Page 147 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

132 Just Promoted!

core of the vision can be generated by you, or it can evolve out of a group’s
work. Employees must believe that working together is genuine and that their
efforts will make a difference between today’s reality and tomorrow’s growth
or improvements. For others to own the process, they must believe that they
are real and empowered participants.
Know in advance that you will encounter resistance from some people. For
example, Coreen’s often-expressed doubts had by now become tiresome to her
colleagues: “But how will I get my regular work done?” “But do we really have
the expertise to be doing this ourselves?” “But are we really committed to fol-
lowing through on the project?” “But do we have top management’s approval
to make some changes?” It was difficult to tell whether Coreen’s concerns were
her way of saying “I want some attention” or “I want to be consulted” or “There
are some real problems here” or “I’m not going to like this work.”
Alan, who felt he should have received your promotion, was passive-
aggressive. He went along, verbally agreeing but not actively participating.
Instead of making contributions at meetings, he made sarcastic asides. Asked
for his opinion, he passed or made a humorous comment to deflect a serious
response. His participation was only half-hearted, with no real sense of com-
mitment or purpose.
You may want to reduce Alan’s visibility because he puts a damper on the
organization’s commitment to your values of shared process and goals. You’d
like to isolate him from power and control so you can ignore him. However,
you know that won’t work. Everyone will know why you have isolated him,
even if they don’t talk with you about it. More forceful action is sometimes
warranted.
Coreen’s boss met with her privately, gave her some descriptive feedback
about her negative behavior, described how it annoyed him, described its
effects on others, and described for her the more positive behaviors he’d like
to see. He gave her some time to think about it, and he scheduled a follow-
up meeting in about four weeks. The result was a change in her behavior. She
showed her boss she really wanted to be a part of the group, and the future.
Alan’s case remained troublesome; he became increasingly isolated, and the
problem ended only after he left the firm.
In order to move ahead, you must create enough critical mass to support
the transformation. You must have commitment to the endeavor from the key