Stepping into a leadership role with skeptical long-time employees. How can you earn their trust and respect?

Winning over skeptical veterans as a new leader is like trying to convince a cat that baths are fun....The key is to blend humility with confidence, acknowledge their experience, actively listen to their concerns, and show you value their input. At the same time, demonstrate your competence through decisive action and clear communication. Build trust gradually by following through on promises, being transparent about your decisions, and occasionally admitting when you're wrong. Remember, New York City wasn't built in a day, and neither is a loyal team – but with patience, authenticity, and maybe a few strategically timed donuts, you'll have those seasoned employees on your side before you can say "mandatory team-building exercise."

Transform your workplace into an innovation hub with a "Reverse Mentorship Program." Pair seasoned employees with newer hires, allowing fresh perspectives to blend with deep-rooted experience. This mutual learning fosters creativity and sparks innovative ideas. By empowering both mentors and mentees to challenge each other's thinking and explore new solutions together, you create a dynamic environment where everyone contributes to the evolution of the team. This strategy not only values veteran insights but also leverages the enthusiasm and new ideas of recent hires, driving continuous innovation.

Earning trust and respect from skeptical long-time employees as a new leader requires a thoughtful approach. Start by listening actively, showing empathy, and genuinely engaging with their experiences. Be transparent about your vision, goals, and strategies. Value their expertise by involving them in decisions and seeking their input. Build credibility by consistently delivering on commitments and making reliable decisions. Foster a positive work environment by recognizing their contributions and promoting collaboration. Demonstrate integrity, humility, and a sincere dedication to their well-being and success to gradually earn their trust and respect.

Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox, used a 'listen first' approach when she stepped into her role during a tumultuous time for the company. Facing skepticism from long-time employees, Mulcahy spent time conducting 'listening tours,' where she met with employees at all levels to understand their concerns/gather insights. This approach not only demonstrated her respect for their experience but also provided her with valuable information to make informed decisions. Her commitment to listening contributed to a turnaround that saw Xerox's stock price increase by over 800%. By prioritizing listening and valuing employees' input, you can earn the trust and respect of long-time team members, setting the stage for a successful leadership transition.

As one who has engaged this challenge numerous times, I can confidently say that the first step will always be to take time to listen. Every time that I have taken responsibility for an established team, I have invested a great deal of time simply listening to each member of the team as they share their vision, relate their concerns, and (hopefully) indicate their apprehensions with me. "Leaders" who omit the step of listening will soon have a coup on their hands.

Remember that credibility is subjective, highly dependant on the lens through which people are viewing it, and is closely intertwined with relationships. You’re not in control of how people view you or evaluate your credibility, but you are in control of how you approach and build the relationships that will shape those views. Respect, open communication and support can be established from Day 1. If you focus on those things and consistently add value to people’s work, credibility will take care of itself.

Earning trust is a two way process. You need to earn theirs and they need to earn yours as a leader. If your earning trust is more important that the other way round then 1. Ensure your presence isn’t intimidating 2. Don’t start to make changes to soon too many 3. Ensure their psychological safety is not challenged 4. Control your voice modulation and body language well 5. Set down a framework of engagement Trust develops with mutual experience and practice of the right communication skills.

When Shantanu Narayen became CEO of Adobe, he faced skepticism from long-time employees. To build credibility, Narayen transparently shared his background, expertise, and vision for Adobe. He introduced his plan for shifting to a subscription-based model while actively involving the existing staff in discussions and decision-making. By demonstrating his competence and maintaining an open-door policy for feedback, Narayen gained the trust and respect of his team. This approach led to Adobe’s successful transition, resulting in a revenue increase from $3 to over $11 billion during his tenure. Establishing your credibility through transparent communication and inclusive leadership can help you gain respect and trust from skeptical employees.

As one who has engaged this challenge numerous times, I can confidently say that building credibility is only possible in the context of authentic care for the team. It will not be enough to simply listen (see above) or even talk to them about our plans...we have to put action to the words we say and demonstrate that we love the team and want what is best for them! Credibility is not a "strategy" it is a daily discipline.

When you are assuming a new leadership role, it is best to have an existing and trusted member of the leadership team introduce you and explain why they are excited to have you join the team. By them sharing about your credentials and experience, it can provide more credibility than by having you toot your own horn. 3rd party credibility can go a long way in building confidence and trust.

Listen, listen and then listen some more. Be honest - especially about your own limitations. Respect their experience and expertise.

You have to respect the past. Everyone on the team you inherit was on the team before you started. Showing disrespect for what you have inherited disrespects them. Even if the situation is dire, you can still acknowledge it respectfully.

After having listened to the hearts of one's new team, a leader does well to ensure that their team feels heard and understands that their leader is with them. Empathy—feeling the feelings of our people—is a critical part of leadership and will go a long way to accomplishing the objective in step 2 (building credibility). However, it cannot be faked. One must truly care and be authentically concerned with the feelings and opinions of the team.

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, faced significant skepticism when she stepped into her leadership role, especially during the company's ignition switch crisis. Barra showed empathy by openly acknowledging the challenges and frustrations of employees who had been through numerous transitions. She made it a point to visit various plants, listening to employees’ concerns and sharing heartfelt reassurances about their valued roles and contributions. This empathetic approach helped to foster a supportive environment, leading to improved employee morale and a 20% increase in engagement scores. By showing empathy and understanding, you can create a foundation of trust and respect with long-time employees.

When stepping into a leadership role with skeptical long-time employees, it's crucial to show empathy. Take the time to understand their concerns, listen actively, and acknowledge their experiences. Show genuine care and support, and communicate transparently about your vision while being open to feedback. By demonstrating empathy, you can foster trust, build rapport, and create a positive work environment where everyone feels valued and heard.

The support of a new leader to an established team may be one of the largest challenges. They are likely to already have their own processes and procedures. They may feel that the new support is more of a hinderance than a help. Therefore, I recommend that the initial support be given to the matters that they acknowledge needing help with. These may not be at the top of our lists, but they are their pressing concerns, and will go a long way to building rapport and impacting the overall morale of the team.

Entering an established team as a leader is never easy. But, it can be extremely fulfilling and even more rewarding! Take to heart the feedback that is given about previous leaders. It will tell you a lot about the culture of the team. Make sure that unpopular decisions are weighed carefully and all thoughts are taken into consideration. And above all don't make unnecessary changes at the start. Save the battles for the absolutely critical changes that must be made.

Spend time to get to know what worked well & what didn't before you jump to 'fix' or change things.Make time to sit with your new team & learn about their wins, their strengths, what they enjoy doing & what they don't.Give space to hear their grievances,concerns & listen to understand their perspective & any hesitancy they're experiencing.They may have loved their previous lead, or they may have had a bad experience.This next step is not about YOU, not at first anyway, it's about them. Be human, be kind, & help them see that you've got their backs and want a team that can collaborate, thrive and grow. Be open. Be honest about the hard stuff. Be humble.Celebrate every small win you can.'Thank you' & 'Well done' mean a lot more than you know.

Creo que este escepticismo va asociado en muchos casos a personas que llevan un largo recorrido en la organización. Si somos capaces de ganarnos su confianza nos facitarán mucho nuestro rol. Dos formas de disminuir este escepticismo: 1) Reconocimiento a su aprendizaje y experiencia. -Transmitirle la influencia que pueden y deben seguir ejerciendo al resto del equipo. 2) Ser honesto y predicar desde el ejemplo. -Lo que transmitimos y realizamos tiene que ser coherente siempre, y màs con personas que muestran ese escepticismo Paciencia, constancia y transparencia.

This actually happened to me. The team had long-time employees, and I was much younger than most. While nobody was outright disrespectful, several employees made it clear they weren't sold on my ability to lead effectively. I didn't take offense, as respect is earned. I listened to them and consolidated their inputs. The team had a highly competent talent base with ingenuity and skill, despite underperforming. Based on their feedback, I built a plan, told them I'd take the hits while we executed, and encouraged them to do great things. They did - we completely changed how we did business globally, transforming the team from consistently underperforming to one of the most efficient and reliable in the organization.

Openly communicating your vision, goals, and plans is crucial for building trust and demonstrating transparency. Clearly articulate your long-term vision and explain its alignment with the team’s work, setting specific, measurable goals. Detail your strategies and encourage questions and feedback. Acknowledge potential challenges, provide regular updates, and celebrate milestones to boost morale. By aligning your actions with your words and maintaining open communication, you create an environment of trust and mutual respect, showing genuine commitment to the team's success.