Planning for Five Conversations


Your relationship with your new boss will be built through a continuing dialogue. Your discussions will begin before you accept the new position and continue into your transition and beyond. Several fundamental subjects belong at the center of this dialogue. In fact, it is valuable to include plans for five distinct conversations with your new boss about specific transitionrelated subjects in your 90-day plan. These are not subjects to be dealt with in separate appointments, but intertwined threads of dialogue.

  1. The situational diagnosis conversation. In this conversation, you will seek to understand how your new boss sees the business situation. Is it a turnaround , a startup, a realignment , or a sustaining -success situation? How did the organization reach this point? What factors ”both soft and hard ”make this situation a challenge? What resources within the organization can you draw on? Your view may differ from your boss s, but it is essential to grasp how he or she sees the situation.

  2. The expectations conversation. Your agenda in this conversation will be to seek to understand and negotiate expectations. What does your new boss need you to do in the short term and in the medium term ? What will constitute success? How will your performance be measured? When? You might conclude that your boss s expectations are unrealistic and that you need to work to reset them. Also, as part of your broader campaign to secure early wins, as discussed in chapter 4, keep in mind that it is better to underpromise and overdeliver.

  3. The style conversation. This conversation is about how you and your new boss can best interact on an ongoing basis. What form of communication does he or she prefer? Face-to-face? In writing? By voicemail or e-mail? How often? What kinds of decisions does he or she want to be consulted on and when can you make the call on your own? How do your styles differ and what are the implications of your differences for how you should interact?

  4. The resources conversation. This conversation is essentially a negotiation for critical resources. What is it that you will need to be successful? What do you need your boss to do? The resources in question need not be limited to funding or personnel. In a realignment, for example, you may need help from your boss to persuade the organization to confront the need for change.

  5. The personal development conversation. Finally, discuss how your tenure in this job will contribute to your personal development. In what areas do you need improvement? Are there projects or special assignments you could undertake (without sacrificing focus)? Are there courses or programs that would strengthen your capabilities?

In practice, your dialogue about these subjects will mingle threads and evolve over time. You might address several of the five issues in a single meeting, or you might work out issues related to one subject through a series of brief exchanges. Michael Chen covered style and expectations in a single meeting and established a schedule for talking about the situation and more deeply about expectations.

There is a logic to the sequence just described, however. Your early conversations should focus on situational diagnosis, expectations, and style. As you learn more, you will be ready to negotiate for resources, revisiting your diagnosis of the situation and resetting expectations as necessary. When you feel the relationship is reasonably well established, you can introduce the personal development conversation. Take some time to plan for each conversation, and signal clearly to your boss what you hope to accomplish in each exchange.

The detailed guidelines that follow will help you plan each of the five conversations with your new boss.




The First 90 Days. Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
ISBN: 1591391105
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 105

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