Developing an early understanding

‘It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important,' epitomises Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

A few days back, in deep discussion with a business acquaintance on leadership transitions, an ‘aha' moment suddenly emerged.

Picture this … A team has been working with a leader who they like, are comfortable with or have just got used to. At some stage this person either moves to another job or is elevated in the company, paving the way for a ‘new' leader. There are instances where after a year or so the team rebels, cries foul and wants the now not-so-new leader to be up and away.

Senior management and HR receive feedback from different quarters and things come to a head … its time for an OD intervention

Let's dive deeper. Is this unique to the world of management? There is evidence to prove that the interest and performance of students bears a correlation to their level of connect with their teachers. The pressure of performance comes from multiple quarters, one of which is their desire to look good or be recognised by the teacher. And this is something students seek from some, not all. So if from one grade to the next, you find Math marks spiralling, there's one more place to look.

Cut back to the corporate world. A team that has been used to a friendly, consensus-oriented leader when suddenly confronted with an authoritarian one, is likely to cold turkey on the new leader. This is a radical expression, but let's take it that styles are bound to be different.

Thinking of this my mind suddenly flashed back to 1995, to a large banking and financial services company with strong HR practices in that era, and the sheer brilliance with which they managed this leadership transition challenge that could potentially destabilise business and the success of newly appointed leaders.

Companies such as this had a ‘Snap Fit' programme timed three-six months after a new manager took over the role and the team. Once the team spent some time with the new leader, they were invited to share with him their impressions, expectations and concerns. Not a ‘pack the leader off' session, but one that created an early conversation between the leader and the team, rather than letting the kettle boil over in an eruptive form at a later stage. What this gave the leader and the company was an early dipstick, to then strengthen the leader well in time.

The invitation is for organisations to make such a programme an essential part of the induction process every time a new leader takes on his or her role, whether the person is moved internally or joins from outside.

A caveat; this works in companies that have a strong and mature feedback culture, established as part of their performance management process. If not, instituting such a process is destined to fail, as team members would not be willing to put their cards on the table and the leader would receive muted signals, so much so that they might be led to believe that all is well with them.

In addition, managers chosen to drive this from the HR function should be skilled to run this programme. There is a risk of causing irreparable damage to the relationship between the manger and the team if not handled delicately. Done well, the content of the feedback can create a platform for supporting the leader in bridging gaps and building stature.

Such a process has been run with team members of the manager thus far, but I guess it can also be extended to formally or informally get views from other stakeholders as well; peers, bosses, external stakeholders. For example, in the case of an employee of a consulting firm working remote at a client site on a long-term basis, the client is likely to have a more informed and considered view of that individual, which can be used to augment the internal view

If this seems a bit incredulous, check with your new leaders and get their take; if there is an overwhelming acceptance, then it's time to get ‘Snap Fit' in place!

(The writer is founder and CEO of Carpediem, a branding and strategic HR consulting firm. The writer can be contacted at tarun@carpediem.in)

COMMENT NOW