I just began a new position in a very large org to manage a team of 18.

20 Comments

1. JB09718September 19,2024 at 3:44PM UTC

   If the organization can’t meet her immediate needs, I would look to what you personally can do to offer more support as her manager. (Aside from words, what consistent actionable items can you provide? More time like one on one meetings? Can you remove a project or task? Can you send her for outside management or leadership training? Etc.)

2. AnonymousSeptember 19,2024 at 8:12PM UTC

   Yes; she has access to lots of opps to train but the problem is that she's so busy, the last thing she wants to do on any down time or time off is additional "work". But she is self aware enough to realize that she needs it. The vicious circle is what's making her feel she wants to drop back to the less stressful (and far less paid) job which she can ill afford to do.

   I am hoping for some actionable, tangible techniques or things I can in the immediate - I don't know her job yet so I can't make decisions on what she can and cannot do without it possibly impacting a ton of other things.

3. JB09718September 20,2024 at 1:13PM UTC

   You cannot ask or expect her to complete trainings or work outside of her working hours regardless if she needs it. An outside management seminar or training offsite would be more effective so she can fully disconnect from her daily responsibilities. However, who is her back up? You should absolutely know her job and be aware of what key tasks she’s assigned to. If you don’t know, how can you support her or her team if she’s out of office? Furthermore, if she does leave I’m assuming you would be responsible for interviewing potential replacements. How could even you successfully hire for that role if you don’t know what you’re hiring them for? You need to educate herself on her role and responsibilities immediately. Hold a one on one meeting, ask her to breakdown her tasks and weekly/daily time commitments to each one. Shadow her and understand her workflow and processes. There are no quick fixes, you need to put in the time and effort.

4. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 4:44PM UTC

   Yes I know what *I* need to do. I'm asking for immediate, actionable steps to help her, as i am only learning her role and what you're asking me to do is to ask her to take time away from her role to train me on her role. Yes I understand all of that. She gets it as well, but it feels like additional work to her, so I'm asking for help in the right here right now on how to help HER feel supported?

5. JB09718September 21,2024 at 4:26AM UTC

   I agree that learning her role while also learning your new role is challenging. It’s going to be effective though. You’re showing her, “hey we’re both really busy but I am committed to helping you and want to dedicate my time to this. Help me help you, I need to understand what’s going on.” It doesn’t have to be a lot either, shadow her for a day or two, maybe pick one task she finds challenging and dig in to help make it more manageable, dedicate time every day and/or week to just check in and show her you’re present and available (even a regular call to say “how are things? Anything I can do?” could go really far in making her feel supported.)

   Also join in her team meeting to see the team dynamics. Maybe there’s consistent underperformers and she’s always picking up their missed work, maybe there’s someone that’s constantly undermining her authority etc. Even with additional management training it would still be a challenging situation

   Also, do you have access to her previous reviews? She might’ve previously mentioned specific struggles and you could use that as a starting point to help her.

   the upper level boss is going to be a challenge, especially if he’s used to reaching out to people directly and bypassing other managers. Hopefully you can delicately insert yourself between them without stepping on toes!

6. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 4:50PM UTC

   and yes totally agree on not wanting her to complete any o fthis on her off time. Another layer is that we have a boss 2 layers up who is pretty relentless in getting stuff out of the door and will prob lose (and prob has) lost team members b/c of it, so I have to learn to navigate a new job and protect my team while being supportive and responsive to my boss. It's tricky, thus why I am asking for advice.

7. AnonymousSeptember 19,2024 at 6:02PM UTC

   Figure out how to get her an executive coach and manager's training or cut her loose.

8. AnonymousSeptember 19,2024 at 8:10PM UTC

   no this is not a helpful answer - come on

9. AnonymousSeptember 19,2024 at 9:53PM UTC

   You could let her flounder and bring down the rest of the team with her…is that helpful?

10. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 4:55PM UTC

    if I could roll my eyes any further back into my head to this, they would get stuck there. I don't want her to flounder, OBVIOUSLY, but I also cannot come in like a bull in a china shop and start implementing changes and send her to classes without fully understanding how all the roles fit together. UNTIL THEN, I am asking what I can do immediately to ensure that I'm not just promising her I'm listening and then get busy and immersed and her not felt listened to, which is what has happened with the last boss they had.

11. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 3:24PM UTC

    So I understand your comment, the OP doesn't appear to have any interest in actively coaching this employee through their management struggles and wants to placate them by saying things move slowly in this org. And the OP also wants this person to figure things out on her own because she's made her own bed? This will not end well.

12. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 4:48PM UTC

    Why are you making assumptions about me not having "any interest in actively coaching this employee" when I literally said that I can coach her on the soft skills but not alleviate her workload until I am fully immersed into the role which is very complex and huge moving parts (she is one of 4 very large moving parts for which I am responsible) where change cannot and does not happen quickly. Got it? I am an adult - I know which things are in my control and which things are *literally* not in my control. Thus, why I asked for suggestions and help.

    Stop making ASSUmptions and if you're unclear; ask the question. How are you helping me with my question by being nasty? I would absolutely hate to work for you, dag.

13. Sarah SolanaSeptember 20,2024 at 2:06AM UTC

    I recommend using tools like LinkedIn Learning to help build paths to enable your manager. I'd start with the key 3 areas of opportunity that you've observed, two to three examples, and alignment of new leader courses on Linkedin Learning. If you work for a large organization, there may also be new manager programs that exist but haven't been brought to your manager's attention. Development plans for leaders are helpful when action-oriented, it shows that you are listening and also want to act on her feedback.

    If your employee has a strong internal brand, it is also appropriate for senior leaders to reach out individually to give recognition. Planting these seeds of recognition is very important and often overlooked. I see being an internal evangelist in these scenarios as my role in my larger team feeling their impact.

14. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 4:52PM UTC

    THIS is very good advice; thank you. We do have the full suite of LI Learning in our portal. I also need to learn how to "protect" her & her team by understanding how to set the boundaries for their work scope, which will take a while before I fully get it myself.

15. AnonymousSeptember 20,2024 at 12:28PM UTC

    It looks like you have two options: Allow her to take on less responsibility (and potentially less pay) or offer her some continuing education focused on leadership. As a new manager, my company put me through a Dale Carnegie workshop that helped me understand the power differential and how to talk to people, and it helped me become a much better leader. There are also some great John Maxwell seminars. Some of these can probably be done virtually but could be a bit pricey. If your company offers onsite workshops like this, ensure she gets into one. If this type of CE gets approved, sit her down and let her decide what she thinks is best for her.

16. AnonymousSeptember 24,2024 at 6:06PM UTC

    Thank you!

17. AnonymousSeptember 21,2024 at 5:11PM UTC

    I think you have to listen to her wants and needs. Why not allow her to move back into the lower role, let her know that for the short term you will give her some management training to upskill her including conflict resolution training and help her to expand her skills in that area. Schedule regular 1-1's with her and each week add back to the role she moves down into the things you want to improve upon with her. Then help her to rise back up. Yes, this will be a management challenge for you but you can do it!

18. AnonymousSeptember 23,2024 at 6:29PM UTC

    She can't fiscally afford it - it's a move of desperation for her.

19. Alexis GladstoneSeptember 23,2024 at 12:23PM UTC

    I would start with creating a development plan with her. Development plans are meant to help individuals in their current role and/or get them to the next one. When you meet, let her lead the conversation. Ask her to share where she feels she is struggling before you share your observations. Agree on the top 3 areas she needs help with and start tackling them one at a time.

    There are so many resources out there, LinkedIn Learning, MOOCs, external workshops. If you have a university near you, many have new manager training programs. Because you work in a large organization, you may even have internal training. My personal bias is that when you are talking leadership skills, in-person is better but you will need to do what budget and schedules allow.

    If you're concerned about your time to coach and mentor her, you may also want to consider getting her a coach. This way she will have some consistency in the coaching.

    I'd be happy to talk through a strategy with you. Feel free to reach out here or on LI if you'd like.

20. Coach Nancie Kay ShumanSeptember 23,2024 at 5:13PM UTC

    Does your company have any courses as part of their training/benefits package which would cover some of the issues? Effective communication, delegation, etc? Do they offer peer coaching? Do you think she would be open to that? How big is her team? Is it too big and that part of the challenge?

    This having been said, sometimes people really are better suited for a lower level of responsibility, or they need more time to learn the leadership skills needed.

    (FYI: Coursera for Business has some great Leadership courses. It's subscription based and affordable. If the company doesn't have access to a training library, this may be another avenue along with LinkedIn.)