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I'll try to make this brief:

I worked for a boss for about a year. We always got along great but there were some issues with other personell not getting along with him. He does have a tendency to be confrontational and extremely condescending to people that he talks to as well as micromanaging quite a bit. I worked very hard to not let these aspects of his style/personality bother me.

I was promoted a year and a half ago and made a peer of his. At first our relationship was pretty similar but slowly he accepted me being a peer (though shades of the old condescending nature always pop up from time to time).

Now he has been promoted to be my boss. I have gathered from talks with my fellow peers that they are less than thrilled with this turn of events. While I get along great with him I do not think it was the right move to put him in this new position. I do not think he deals with people well enough to be effective or influence us.

What's more is that I'm (more than likely) going to be asked to take over his former position and manage his former team which is run much differently than I have been running mine for the past year and a half.

My questions are as follows:

1.) My instinct is to congratulate him on this new position. However I'm conflicted knowing that deep down I do not feel he is the right man for the job. How should I go about this?

2.) How should I go about transitioning into his old job?
a.) I feel there are a lot of things that I will do differently that will be challenged.
b.) How can I change the direction of the team (which is currently battling with morale issues) without ruffling feathers.

Sorry for not keeping it brief. :)

Mark's picture
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1. Congratulate him as if you had no history and he genuinely deserved it. You're really honoring the choice OTHERS made.

Believe me, if he's not right, he'll lose what he's been given.

2 The way you normally would, while adding the step of asking him to sit down and go over things with you. Hint: use the resignation cast for ideas about what to go over with him!

2a. Nothing you can do about that until it happens. Then, just wait until after he interferes, and sit down with him and give him some feedback (wait for the new peer model, to debut shortly).

2b. You can't. But they're not your feathers, they're his. How he feels and reacts is his fault. I wouldn't spend a great deal of time asking for his okay or input, but I wouldn't blindside him either. If he objects, see 2a above.

It'll go okay... if it doesn't, it's his fault.

Mark

Boy Hubris's picture

Wow, thanks a lot for the thorough response. I guess my instincts were somewhat right in what to do.

We shall see how it folds out. I will certainly heed all advice you've given. Thanks again!