Every leader who takes over from someone else faces the same challenge: dealing with the achievements and shortcomings of the person who is leaving.
When your predecessor is successful, you will be judged by his achievements. But when you replace a bad leader, you may be taking responsibility for their mistakes while at the same time creating a new vision for the organization.
So how to make an effective managerial transition?
1. Acknowledge the contributions of the previous leader. Don't just highlight their shortcomings or blame them for all the organization's current challenges.
2. Create space for reconciliation and set a direction for the future. Most of the actions of bad leaders are partly rooted in good intentions. Remind people of this, humanizing your leadership and creating space for forgiveness and setting new directions.
3. Listen to people by asking:
How can I help you now?
What do you expect me not to do?
Bad leaders don't ask these questions, but good leaders always do.
You don't automatically become a good leader by merely replacing a bad one. Ultimately, you become a good leader by standing out, being inclusive and looking to the future.
This tip was adapted from "What good leaders do when they replace bad leaders" by Andrew Blum.
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