How to Train Your New Boss (and Why You Should)

A big problem in the world of work is the rampant turnover of leadership positions. Bosses are fired and quickly hired. It also means that employees are more likely to adjust to and learn from new managers.

Onboarding, or the process of helping a new employee settle into the job, is everyone’s responsibility, not just the HR department or the person’s immediate supervisor. New employees, regardless of management status or not, can slow things down because colleagues have to stop what they’re doing in order to educate them. The sooner a new employee settles in and starts to be useful, the better for everyone.

Even then, you may be thinking, “I have too much to do. I’m not going to help my new boss with job training. It’s on them. Or “Why would I help a guy who knocked me out of the hands of the manager I wanted?”

It’s clear; but it is also shortsighted. One of the most important relationships at work is your relationship with your boss. The more resourceful and helpful you are, the better off you will be in the long run. It’s not about sucking up; it’s about being a productive team member.

Conversely, if you’re the type of person who already wants to help but doesn’t know where to start, ask your new boss what would be most helpful. If they’re not sure either, focus on the people, content, and culture. Here are some tips.

Identify the people who have the most influence

Relationships are the most important aspect of the job, and knowing who to turn to for what is often the most difficult task. In addition to getting to know your own team, make a list of people the new boss needs to know and explain why it’s important to meet with each of them. Here’s where to start:

• Content Experts: These are people who have valuable experience and are often called upon to participate in committees or working groups. Many of them have been with the company for some time and have institutional knowledge and perspectives that are useful for any newcomer.
• Status holders: These are people who can persuade employees to support (and derail) initiatives based on the respect of others. They have influence and may not be managers themselves. They can also be critical of leadership, so a relationship with them is important to achieving a goal.
• Resource Approvers: There are different levels of Resource Approvers, so let’s look at those who approve supplies and tools (such as wireless keyboards or headsets), those who approve staff positions and budget increases, and those who approve new technologies.

Explain the most important content

It’s easy to overwhelm the new boss with policy statements, charts, and annual reports, but that can be too fast. Instead, focus on the basics that will lay the groundwork for understanding the documentation they will be reviewing. Such as:

• Acronyms: Each organization has its own jargon of acronyms that are used throughout. Ignorance of abbreviations can throw anyone away. Make a list and give it to your new boss. They will be grateful.
• Organization Charts and Office Locations: These are invaluable to a new manager, not only because they include people and departments, but also help the manager create a visual picture of the organization in their head. The boss will pick up speed faster because pictures often last longer than words .
• Budget Cycles: Knowing when budgets are forecast, presented and approved is better known sooner rather than later. New managers may miss important work just because they missed the budget cycle. Knowing this ahead of time is helpful.
• Share drives and folders. Most organizations have moved away from paper manuals and switched to electronic ones. They use tools like OneDrive or SharePoint as repositories for documentation. Show the new boss where everything is stored and how it is organized. Then they can learn on their own.

Describe the culture

This can be difficult to explain because culture often remains unwritten. It consists of a set of norms, behaviors and attitudes that people simply learn. Of course, you can describe the values ​​of the company to the new boss, but this will not help him understand how these values ​​are actually manifested at work (or if these values ​​are completely ignored). Here are a few questions to consider when adapting your boss to the corporate culture:

• Meetings: Do they start and end on time, or are they usually late? Does each meeting require an agenda or just meetings with certain people? What meetings are required? Is video always on for Zoom calls? Do people eat during meetings or is it forbidden?
• Protocols: These are generally accepted ways of obtaining permissions, assigning work, and communicating. Do managers have to follow a chain of command to speak to a senior executive, or can they go straight to the CEO? Are there forms to fill out or are requests sent via email? Who should influence the decision-making or can the new manager and his team make all decisions on their own?
• Fun: What is the level of fun in the organization? Are people laughing and joking or is the culture serious and straightforward? With whom you can joke and who does not appreciate humor at work? Do people have lunch together or meet after hours, or does everyone do their job and go home?

There is a lot to learn when joining a new organization. For the experience to be successful for everyone, everyone must play their part in adapting the new boss. By focusing on people, content, and culture, your new boss will pick up speed faster and, even better, be more likely to stick around so you don’t have to hire another boss anytime soon.