When a new manager is hired to be in charge of you, do you inherently trust them to a certain level because they're your manager, or does that trust need to be earned?
I've never had a manager set off so many alarms in my head that my trust level should be very limited, and this is only his 3rd week.
@Beerdini: It isn't a matter of trust to me. It's a matter of whether or not he/she/they knows WTF they're doing. That comes out over time, usually short time. That said, other coworkers/colleagues can't be sabotaging the new manager, which is not at all unknown and complicates things, and you have to be open to new manager's getting used to things and settling in. That said, new managers who show up and declare "a brand new day" blah blah blah are worrying from the get-go.
@thedisasterautist
So here is the thing, we're a cyber security group, he is not a cyber security manager. Comes in saying he will follow our advice and immediately starts using inflammatory language about how we manage our own domain and is making no secret that he wants to get rid of it. There is going to be an "independent" assessment of it that I'm 99% sure that the result has already been determined. (1/2)
@thedisasterautist
Also the other week our forensics team did a presentation and he was asking what I thought were weirdly specific questions considering that he wasn't a manger over that team.
Its not just me, he is upsetting/pissing off most of the team. For being a security manager with no security background he is ignoring the advice of nearly 40 security professionals because something he wants to do requires a couple of hoops to jump thru so he wants to remove that layer of security(2/2)
@Beerdini: Ah! "...a security manager with no security background" tells me everything I need to know. He figures to make his job easier by winnowing things by fiat and politics. We had a guy at Tag Systems come in and do that. He got hired because he sold himself as an Idea Man, and he had a background in *sales*, though he knew about as much as a CompTIA A+ tech, which is respectable in general. He lasted 4mos., got fired, cost the small company 5 people by that time. Totes fucked.
@Beerdini: All you can do with those is stay on guard, register concerns with him in writing (and cc:/bcc: the upper brass, if allowed), and make do as best you can.
@thedisasterautist
Lunch with the team these days is now feeling like secret meetings with everyone complaining about what he's doing. A number of people have been saying if he succeeds in pulling the plug on what he is going after (which we suspect is a mandate from our also new director with no security background) our resumes are getting dusted off
@Beerdini: Sounds about it often goes. I've had new managers in different industries sink entire departments and cost the companies dearly, even drive some of them into selling off. I used to get called in sometimes to clean up departments or entire offices after one of those folks ditched or got jettisoned.
@thedisasterautist
I got to see the guy's resume, for legit reasons. His last job was terminated without cause and thru the grapevine I heard his reason, which also sounds sus to me
@Beerdini: A lot of those about, always have been. It's odd they keep getting jobs, but then they lie like heavy tarps and are usually somehow really great at selling themselves to execs.
@thedisasterautist
I took a class about a type of consultation role a while ago and the instructor said to work with someone you need trust, credibility and likability.
This guy is 0-3. The director who hired him still is likable but this decision has damaged the credibility and trust from my perspective.
@Beerdini: In my experience as an office manager and a consultant, albeit now years and years ago, credibility builds trust, and in a professional setting (where people behave professionally) likability isn't as super-important. It's a job, not a neighborhood party. As long as there's no rudeness, pettiness, snark, and the like, most folks can work with it. I'd say respect is necessary more than likability. Again, this is from my own experience and observation. -- Your dude there sounds like...
@Beerdini: ... a loudmouth asshole, which destroys credibility and everything else, especially respect. As for the director, it's certainly a knock down a peg or three in the respect department. Mayhaps he'll see/hear what's up and intervene. I don't know him/her, but I hope they do. Sadly, in my experience most do not. They stick to their decision because they don't want to backtrack, because that looks *bad* to the higher-ups.
It's a crummy situation, for sure.
@Beerdini: Well, that falls under the "New Broom" (Bullshit) Style of New Management, reminiscent of the "Fire Someone As Soon Ay You Show Up In Order To Establish Dominance" (Bullshit) Style of New Management.
It is not uncommon. It's came to the forefront in the 1980s. Management and Exec Types do it in order to show they are "action-oriented" and "aggressive" and shit. I've seen it a lot.
@Beerdini They get a neutral level of trust to start. The clock begins ticking on that immediately. I look at every moment and interaction I can recall from that point. If I lose trust for them, it's because they move the needle down from neutral by behaving sketchy.
I don't assume all new people are lying for instance. I assume most people don't just lie for no reason. I do look for signs that they are lying as I get to know them, because I know people who do lie exist.
@Beerdini
Go with your gut. If the guy hasn't proven himself trustworthy in three weeks, you may have a jerk as a boss.