009 - I got layered two weeks into a new role - help!
“I moved into a new role within my company two weeks ago. I was excited about this opportunity to work with a new leadership team and stretch to the next level, this was my chance to prove myself as a Senior Manager. However, I just found out that a Senior Manager from my old team would be moving into a role as my manager. This person has very little management experience and I’m worried that the layering will limit my ability to showcase my skills at the next level and earn a promotion. At this point I can’t really leave - what should I do?”
- Regretting a reorg
Hi Regretting. It can be seriously disappointing when your new role turns into something other than what you expected so quickly. Typically this happens when there are changes in flight during your recruitment process that aren’t finalized enough to discuss with you at the time of your hire.
What this means for you is that you likely need to alter your expectations a bit and have some clarifying conversations with your now-manager and with the extended leadership team.
What this doesn’t mean is that you are limited in your ability to succeed or that the organization is any less excited to have you on board. This change isn’t a reflection on you or an assessment of your potential, it is most likely a reaction to broader organizational needs or their desire to augment talent.
By having a few conversations with your manager, aligning with the broader leadership group and making sure you have a clear cut agenda, this all can work out in your favor.
Find a way to work with your new manager
As much as you can, try to see the new manager as an ally. Put aside your preconceived notions of what working with them will be like and go into it with your best intentions and assume their best intentions.
It can be a plus to work for a manager that is close in level to you. I’ve had managers that are close in level and managers that are much more senior to me - the ones closest to me provided more actual help day to day because they had time to engage.
My other recommendation for your manager interaction is to be up front on what you need from each other. This person may not have managed people at your level previously so nailing down the what, where and how you will partner will make both of your lives easier and keep frustrations to a minimum.
A framework that has worked for me in the past is to say: I’m going to share with you the strategic thinking and get your buy-in for XX project, and then as I execute it I will provide a weekly written update unless there is someplace I need you to lean in and help. Then you get to go off and do your work and the manager knows what and when they will hear updates.
Get clear on your agenda
Because the organization is changing around you, it is imperative to get crystal clear on the work and outcomes you are driving. In part because it will ensure you get the credit that you deserve when you deliver something awesome, but also to minimize the time spent wondering who is doing what or having conversations about interaction models. Figure this shit out up front.
What this looks like in practice: write down on a piece of paper (or whatever medium your organization uses to communicate) your areas of ownership, your deliverables or results for the next time period (or periods) and what is explicitly out of your scope. Share this with your manager and have a conversation about where you need to make adjustments. I like to do the first step in a messy, unfinished format to open up the conversation and visually demonstrate it is a draft vs. final product.
Once you are both clear on your core job, have a similar conversation with your broader leadership chain. Talk about how you’re excited about the things that are in the ‘in scope’ bucket.
During these conversations you can also signal interest in a special project or something incremental that would get you closer to the other leaders. This demonstrates that you are owning an agenda, and that you want to contribute to the broader organization.
Set up a useful feedback loop
You want to demonstrate skills at the next level - in order to make sure you do that you will need to get useful feedback from your manager and from the other leaders in the group.
If you don’t have regular development conversations, ask to set one up with your manager. In that discussion, clarify your goal of reaching the next level and ask for specifics on the key competencies and where you need to close gaps to get there. Together, look at your upcoming agenda and discuss where there are opportunities to showcase the skills you are working on and what great looks like in each domain.
As you go through the coming months, ask for regular feedback. Formalize it if needed or make it part of your ongoing discussion with your manager. Just make sure you are getting regular feedback outside of the performance review cycle. You need this to grow.
I also recommend having a similar conversation with the more senior leaders in the organization. Be clear about your desire to move to the next level and ask what it takes to be successful at that level. You won’t get as much regular feedback from people who don’t see your work on a day-to-day basis, but it is certainly appropriate to ask for development check-ins and come with specific questions for the leaders.
Do these things and you will be in a good position to ride out this change and show the new organization how truly awesome you are - even when they throw a curve ball your way.
Finally - a few things NOT to do
Don’t get upset about the change and withdraw from the opportunity because you don’t like the manager. If you pull back, the new manager and the broader organization will be unclear about what is going on (and possibly think they made a hiring mistake).
Don’t avoid giving feedback to the new manager - it will be better for everyone if you can find productive ways to work together, even when you’re not so excited about it. If you hold onto your feedback and don’t find a way to partner with this person you will likely end up having a bunch of resentment and a bad attitude.
Try not to badmouth anyone - yes the situation is unfortunate, but in an organization that is going through some reshuffling, it may not be permanent. Don’t let something that is likely a blip in your broader career put a mark on your reputation.
You got this!