Making a good first impression is important. When you enter a new position in a new facility, don’t bother to get around and meet people. You have more important things to do, like deciding how to make a difference. After all, that’s why you were brought here in the first place. So what else can you do to get on top of things right out of the gate?
Stay in your office when you’re not in meetings, and decide how to restructure the operation and whom to lay off. Quick decisive action will impress your superiors and let all your new subordinates know who’s boss.
Don’t bother with all-hands meetings. Make your changes from behind the scenes, and let the personnel representatives handle the layoffs. People may hate you, but nobody ever said business was a popularity contest.
Don’t inform supervisors of the changes. A few surprises will ensure that they pay attention to you when you get around to including them in meetings. There may be anxiety and fear in the ranks, and a few employees may leave, but that will help you reduce costs and ensure good results in your first quarter. The rank and file probably weren’t working at capacity anyway. The remaining employees can pick up the slack, and about time, too.
copyright 1998, 2008, Timothy F. Prosser, This message must be included in all copies!
Tags: business humor, management humor, management secrets, management style
