“If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants.” – Isaac Newton
“What I would offer you as you begin as the new leader of this organization is refer to your predecessors in a positive light. There are people who have had important, meaningful relationships with them and you denigrating them in any way will only hurt you and your credibility.”
I spend a lot of time walking with new leaders as they onboard and the above suggestion is one of the ‘golden rules’ of starting a new position.
Undoubtedly there will be those who are not fans of your predecessors. But in my experience there often are just as many folks, most of whom are a lot less vocal, who had positive relationships.
And also undoubtedly as the new leader you will begin to discover things that likely should have been handled differently.
Yet disparaging your predecessors in the end too often sounds more like, “Let me knock them down to build myself up.”
The reality in all transitions is that the organization or community is the constant. Folks often have long tenures in organizations which in most cases means they have had a number of leaders. As the saying goes, “I am a ‘be’ worker – I be here before you, I be here while you’re here and I’ll be here after you leave!”
The other reality is we all stand on the shoulders of those before us. And one day someone else will stand on our shoulders. The real wisdom is to make all the shoulders as strong and stable as possible.
As the Psalmist reminds us, “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4
BP