Over time, I have often changed roles, and with each change in position comes the need to take on a new role. In a previous article, « Navigating New Roles: Embrace Change and Thrive in Your Career Transition, » I discussed the challenge of changing types of roles, with a focus on energy. In this article, I will share my approach to taking on a new management role. This article was inspired by reading an article on LinkedIn by Matthieu Poirot about legacy (see the link at the end of this article).
From the Preliminary Phases of the Hiring Process
Everything actually starts during the hiring process. I ask to meet the team, and from this stage, I listen and observe to see the team dynamics. This approach allows me to start getting to know the team and see if I am the right leader for them. Depending on the life phases of a group, their needs will change. Do they need someone to build, push them to reinvent themselves, or stabilize them?. I have changed roles in the past because I was no longer the leader the group needed for the phase they were entering.
You must be honest with yourself, your interests, and theirs.
When Taking on the Role
When you start your role, you need to know this team, so I always start by meeting:
- Your predecessor,
- Internal clients and partners,
- Your employees.
You need to take the time to discover and learn the history of this group, including their victories, challenges, and rituals. These steps will help you understand the group, and then you will need to do the same with each individual. By understanding this, you can understand the expectations that this group has towards the company, as well as the individual expectations of each person.
In All the Groups I Have Taken On
There were collective wounds:
- Frictions with other groups,
- Sensitive topics like budget choices,
- Priorities,
- The last project.
Or strong perceptions
Which are sometimes uncontextualized and unexplained facts:
- We cannot travel. If this is true, understand the reasons, redefine business needs, and then be clear and transparent about what will be possible and why.
- Others have more training. The same approach, make a factual assessment, and look at the business potential.
- We have no future because we are not at the heart of the company’s strategy. One of the exercises to do will be to update or create the vision and mission of your group in line with that of your company.
And Individual Wounds
More or less deep, for example:
- The role you are taking on had been promised to one of your employees? Or one of them hoped to have this role. You will need to understand the reasons behind the recruitment process, the reasons for the recruiters’ decisions, and the communication with the disappointed employee. And from there, start to build your relationship with them. The simplest case to manage? The person has the potential, but they are not yet ready. As any good manager, one of the first things to do is to build your succession plan. Assess with this person which skills are not at the expected level for the role, and support them in creating or executing their individual development plan.
- The person has been waiting for the same training for a long time. As for the group, consider your maneuvering capacity, available budget, and time, and assess the adequacy between need and capacity. Then, explain clearly and honestly what can be done and when.
- And cases of unaddressed management errors, such as a lack of respect, unmet salary equity. This kind of situation requires swift action with the human resources group to correct the situation. It can take 3 to 5 years to correct salary management problems.
The Reason for This Opportunity
Another element to explore in your role-taking is the reason for this opportunity: your predecessor resigned (you will need to understand why), they were promoted, which is the most positive case, or your predecessor was dismissed because they could not lead the group to success, or the trust with their managers was broken and therefore they had to be replaced. This can lead to situations where you will be monitored, and any sign of delay will not be tolerated, as it will be used to justify the injustice that the previous leader or the team thinks they suffered. So you need to take this time for discovery, listening, and non-judgment. By understanding the issues that people have experienced, you can define your approach.
A Mistake Not to Make
And yes, the famous phrase « The past is the past and I look to the future » can be destructive. So if you think you need to use it, it is only in a closed environment in a one-on-one meeting with a clear and explicit intention of what part of the history will not taint the future. For example, we erase the past, what happened does not change your potential. This notion of erasing is used to explain that a mistake (like low commitment) is forgotten. We cannot forget the months and years of commitment that a person has put into their role in their growth, because if we do so as a new manager, we damage the moral contract that the employee has with the company.
And That is the Legacy
Managers come and go, and generally, employees stay. This is even more true for high-potential individuals with accelerated careers, who often have short assignments in positions lasting between 2 and 3 years, requiring them to make a significant impact. Some groups thus find themselves wounded and therefore with lower engagement rates than the rest of the company, higher absenteeism rates, and chronic health problems. It affects the performance of the organization as a whole. As a manager, your mission is to leave the group with a better dynamic and position after your passage. As a manager, you do not create value; it is your employees who do.
Article to Read: The Psychological Legacy in Management: An Ignored Lever by Matthieu Poirot.
🛠️ Three simple actions to step into your new role as a team manager
Organize listening meetings during the first weeks
Meet with: your predecessor, your own manager,
2–3 key internal partners, and each team member.
Objective: hear the history, the wounds, the expectations, the perceptions.
You promise nothing. You observe, you take notes, you understand.
Co‑create the vision and operating rules
A 60‑minute workshop with the team using questions such as:
What is the purpose of our group in the company?
What makes us proud?
What do we want to improve?
How do we want to work together?
This moment repairs, unites, and sets a shared direction.
Take one simple action that shows you listened and improves team life
For example: clarifying a vague process, resolving a long‑standing irritant,
unlocking a long‑awaited training, creating a team ritual…
👉 These three simple actions strengthen your leadership posture and unlock your potential.