In a cost saving move, two divisions of a national firm in two adjoining states were merged; one division large, the other much smaller. Aggie was selected to lead the marketing department for the new, larger division.
Her appointment surprised many people given that she worked in the smaller division and had been with the organization far less time than Nancy, the head of marketing in the larger division.
How Aggie handled the transition was a creative and positive leadership lesson.
The twelve marketing department members in the former large division made no secret that they were prepared to dislike Aggie and would give her the brush-off when she came to meet them. They said it didn’t matter that they had never met her. They said what mattered was that Nancy’s seniority hadn’t been honored which was how things used to be.
It was meeting day.
Aggie arrived with thirteen boxes, all beautifully wrapped and adorned with large bows. She asked her twelve new direct reports to join her in the conference room.
“Hi all, I’m Aggie, and delighted to meet all of you. I’m seriously hoping that you like chocolate candy as much as I do! Let’s spend the afternoon enjoying chocolates and getting to know one another. I’ll go first.”
Ellen bit into a chocolate, then smiled. She spent the next fifteen minutes describing her background; her hopes and joys, what made her smile and what made her frown; her favorite foods, colors and places to visit; and the antics of her two small children. There was no mention of marketing and mergers.
One by one, each of the twelve followed suit – savoring chocolates from the shared box and sharing about their life. Several hours later, each knew their colleagues better; and all thoughts of disliking Aggie were gone.
Each one took home a box of chocolates, filled with hope that their new leader was definitely the right choice to lead them into the future of this newly merged organization.
Have you encountered a similar circumstance? What did you do to win folks over so you could get down to business on friendlier terms?
For creativity to flourish [requires] the embrace of loss, the oldest and most constant of human experiences. ~Julie Burstein
There is a correlation between the creative and the screwball. So we must suffer the screwball gladly. ~Kingman Brewster
True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found. ~Eckhart Tolle
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
What a great story and example of the power of connecting with others on a personal level in the business realm. As you pointed out, Jane, many leaders will walk into such situations and focus more on defining to their new team mates what their vision/plans are for what they want to accomplish. Of course, this is very important as one thing many employees are anxious to know is what to expect from a new leader in terms of goals and accountabilities.
However, as Aggie clearly understood, the first and most important issue to address is connecting with the people you’re going to work with by moving beyond their titles or roles within the team; of getting to know the person who sits at that cubicle or behind that desk. Fostering those kinds of connections is what will help leaders to truly understand the realities/perceptions of those they lead and subsequently better communicate their message to truly get everyone on board and invested in the effort.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story, Jane.
Tanveer —
Delighted that you stopped by and shared your wisdom! Your point about new bosses prompting getting down to business without first establishing some personal connection is spot on. All of us want to feel valued and part of something, not just a robotic machine that churns out work.
This is a wonderful story, Jane, about a smart leader.
I have a “new manager integration” process I often use when a new manager takes over an existing team. Basically, it’s a facilitated dialog designed to do just what you illustrated…let people know each other quickly, and give them an opportunity to have their questions answered.
It’s amazing the things that come out in this process. Often, people who have worked together for years learn things about each other they didn’t know.
Now the chocolate…that was a stroke of genius : )
Ava – thanks for stopping by and sharing about your assimilation process. Every employer in Colorado should be working with you! Chocolate isn’t one of the four food groups for nothing! 🙂
This is a lovely story Jane and such a good example to support the importance of building trust by sharing some intimacy also.
Thank you
Barbara
Barbara — delighted by your kind words! Making ourselves vulnerable through intimacy is a huge step toward being an attuned leader. Thanks for sharing!