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Hi all,

I have a new boss starting soon, and I want to be prepared so that I present as a solid, motivated direct report with a professional team.  I would like to give him a very succint overview of the team, let him know what are the issues that he may get asked about, and leave him with the impression he can trust me to take of it (which, of course, he can).  It's very much a 'Here's what you need to know right now, but it's all under control and you can rest easy knowing my team is sorted until you are ready to do more with us'.

My organisation is going through a period of change, which brings lots of opportunities, but it means that with a new boss coming on board, they won't be aware of all the changes.  Previously, I have had the autonomy to run my team as I saw fit, and my team is known as high performers that 'get stuff done'.

I have a lot of good relationships within the organisation, many at levels higher than, including the GM of my group.  So, I know that the strategy for my team is solid, and what is needed for my organisation.

My plan so far is to be able to brief my manager by being able to handover a 'current state' report of my team and our function within the organisation.  I thought it should contain:

  • Who are we? (including how we fit into the organisation, names/positions of my directs, and a brief blurb about each person such as their strong points, and a description of their performance)
  • Purpose/vision of the team
  • Current high visibility issues (good or bad, just ones he might get asked about by other people so he can give updates etc if asked (my team is a support team))
  • Ongoing work efforts (because I'll be asking for funding!)
  • I also want to give him my resume, and an outline of where I am taking my team, and why.

Is there anything else I should do for my new manager?

Thanks for reading,

Michelle

asteriskrntt1's picture

Hi Michelle

You can't manage up and what you see as high visibility may not be in synch with his new mandate.  I am guessing your new boss will be briefed by his bosses and what they see as important.  You should prepare a briefing book (see the how to resign cast re briefing books) and have your staff's quarterly reviews ready. 

You should have this in both electronic form and hard copy.  However, I would wait a bit and not just thrust it at the manager.  He/she will be swimming getting acclimated and you want to be seen as a problem solver, not an anchor.  Personally, I would wait a bit and then offer this to your boss.  If he wants it, great.  If not, you have done good work in making sure you are on top of your team and priorities and you won't set yourself up to be seen as a negative. 

Anyone else have an opinion on this?

 

*RNTT

 

mdave's picture

Have the briefs, bios prepared in case you are asked. If you have a mission critical issue (that you expect to impact your new boss (not you) fairly immediately) you will want to consider briefing it.

Different managers have different styles and ways the digest information. I did some preparation akin to what you outlined (albiet a bit more basic) and my new boss has NEVER opened the book.*  It was insightful intel because my boss is a verbal type, does not read, and has a fairly short planning horizon. I have adapted acordingly.

Be prepared just in case....

*I learned this when my new boss asked a (extremely basic) question and I mentioned that it was covered in the briefing materials. I would not advise this (smile) -- even if the intent was to show how smart and ahead I was that I had included it.

jhack's picture

One of my favorite all time MT casts: 

http://www.manager-tools.com/2006/08/managing-during-mergers-and-acquist...

Has a description of the "briefing book" which you can prepare.  Have this ready, know it, and you'll be well-prepared. 

Don't forget the "how to manage your boss" casts:

http://www.manager-tools.com/2006/01/managing-your-boss

John Hack

asteriskrntt1's picture

I totally forgot about the managing during mergers cast.  Great addition and just shows how transferable much of the MT content is.

 

*RNTT