Leaders in Transition

When we ask how leaders succeed in a new situation, new company, or new industry, we might assume that leaders’ needs and requirements are different from anyone else’s when they are in transition. This is the topic of my presentation to the India Chapter of the International Coach Federation Saturday morning June 11 (Friday night for me, with 12.5 hours difference).

One of my Capella University colleagues, Steven V. Manderscheid, has written an excellent article (New Leader Assimilation, available from the Academy of Human Resource Development) about such transitions. Without giving away my presentation, I want to explore what helps or hinders leaders from being successful in any transition and whether these aids are any different from what might help or hinder the rest of us during times of change.

In Steve’s abstract he wrote that “there are few formal interventions, like a leader assimilation, to help them learn, adapt, and build relationships quickly with their new team.” Isn’t this true of life? What formal interventions are in place to help prospective mothers or fathers learn to be nurturing, effective caregivers? Who teaches couples (whether gay or straight) to “honor each other” as the traditional wedding vows suggest? Some clergy offer pre-marital classes, but how does one know, until one is actually inside an intimate relationship what honoring a specific partner might mean?

Manderscheid goes on to say that leaders from the outside have a harder time transitioning into organizations than leaders promoted from within. Can we also say this about many other kinds of relationships, such as transitioning into a spouse’s family, or becoming a step-parent, or coming into an existing study or support group? There is a certain amount of sniffing that goes on by the existing unit, and auditioning by the new arrival.

He suggests a program of leader assimilation—a onetime program that includes preparation of the leader, dialogue between the leader and her new team, coaching of the leader, and finally, a leader-led dialogue with her team. Something like this happens informally in life. When it doesn’t work well, a coach can help both the existing unit (family, organization, and group) and the new entrant to make smoother transitions into new relationships, and therefore, more effective relationships with the outside world.