In this excerpt from Chapter 1 of the their book, Dan Ciampa and HBS Professor Michael D. Watkins describe some of the common traps into which new leaders can fall.
Falling behind the learning curve
Not using the time before entry effectively can
undermine one's ability to learn and to get on top of the
job right away. The time prior to entry is a priceless period
when the new leader can go beyond merely absorbing information
about the organization to create a joining-up strategy for a
successful transition.
Becoming isolated
It's easy for new leaders to isolate
themselves from important relationships and sources of
information about what is really going on. As one leader said:
"There can be a tendency to say, ‘Well, I'll lock
myself in the room and I'll come up with a plan.' That
is important, but you're not going to lay the groundwork to
be able to speak and execute with authority until people feel
like they know you."
Coming in with the answer
New leaders who show up with a single answer
for complex organizational problems usually do so out of
arrogance or insecurity, or because they believe they must appear
decisive and establish a directive tone. Employees may hesitate
to share information if they believe the new leader's mind
is already made up. Typically, the result is less support for
change.
Sticking with the existing team too long
Many new leaders believe subordinates they
inherit deserve a chance to prove themselves. For some, this is a
matter of fairness; others are motivated by arrogance ("I
can make these people") or hubris ("All it takes is
hard work, support, and leadership"). Whatever the
rationale, retaining managers with a history of mediocre
performance can damage the new leader's credibility and
almost always slows the pace of change.
Attempting too much
It is important for the new leader to
experiment to discover what works and what doesn't. But too
much experimentation can deprive promise change initiatives of
resources or the attention they need to reach fruition. Poor
prioritizing and inadequate up-front planning can make a leader
susceptible to being diverted by peripheral issues.
Being captured by the wrong people
Those who have exerted influence in the old
regime will inevitably jockey for position in the new. It is all
too easy for the new leader to waste precious time on people who
cannot help because they are incapable or outdated, or even wish
to mislead.
Falling prey to successor syndrome
At greatest risk is the new leader hired as
second-in-command with the expectation that success will lead to
promotion to the top position. In the absence of a solid working
relationship, the CEO may feel threatened by the new
leader's changes and resist letting go of the reins of
power.
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