Setting Your Non-Negotiables

Recently I've spent some time working with a new administrator. This person is talented, knowledgeable, innovative, caring, and energetic. I am very excited to be able to work with them as a colleague, and learn and grow beside them. I am also in a position to help mentor this new leader as they begin their journey, taking over a division of great people who lost a leader they cherished in a time of upheaval in our organization. This is a daunting psychological task to overcome.

When asked about what would make this a successful year, the new leader stated that building relationships with their staff was paramount to their success. And I whole heartedly agree! We cannot be leaders without followers, and people will not willingly follow a person they don't trust or respect (and hopefully like as well). They are going to take the approach of listening and learning as much as possible, which again I think is a great plan.

But there is also the piece that this new leader is going to have to evaluate their staff, and that these evaluations can determine someones ability to continue working in our system. While listening and learning are keys to building trust, it is also vital that our people know the lens in which we will be evaluating the quality of work being done. This needs to happen thoughtfully and tactfully, and cannot at first be an edict of this must happen or else. But it is unkind to have people unsure of what is expected of them, and does not allow a leader to develop, congratulate, or correct their people in a meaningful way. Check out the 2023 Chicago White Sox for a prime example of this!

Assuming you are moving into a solid environment, telling people you want to listen to what they have to say, learn about the culture and determine how to enhance that culture and not change or overhaul it, but setting some ideas of what is important to you is how a leader should introduce themselves. People may not agree with your non-negotiables, but at least they know where you stand and the lens you are looking through, and this can lead to really powerful conversations. So do not shy away from establishing some norms and expectations from the beginning, it will save a lot of effort, communication, and potential pitfalls from happening in the future.

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