Welcome to the Ivory Tower, Part III

New visitors might want to read Parts I and II.

• You will probably inherit employees at some point in your career; and if you're like most of us, the inheritance will probably come with your very first management job. Inherited employees are among the most challenging people to manage, because they aren't the ones with the learning curve - you are - and that might give certain folks the feeling that they have an "edge" on you. In addition, their performance habits - for good or bad - were reinforced by the person who managed them last. And whether that last manager was effective or ineffective is largely irrelevant; no matter what the last manager was like, your arrival will be viewed with some degree of skepticism. It's not a no-win situation, exactly, but it can be a difficult one to overcome.

Based on my experience, inherited employees and their attitudes tend to fall into one of several behavioral/attitude buckets:

• They wanted the management job you now hold, and they're resentful that they didn't get it.
• Their last manager was a micromanaging, door slamming, screaming, unprofessional mess; they're shell-shocked, and they're convinced that you're going to be the same way.
• Their last manager was totally unplugged, leaving them to their own devices, and didn't manage them at all. When you step in and ask for such routine deliverables as, say, weekly status reports, you will be accused of micromanaging.
• Their last manager was their best friend ever, who never had anything but great things to say; the team went out for happy hour every Friday, and rainbows and puppy dogs were in the very air. You are an intruder, and you'll never be as beloved as their last manager.
• Their last manager was a genuinely good manager: fair, professional, communicative, and reasonable. It's a big pair of shoes to fill, and the team is skeptical about your ability to do so.

What's a new manager to do? Build relationships! Talk to the team as a group; tell them that you aren't going to make any drastic changes until and unless it becomes apparent that such changes are needed. Tell them about your vision and goals for the department, and ask for theirs. Offer them the chance to ask questions or express any concerns. And most important: listen to what they have to say.

After you've held your group meeting, you need to schedule one-on-one meetings with each person on the team. Ask each person to prepare to discuss current projects, career goals, daily challenges, and what she perceives to be her development needs. Talk about expectations (status reports, preferred method of communications, etc.), and ask her what she needs from you in order to be more effective. Then, I'd suggest you ask these two questions:

• Who was the best manager you've ever reported to? What made him or her a good manager for you? (Everyone has different preferences when it comes to management style, so it's important to know what made a particular manager a good fit for this particular employee.)
• Who was the worst manager you've ever reported to? What made him or her a bad manager for you?

I use these two questions in every job interview, and I get much more candid and detailed responses to them than I do to the more generic, "What kind of management style do you prefer?" The answers to these questions will tell you a great deal about the employee and what makes her tick, so pay close attention to the answers.

As a new (or new to the department) manager, you're going to hear feedback on your team members from various peers, superiors, and the team members themselves. Take everything you hear with the proverbial grain of salt: all opinions are just that, and as such may or may not be accurate. Don't underestimate the power of a personal agenda or personality conflictsto color someone's opinion. And as for your new direct reports, they too might have their reasons for spinning the information they give you. Your four most important tools in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your team members, and the department as a whole, are your eyes and your ears.

To sum up:

• Talk to the group and establish that you're there to help them.
• Talk to each team member individually to get a handle on each person's responsibilities, personality, and work style.
• Solicit feedback on your team members, but form your own opinions based on facts rather than hearsay.

These are just the basics to get you started; tomorrow, I'll give you some suggestions on how to deal with those pesky performance issues.