One of the most frequent complaints I hear about newcomers is their tendency to draw conclusions too quickly. They see one snapshot of a situation and assume they understand what is going on. We all do this—it’s called first impressions. But for a new leader or someone new to an organization or position, it is a risky habit. Acting on or sharing information taken from one encounter can lead to all sorts of problems, including the immediate erosion of trust.
What sorts of snapshots are we talking about? One comes upon all sorts of situations on school campuses or at the office that, taken by themselves, seem off. If I come upon a student-staff situation, for example, where a student is clearly struggling, I am more likely to ask the staff member if he/she needs assistance, rather than jumping into a situation I don’t understand. If I see an employee hanging out in the hall on a personal call when there’s a meeting room waiting for his/her arrival, I wonder what’s going on. But I don’t report the behavior to someone else or interrupt their call unless I have grasped the full picture.
In the world of blindness education, I’ve encountered many student-staff interactions that have caused me to raise an eyebrow. “Human guide” that looks more like “human push.” Staff speaking for students instead of allowing them the time to speak for themselves. A white cane that is bent and too short for the student to use properly. Certainly I’ve watched administrators and staff become lulled over time, setting up an environment where little is expected. But acting on each behavior or situation that seems amiss can be just as damaging.
I stepped into one leadership position where my predecessor had repeatedly acted on snapshots. How do I know this? Because it was the first thing staff shared with me when I started touring programs. This leader’s behavior had left a lasting impression on staff that they projected onto me—I was viewed as suspicious in this well-established organization before I even opened my mouth.
It is natural that you will develop impressions of the people and circumstances within your job. But should you comment on or intervene as each incident unfolds?
It seems like our intentions as new leaders will most certainly be misunderstood. But there is a relatively simple approach one can take, and it has four parts.
1. Take your snapshot. Observe and reflect on what you think you have seen, heard, or observed.
2. File that snapshot away in your brain as one data point, and as you see other examples, add them to the file. Perhaps the other examples will confirm or contradict the first example.
3. Ask questions or gain further information about the situation(s) you observed. Make sure you ask in a way that is respectful and genuinely curious, and do it in private if you can. Aim to get the whole picture.
4. Act on the observation if and when it rises to a level of concern. Continue to revisit the issue as you make further observations so that your actions are appropriate and effective.
It’s not hard to understand the harm one can do by jumping to conclusions, and yet this is an error nearly everyone who is new makes—sometimes repeatedly. I recently heard an interim minister reflect on his first weeks at his new church. The first thing he shared was that the art on display (portraits of past members, landscapes, etc.) were outdated and did not seem important. He proposed taking things down temporarily while developing a process for reviewing and prioritizing what would be hung where.
Really? I thought. That’s all he’s got? The congregation is reeling with change after enjoying one leader for over thirty years and he zeros in on what’s on the walls? Let’s just say that I did not feel particularly supportive of the new guy based on his decision to share this relatively inconsequential issue.
The point is to take on the things that are a priority, not just pick out whatever seems amiss to you at the moment. And do so thoughtfully, after you’ve listened, learned, and decided what is most important. What you take on doesn’t have to be the biggest or the hardest thing, either—it just needs to be important in some way. As a new leader, you don’t want to be labeled as reactive or insensitive. Ask your questions. Listen to the answers. Then begin forming your plan.