Merv & Mindy with our resident contributor
Phill Battersby, December 20, 2024

Having a new manager can either feel like the dawn of a new era or the start of an uneasy journey of semi-unwelcome change for office employees. The uncertainty of whether the new leader will value their skills and keep them on the team, or decide to make sweeping changes, places employees into what I call an 'acquired vs hired' scenario.

Outside of the office, such scenarios are most publicly seen in the world of football (or ‘soccer’ to our American friends). In football, ‘hired vs acquired’ changes can happen almost immediately. Take Manchester United and their sacking of Erik Ten Hag, followed by the new appointment of Ruben Amorim. Imagine for a moment you are not actually Ten Hag, but a member of his backroom team, on his coaching staff. You work brilliantly with Erik.

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He trusts you. Your career has been going places under his leadership. You also know Erik has been working hard, but plans have not worked out as hoped and the writing is on the wall. You think he'll be gone soon. You, yourself, have become a top performer and have done everything possible to make the team, Erik, and Man Utd successful.

In any other scenario, given your performance, you’d think a new manager coming in would be fine. You think they will look to you as their trusted advisor, help them get started, with everything positively moving forward from there. Only it doesn’t. Amorim already has people outside of Man Utd that he trusts, people he wants to bring with him.

And in the blink of an eye, you are paid off, let go, and looking for a new job. Amorim brings in his own team and will succeed or fall accordingly, but on his own terms. This is ‘acquired vs hired’ at its most brutal - a change of management made in one swift movement, where Amorim ‘hires’ or brings the people he wants, and the company lets go those whom he would have acquired.

Yet in real life, back in the office, this scenario plays out in slow motion. The new manager comes in, spends a few months looking at the team, the objectives, and thinking about how the two might best come together quickly and successfully. But even in that circumstance, the reality is that new managers will (secretly or not) probably want a few of their former trusted partners with them through this new journey. Employees know this too and will often be stressed about whether and how they can become part of that journey too.

This two-part blog aims to address this stressful phase from both the employees' and new managers' perspectives, providing coping strategies and tips for both employee and manager, with the aim of trying to smooth the transition that comes from a change of leadership.

In part one, we’ll look at the topic from the ‘acquired’ employee perspective. But new managers should pay heed too, as it gives you an appreciation of the stresses prevalent in your new team.

Employee Perspective: Coping Strategies

1. Embrace Change with an Open Mind and Heart

Change, while intimidating, often brings new opportunities. Try to view the new manager as a potential ally who can offer fresh insights and perspectives that might enhance your career. If the manager’s agenda is to drive change, try to understand that change better. Don’t jump into the relationship by clinging to past idioms, practices or being protective of them. Understand that if senior management have hired the person to drive this change, there is little point in being argumentative, disruptive or resistant. So keep an open mind and an open heart to what the future holds, if you want to be a part of it.

2. Communicate Clearly and Professionally

From the outset, be proactive in communicating with the new manager. Introduce yourself, highlight your roles and responsibilities, and express your willingness to support the transition. A good manager will likely arrange this first meeting, but if not, suggest a “history meets future” meeting. This is where you can help them understand the past so that they can plan a route into the future. Explaining why and how things were done in a certain way gives context to best practice, problems, challenges and how to overcome them. Ask for their opinions on this and how they see the future. Then interject with your own thoughts and ideas to help build on their vision. This will help better connect you with their thinking and show that you want to be part of the solution and not the historical problem.

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3. Showcase Your Value and Learnings

This is not about starring in your own beauty parade - this is about helping your new manager understand where you’ve positively impacted the business in the past and what projects or initiatives you are working on right now. Know that each manager may approach this differently, depending on their style and the culture you work in. For some it could be a formal sit-down in a one-to-one meeting to introduce yourself. For others (like me) it could be a much more informal get-to-know-you coffee meeting. And of course, you’ll have to join team sessions with your new manager as well.

4. Stay Positive and Flexible

Maintain a positive attitude and be flexible to new ways of working. Managers are often hired for a specific operational, process or transformational capability. Your level of adaptability can set a positive tone and demonstrate your readiness to support new initiatives or ways of doing things. If associated with transformation and especially when actual change starts, remember the old phrase ‘the train has left the building’. It is best to be on the manager’s train and not left standing at the station.

5. Seek Feedback and Act on It

A long time ago I was told that ‘feedback is a gift’. If I recall, it was tough feedback, and I certainly didn’t appreciate it in the heat of the moment. But over time, I came to realize the wisdom in those words. I also realized that if I had been proactive in seeking feedback earlier, then my manager would have probably been a lot more positive.

So understand we are all given feedback from time to time. But my advice is not to wait passively to get it. Be proactive. Request feedback on your performance regularly. Be open to constructive criticism. This shows your new manager you have resilience, and that you have commitment to personal growth. Importantly it also showcases your willingness to align with the new manager's vision.

6. Build Relationships

No one expects you to be best buddies with your new manager. Indeed, for the ‘acquired’ employee, you’ll likely be much closer to your former manager, and right now feel a bit cut-off and out of the loop. It’s time to build a new relationship.
But how?

Some managers don’t like having personal out-of-work type conversations, so be careful about that. Also don’t expect to have a ‘love-at-first-sight’ work relationship on your first meeting. It’s best to focus on the professional stuff. Use coffee (or other types of) meetings as a place to debate the big topics in your team, the business, or the things your new manager has been brought in to help improve. Using such an approach will help build an early rapport with your new manager.

Whilst you’ll need to align with the direction they are headed, it’s important not to pander to everything they say. Good managers appreciate different perspectives to theirs, especially if delivered positively and collaboratively. Debating tough situations, presenting options, ideas, concepts that might be different to that of your manager will also help you to understand their approach, management style, expectations, and preferences.

7. Manage Stress Effectively

Everyone manages stress differently, but being in the ‘acquired’ category does and will heighten your stress levels. It’s important to not let those feelings overwhelm you. The four things you can do that I’ve found most helpful are:

• Talk to others about why you are feeling stressed. You can do that in a myriad of different ways too - with your family, friends, partner, therapist, in-work counsellor, HR. It doesn’t matter who, the point is to not keep your stress bottled up where the mind can turn it to negativity, paranoia or poor decision making.

• Be brave and talk to your new manager about what worries you. Your new manager is not just a person who manages processes. They manage people too which means they have an active interest in helping you become the best version of yourself. Always keep in mind they can’t help fix something if they don’t know there is a problem, so good managers will respect your candour and bravery about opening up to them. This level of trust on your part is usually retuned by them offering more help through additional context, insight, and understanding, which will help ease your worries or concerns wherever possible.

• Not ready to talk? Then engage in stress-reducing activities such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies. Even bite-sized mindfulness in the office can give significant results. Take 30mins to step away from the desk. Calm your mind and come back with a fresh or new perspective. 

• Make sure you maintain a healthy work-life balance. What is a problem at 5pm on Thursday, will still be a problem at 9am Friday. There is little point overcooking yourself and your family relations. Choose which is better: Staying late at work until 9pm, trying to fix something with an over-tired mind, failing, then going home worried to a grumpy family OR, being home with a happy family by 6pm, then spending 20minutes of clear thinking in the morning to achieve a better result that actually works and delivers a solution.

8. Don’t Make Rash Decisions 

Let’s be perfectly honest. Sometimes the business or a new manager’s vision will not be something you can honestly believe in - it’s just not for you. It’s at times like this that you need to make a tough career decision. But don’t be rash. Be your most professional and patient person. Many employees fall foul and ruin perfectly good careers or business relationships by making quick, knee-jerk reactions or poor decisions that can haunt them for years to come. If the new manager or direction is not for you, take a breath and step back from the edge to re-evaluate WHY you think that way.

Here’s a framework you might use. I call it ‘Ask Me’:

• A / Absolute: Ask yourself, ‘am I absolutely 100% sure this manager or new direction is not for me’? Write down your answer and WHY in detail. Then run through the rest of this framework to see if you can resolve any issues or see if you can create a little bit of self-doubt regarding your own opinion on the matter. After all, things might not be as bad as you think.

• S / Skills: Are you thinking it is not for you because you don’t have the right skills for this new direction? Yes? Great! This is not a reason to do something rash. It’s a confidence problem. Identify your weaknesses, then put in place a skills-based training plan and share with your new manager – they’ll love that you are being proactive, and you’ll be the better for all the training too.

• K / Knowledge: Are you thinking it is not for you because you don’t have the right knowledge? Like with a tangible skill, work out what it is you think you don’t know, then go and search for the right insights to help you acquire the knowledge you need. Again, this is a confidence issue, rather than a directional or people issue.

• M / Myself: Ask what you want from your own career and from the people around you. Does the new direction AND the manager align to this? Can YOU work with them? We’re all human and sometimes we just don’t like the direction of travel or click with certain people. Now’s the time to be honest with yourself; can you do your new job professionally, non-disruptively, with 100% commitment, even if you don’t like the manager or agree with how things might now work? Yes? Great. Jump in, allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised and take all the learnings you can from the experience. No? Then sorry, but it’s probably time to move on to a new role or company. And that brings us nicely to…

• E / Exit: Lastly, appreciate and know the following will happen from day 1. New managers when they arrive will start to assess the team and your own personal skills, capabilities and experience, in line with the needs of the business and direction of travel. Skills can be learned. Capabilities developed, experiences gained. These are all things that can be fixed with training and time. What is most important in the managers assessment though, is how they feel about your ATTITUDE to change.

The Exit review is really key. If you found that you failed the ASKME test because you are diametrically opposed to the direction of travel or the new person, it’s going to be pretty obvious to your new manager too. You’re going to need to make an exit plan. It’s best to do that quickly and if you can, with the support of the new manager. Ideally, you’ll want to exit your team to a new role in the company, but many also find a new company to work for.

I raise this point, because many disgruntled ‘acquired’ employees end up staying another year in role, doing something they hate, with growing negativity that ultimately leads to active disruption of the team or business. The new manager, during this time will likely make the decision for you. Don’t be that person. The one who ends up being fired, leaving without references or good opinions from other colleagues. 

Conclusion

The transition from working with the manager who hired you to working well with a new manager who acquires you, can be a challenging period for employees, filled with uncertainty and stress. However, by embracing change with an open mind, communicating clearly, showcasing your value, staying positive, seeking feedback, building relationships, managing stress effectively, and making thoughtful career decisions, all employees can navigate this phase successfully.

Alternatively, it can also be a period for evaluating if and whether the new management changes are for you. 90% of the time they will be, but for the occasion when not, the key is to ensure you take positive action that helps move your career forward, without risk of negativity disrupting it.



This two-part blog aims to provide both employees and new managers with strategies and insights to smooth management transition and foster a collaborative and productive work environment. By understanding each other's perspectives and working together, both parties can achieve their goals and contribute to the overall success of the organization.

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About Merv, Mindy and Phill Battersby

Merv and Mindy are our shows' fabulous AI hosts. They team up to debate the amazing content our resident and guest experts provide, offering our listeners entertaining and insightful context to the original subject matter.

Phill Battersby is one of our resident authors. In the evenings he creates content for the show. During the day is busy working with his clients as a fractional leader. Phill is a highly capable, proven, results orientated CMO, with significant experience from working in executive positions at Microsoft, SAP and more. Phill offers independent, part-time or fixed-term contracts to help his clients lead change, deliver specific objectives and achieve outcomes. His fractional services are perfect for large businesses needing additional leadership support, and especially for an SME’s first CxO hire, when cost-sensitivity or risk of a full-time hire are key considerations.

Find out more here: www.vizibble.com

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