I’ve just been promoted to be Business Unit Manager from Sales Department and I manage two Product Managers who were previously, the same level with me. They are refusing to report to me since my promotion. They come to work very late, don’t communicate and hide information. What can I do?
The Team Doc Says…
Supervising a team you previously worked with is always a challenge, but not a complete obstacle you can’t overcome.
These team members can’t refuse to report to you. After all, you are all part of the same organization with the same goals. They can, however, make life difficult for you by not cooperating which is exactly what they are doing.
It’s time for you to have a team meeting and take control of the situation. Before the meeting, plan your strategy. Do the best you can to take any kind of emotion out of what you want to discuss. Identify the goals of your group and the actions of the team members that are working for — and against — these goals. Think about what you’d like the outcome of this meeting to be. Prepare your agenda accordingly.
And don’t forget to look at your behavior and actions. Is it possible you are doing something that is provoking their response?
Best regards,
Denise O’Berry
aka ‘Team Doc’
P.S. You might want to hop over and read Jumping In As Leader of An Existing Team.
