What Good Leaders Do When Replacing Bad Leaders

You just landed a coveted new leadership role and you’re excited to get started. But on day one, you sense some hostility, and you’re not sure where it’s coming from.

Unfortunately, when you step into a role someone else has filled, you’re not starting with an entirely blank slate. The rest of the organization had an experience with your predecessor. 

If the last leader was beloved, you have big shoes to fill. 

But if the experience with that leader was not a positive one, you may be held accountable. Fair or not, it’s going to be your job to set a new precedent for leadership. This means:

✴️  Listening to employees to gauge their past experience and future needs

✴️  Acknowledging the contributions of the previous leader — not just the mistakes

✴️  Creating space for forgiveness and to move on

The Source and Recruit Team has helped place plenty of leaders in new positions. Regardless of how perfect the job is for you — and vice versa — one of the first responsibilities you have is to reset the framework of your role.