Four tips for managing a new boss

The new boss will certainly be different from your former boss. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK

What you need to know:

  • Once a new boss gets his feet properly under the table, change will be inevitable, so be prepared to adapt. As you do that, focus on turning your grievances into suggestions.

  • Good communication at the workplace is an essential skill. You will need to learn how to communicate with your new boss.

  • Do not make comparisons or expect operations to run as they previously did. There might be new changes.

Getting a new boss can be nerve-racking. I mean, you’ve already figured out how to work with your current manager. You know how long it takes before he responds to an e-mail, and can even predict his reaction to the pitch you have.

But nobody stays in the same position forever. From time to time you will get a new boss, and such appointments bring about some anxiety and uncertainty.

How you adapt to and relate with this new supervisor will determine the direction your career will take. Remember that working for, or with someone new is an opportunity, so don’t take too much time mourning your old boss’s departure. This new person can push you to grow. Here are seven tips to ease the transition with your new boss.

Know their style

The new boss will certainly be different from your former boss. Do not make comparisons or expect operations to run as they previously did. There might be new changes.

Perminus Wainaina, the head of recruitment at Corporate Staffing Limited, says that you must understand what your new boss considers important.

“Quickly study their working style, their temperament, and familiarise yourself with their long and short term goals,” he says.

Family talk

Perhaps your former manager didn’t mind discussing his personal life with you, but don’t assume that your new boss will appreciate your daily rants about your errant family members. Not everyone is comfortable about discussing their personal lives with strangers.

“Don’t go asking your new boss how his or her family is, or if he or she has children, and where they go to school or what they do. The boss might feel as though you are intruding on his privacy,” says Ken Munyua, a human resource practitioner at People Centric, a local recruitment firm.

In the same vein, know your boundaries. Even if the new boss appears to be friendly, do not get too familiar with him.

“Be professional even in your discussions, otherwise you could end up breaching work ethics, and the new boss will readily punish you for it.

Turn complaints into suggestions

Once a new boss gets his feet properly under the table, change will be inevitable, so be prepared to adapt. As you do that, focus on turning your grievances into suggestions.

“Take whatever you are unhappy about at the workplace and formulate a possible solution. For example, if you never get minutes from the staff meeting, you could say, ‘what if we used the first agenda slot at next week’s staff meeting to decide how we’re going to distribute minutes every week?’ instead of ‘staff meetings never get distributed around here!’” says Liz Ryan, a human resource expert and the author of Reinvention Roadmap.

Self-examination

If things are not going as expected, you may need to take a closer look at yourself. Don’t just fly off the handle if, for instance, you had been anticipating a promotion and the new boss didn’t approve of it. “You need to find out why you weren’t considered for the promotion. Could it be that your new boss has found out that you need some further training or to gain more experience before you can take on a bigger responsibility?” poses Perminus.

Seek their perspective

Incorporate your new boss’s input as often as you can.

“An employee who wants to thrive will always consider their manager’s point of view. The boss’s perspective will help you understand their plan, strategy and target better,” says Liz.

Communication style

Good communication at the workplace is an essential skill. You will need to learn how to communicate with your new boss. Ken says that the best way to adapt is by knowing how they like to communicate.

“There are bosses who don’t like to engage in after-work manager-employee discourse. There are others who are more cordial and open to conversations in the mornings, while others like to keep to themselves during morning hours, but are quite amiable in the evenings,” says Ken.

There are bosses who don’t like to be called on their private numbers, or who don’t like receiving too many calls from their employees.

“You must know if your boss welcomes calls, text messages, or prefers lengthy e-mail correspondences,” says Ken.