The Idea in Brief
When a new CEO arrives, most senior executives worry about their jobs. Rightly so: chances are high they’ll soon find themselves out the door. Worse, they’re likely to land in a lower position or work in a smaller firm.
How to avoid these fates? Accept that many new CEOs make people decisions within 60 days—so first impressions count, say Kevin Coyne and Edward Coyne, Sr. If you want to stay, let your new chief know you’re ready to be on the team, and ask how you can help realize his vision. Then demonstrate your support through additional means—such as mirroring his working style and presenting an honest game plan for your area of responsibility.
The danger of being pushed out by a new CEO is real. But so are the opportunities—if you swiftly establish your value when the new chief arrives.
The Idea in Practice
The authors suggest these strategies for making a good first impression on your new CEO:
Show Your Goodwill
Absent strong signals from you, the new CEO will draw his own conclusions about your views. Take the initiative to talk about your responsibilities with him and your willingness to help him realize his vision.
Leave Your Baggage at the Door
Don’t burden the new chief with talk about any aspects of your own agenda—including your compensation, long-term plans at the company, or conflicts with other executives. And counsel your spouse to be scrupulously politic about your agenda.
Study the New CEO’s Working Style
It’s difficult to discern your new boss’s proclivities through observation. Ask about them directly.
One plainspoken executive who gossips predicted would be an early casualty of the new regime asked his CEO how she wanted him to disagree with her. Specifically, “What kinds of facts—frontline stories or statistics—cause you to change your mind? Can I disagree in public or only in private? If I fail to convince you of my case, should I try again or just accept your decision?” He prospered throughout her 12-year tenure.
Understand the CEO’s Agenda
The new chief’s fate depends heavily on the company’s stock performance during his first year of tenure. So, provide constructive suggestions about actions he can take quickly to increase shareholder value.
Also confirm your understanding of the CEO’s agenda directly with him. Don’t rely solely on talking with board members about their possible directives for the new leader.
Present a Realistic and Honest Game Plan
Don’t sugarcoat strategic plans for your division. A too-rosy report might make your boss ask herself, “Who are you trying to kid?” If you don’t show the negatives, she may suspect that you don’t know them or that you’ll try to hide things from her.
Be on Your “A” Game
Secure face time with your new boss. The best way is to take on a special project in which you must interact extensively with him over a short period of time. He’ll appreciate spending time with you. And if his initial impressions of you were less than stellar, you might be able to turn his feelings around.
Offer Objective Options
Objectively explain previous budgeting decisions for your division, the rationale behind them, and how your new CEO’s priorities might warrant a reassessment of some of those choices. You’ll help the boss translate her vision into tangible decisions.
- Purchase the full-length Harvard Business Review article here.
- Visit Harvard Business Online.
- See more on Leadership & Managing People at HBR Online.
Copyright 2007 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
Further Reading
Articles
Harvard Business Review
October 2004
by Michael E. Porter, Jay W. Lorsch, and Nitin Nohria
Written as a guide for first-time CEOs, this article can help you grasp the challenges facing your new boss. The more you know about your boss’s needs, the more effectively you can plan to help him. And that leads to job security for you. Novice CEOs soon realize 1) they have little control over the company’s internal operations, 2) overruling senior managers’ thoughtful decisions erodes their confidence, 3) others withhold bad news, 4) their every move is scrutinized, 5) they’re not the boss; the board of directors is, 6) shareholders may favor actions that don’t always strengthen the company’s long-term competitive position, and 7) it’s difficult to stay humble in the C-suite.
The Leadership Team: Complementary Strengths or Conflicting Agendas?
Harvard Business Review
April 2007
by Stephen A. Miles and Michael D. Watkins
Here’s another way to survive your new CEO: determine how you can best complement his or her strengths. Leadership teams are most effective when members play complementary roles along some or all of these dimensions: 1) Task definition: divide responsibilities into blocks; for example, the CEO manages the external environment while you manage internal issues. 2) Cognitive strengths: if your CEO excels at creating and communicating compelling visions and breakthrough strategies, see if you can drive execution through tactical brilliance and follow-through. 3) Role definition: if the new chief is skilled at inspiring employees with his vision, complement his role by providing the operational discipline that will help employees implement that vision.
