Page 60 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

Entering the Organization 45

commitment, and control of detail. You may be tempted to make this visit
short, especially if your predecessor’s tenure was not a success. You may feel
you shouldn’t have to ask these things because you are supposed to know these
things—after all, that’s why you were hired. You may feel embarrassed to ask
the most elementary questions. This is a mistake. Strong people ask basic ques-
tions to get the information they need. They ask for help. Strong people even
ask the questions when they think they know the answers.
You probably were not hired because you had the solutions immediately
but because someone was confident that you could identify the opportunities
and problems, analyze them, and implement the solutions. The solutions are
not on your back alone. You should not position yourself as the answer per-
son. Rather, you are a catalyst for problem solving that, at times, can involve
the entire organization.
Ask your predecessor’s view of the mission, history, objectives, personali-
ties, problems, and concerns of the department. Probe. Ask in-depth ques-
tions. Learn more about the budget. Since few others in the department will
understand where the money comes from, ask what the constraints are and
how the funds are allocated. Ask what never got into the budget that should
have. Ask basic questions, even those that may have obvious answers. You may
be surprised by what you hear.
In many organizations, including the military, these debriefings are stan-
dard operating procedure. In many mature organizations, they are part of the
expected management process in leadership transitions. It is expected that the
outgoing leader will thoroughly brief his or her successor before leaving the
current position. Today, with management changes occurring as frequently as
every six months or that are ongoing in some cases, these debriefings play a
critical role in maintaining the health of the organization.
In newer or less experienced businesses, such briefings are less common.
Some businesses assume new managers will get the job done on their own. In
more age-sensitive cultures, including many European and Asian countries,
the outgoing manager or leader is more respected for his or her learning and
wisdom and is treated with more deference and respect.
A checklist will help you focus the discussion. These topics can be used in
your discussion with staff, which may give you even greater insights into the
organization’s health. The interview protocol is not very different from the
one you will soon adopt to conduct the organizational fitness check, just a lit-
tle more informal.