GM Making decisions

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified)
in
General Questions and Comments

I manage 2 teams of 10 people each.  My boss, recently made a staffing decision that will bring a change to the way one team operates without telling me.  With that said,   we did discuss the possibilities of this change, but i did not know that he in fact decided, and started the process. The change will affect a few of them significantly.   The team became suspicious when someone was told they were moving their office.  That is when I learned this was happening.    At this point, the team thinks I made the decision without any communication between us (me and my team).  I have been in this position, with these teams for 50 days.  

My boss is approachable and I can discuss this with him, but I would like some feedback on how to respond to the team.  I want to strike a balance with my obligation to my team and my boss, not necessarily in that order.  Any thoughts on how you might handle this would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

Submitted by Kevin Picton on Monday April 28th, 2014 8:07 am

 One path you could choose would be to ask for some time with your boss to discuss the details of the changes.  Get it straight in your head what this means for your team members and what his expectations of you are.  Don't confront or challenge if the decision has already been made.
Then you can talk to your team about the changes, why, and what it means for them.  You don't have to pretend you made the decision.  You do have to declare your support for your boss and the changes he's making.  Don't entertain the idea of alternatives if the decision is made.  Go with it and do your best to make it work.
there is a great cast called 'murder the unchosen alternative'.  Most of the guidance would still apply in this situation.
hope this helps
kevin
 

Submitted by Teague Sizemore on Monday April 28th, 2014 1:29 pm

 I agree with KEVIN1 there. I believe you just need to be clear on what the task responsibilities are for you, and to support the decision secondly. 

Submitted by Chris Burke on Tuesday April 29th, 2014 4:55 pm

Thanks for the feedback.  I just listened to the cast and it makes a lot of sense to me.  So many opportunities to use what I've heard on the casts.  Thanks again,
Chris