How can you get a handle on your team’s existing processes quickly? Talk to team members and support staff, and to your new boss or your predecessor. Get them to brief you on their functions and walk you through the key processes. Read meeting minutes and team reports. Probe for answers to the following questions:
- Participants’ roles. Who influenced your predecessor most? Who played devil’s advocate? Who was the innovator? Who avoided uncertainty? To whom did everyone else listen most attentively? Who was the peacemaker? The rabble-rouser?
- Team meetings. How often did your team meet? Who participated? Who set the agendas for meetings?
- Decision making. Who made what kinds of decisions? Who was consulted on decisions? Who was told once decisions were made?
- Leadership style. What leadership style did your predecessor prefer? That is, how did he or she prefer to learn, communicate, motivate, and handle decisions? How does your predecessor’s leadership style compare with yours? If your styles differ markedly, how will you address the likely impact of those differences on your team?