what you say carefully so that there is no misunderstanding.
If you say, “Who do you think I should promote?” or “Who would you like to work for?” then it’s likely to become a popularity contest that says very little about competence. It’s possible that the popular person will be competent; but there’s a better way to find out who is.
A good way is to identify those – and maybe there’s only one – who are the informal leaders already. Studies have shown that the way to do this is by asking people who they go to for advice or good information on rumors in the company or government organization – wherever they happen to be working. It’s unlikely that these people will be obvious to you. Instead, they could be the person you least expect. So you have to your unbiased glasses on when you go and search for them.
The point is that people are much more likely to follow someone and to work hard for someone they already trust, than someone who has come from XYZ, Inc. who no one knows.
New managerial blood creates uncertainty. It puts people into the mode of, “I have to prove myself” rather than simply to concentrate on doing what they were doing well already. In other words, new blood can lower productivity rather than improve it. That’s because people will be looking over their shoulders for awhile until they’re sure that it’s safe to concentrate solely on their work.
As long as you’re aware of this, you’ll at least be somewhat prepared if promoting from within isn’t a viable option. Of course, if you can, then it’s likely to be a more positive experience for everyone. You’ll give hope to those with managerial aspirations and deter them and others from seeking promotion elsewhere.
If the person you are promoting is new to management, be sure to provide them with new leader coaching program, such Rocket Manager. This type of program will help ensure your manager’s success.
