From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
I have just been promoted to a supervisory position on the Hot-Line of a large kitchen. Unfortunately, I seem to be having a hard time gaining the trust and respect of my co-workers as well as other supervisors and managers. It seems to be difficult for some to grasp the fact that I have been entrusted with the charge of the kitchen once in a while. It might be the fact that I have not had a great deal of time in the position, as of yet, so hopefully it may get better with time and my ability to be patient. But if there is any bit of advice and/or support that you may be able to provide, I am all ears. -TM
So, what do you all think? If you have some advice for TM, please post a comment.
TM
There are plenty of reasons this could be happening. My advice to you is not to focus on the reasons why the atmosphere is the way it is. I suggest that you do the following:
1. Get to work 30 mins before your shift.
2. Put in the hours with the people in the kitchen.
3. Continue to learn the environment.
4. DON’T make any drastic changes.
5. Have a positive attitude.
You have to prove that you can do the job, you are willing to work as hard (harder) as the other people in the kitchen. You will build your equity with the peer team and mgmt team.
Good Luck
On the next occassion where you are “put in charge of the kitchen”, if things go well, publicly praise the people in your charge with your boss. THEY did a good job and heap the credit on them. If anything doesn’t go well, take all the responsibility for it and make it your job to come up with solutions to the “things” that went wrong – not the people who may have committed the acts. The solutions portion can involve the people you work with and this inclusion can also build trust and respect with your crew.
I appreciate the fact that you are “all ears”. That’s a great was to present yourself to the team. Perhaps you could ask the other supervisors and managers for their expert opinion. They are more likely to respect you when you let them know that you value their years of experience. Moreover, they are more likely to support your actions if they perceive that they contributed to them.
TM —
Before your co-workers can trust you, they need to feel that they know you. Spend one-on-one time with the people you work with the most outside of a rushed situation. Hold a “mineral rights” conversation to learn them well and give them an opportunity to better know who you are.