Dear Leah,
I’m Chief of Staff to our new CEO who joined six months ago following a difficult transition. The previous CEO was beloved but stepped down after a major strategic misstep. Our new leader is brilliant and exactly what we need operationally, but the senior team is still grieving the old regime. I’m caught in the middle - the CEO confides in me about feeling isolated and questions whether certain executives are undermining him, whilst those same executives tell me they feel shut out of decision-making. Last week, our CFO said, “I don’t know if I can work with someone who doesn’t trust us”. Right after that, the CEO asked me to “keep an ear out for resistance.” I’m supposed to be building bridges, but I feel like I’m accidentally burning them. How do I navigate this without betraying anyone’s confidence?
INITIAL RESPONSE: It sounds like you’re having a tough and lonely time of things! I’m sure it’s not much comfort, but this is a pretty normal experience during a changing of the guard. The good news is that you have both the ear of the CEO and the ear of the CFO: both of them trust you. The bad news is that being a piggy in the middle isn’t sustainable.
DIAGNOSIS: Neither the existing team nor the new CEO have been brought on a journey. There’s no trust because there’s no relationship. When’s the last time you did something fun together? Got out of the office and had the opportunity to speak to each other as people, rather than as colleagues?
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM: There’s no psychological safety. Everyone is concerned for their own position and suspicious of the motivations of others on the team. The CEO feels insecure about not measuring up, and the team wonders if the new CEO ever will. That is not your hill to die on, nor is it your responsibility to convince the team that the CEO is the right person for the job.
THE PATH TO RESOLVING IT: Reassure the CEO that there is no malice amongst colleagues. Tell the CEO that it is his / her responsibility to create a forum for each leader to get to know them. Suggest that the CEO invite criticisms and concerns from team members and establish an open door policy. Invite questions and curiosity about the go-forward plan. In relation to the team, direct them to put their issues at the feet of the new CEO, encourage them to give this transition process time to improve, and don’t give it another moment’s thought.
YOUR ROLE GOING FORWARDS:
Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. You must not allow yourself to continue to be the middle man.
Reframe your role. Your priority is to the CEO. Ensure that people don’t try to colour that relationship. Protect yourself.
Ask for help. Leadership transitions are complex, and you don't have to navigate this alone. Consider bringing in external facilitation to help the business navigate these crucial early relationship-building conversations. Sometimes an outside perspective can create the psychological safety that allows both sides to be vulnerable about what they really need from each other, and build a bridge to a collaborative working environment everyone is proud to be a part of.
