Most people do not work under only one boss for long. Bosses come and go and if you are an employee who remains, you have to accept it. This does not however mean that you should be passive. You can use the arrival of your new boss to actively develop your own career. Careerealism.com recommends the following steps.
1. Explain your work
Your new boss will obviously not know the details about what everyone in your team is doing. Therefore, when he gets to you, help him understand exactly what your job is.
2. Do not compare the new boss with the former one
If you can't do it in your mind, do not talk about your comparisons publicly. Your new boss will only get the impression that if you are gossiping about your former boss, sooner or later, you will talk about him in the same way.
3. Improve your performance
If your performance under your former has been less than perfect, you have an ideal opportunity to improve. Your new boss will believe his own eyes more than what he has heard about your past performance.
4. Find out how the new boss communicates
Find out how your new boss prefers to learn new information. First, ask him what he wants to know and then tell him. Do not assume anything based on your previous experience.
5. Recommend possible solutions
The new boss will probably not expect you to advise him on process matters. However, he may like to hear your opinion in case of major decisions with broad impact. Be prepared to offer solutions and even feel free to express criticism if you have sufficient supporting arguments.
6. Prepare for changes
Changes will come with every new boss, even if he was your former colleague. Sometimes the changes are small, sometimes they are big. It is up to you to decide to accept the changes and either follow your new boss or use your talent somewhere else.
-kk-