If you get a new supervisor, chances are she’s overwhelmed—either by what she doesn’t know, or what she’s been tasked with doing, or both! This is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the inner workings of your department, your command of the current issues or problems she should anticipate, and your ability to be proactive with little supervision.
In your first meeting with your new boss, don’t wait for her to ask questions. She may not know what to ask, or she may be embarrassed to admit the amount that she doesn’t know. I’m not saying she’s unqualified for her role. I’m saying with a new job and a new company there is always a learning curve—the culture, the people, the pace, the details, and more. Therefore, you should show up prepared to help on-board her. Although some people may resent having to on-board their boss, leaders will see this as an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in front of a captive and influential audience. Remember, the sooner she understands what’s going on, the sooner she can support and advocate for you.
When you first meet with your new boss, bring a 1-page summary of key things she should know (organizational charts, current projects, upcoming deadlines, personnel issues, etc.). Filling in the knowledge gaps for someone—especially your new boss—is a generous and welcoming way to start your relationship. Tips for your 1-page summary:
- Don’t go into too much detail. Don’t spend time writing a narrative as you’ll be presenting this to her.
- Carefully curate small nuggets of information because she’s likely overwhelmed with all there is to learn.
- Charts and tables will be helpful for her to assess the big picture. Visual aids will help her get the idea with you and then she can study it after your meeting.
Through this preparation and presentation, you will be establishing yourself as an expert—as someone she can go to when she has questions. When discussing some of the challenges, you’ll also want to provide some of the proactive things you’ve done to remedy them. This will leave her with the understanding that you’re competent, knowledgeable and proactive. The quicker your boss understands what you do and what you need, the quicker she can step into her role and make yours a little easier.
Do you have experience helping to on-board your new boss? Tell us about it in the comments below.