Change can be unnerving, and nothing can be as unnerving as finding out you have a new boss coming into work with you. But part of nonprofit financial management is forming teams, alliances, and working partnerships with everyone in your organization, including your boss. Even if you will miss your old supervisor greatly, it’s important to welcome a new one to the team and to set the right tone from day one so that your working relationship will be one of mutual trust, support, and productivity.
Tips for Building a Great Rapport with a New Supervisor
Do you remember your first day in your new role in nonprofit financial management? You were probably quite nervous, wondering if you would fit in with the team and wanting to do a great job for the organization.
The same goes for your new manager. New managers want to be successful but may need help learning the organization’s politics, goals, and structure
You can be a great help to the success of your new manager. These tips will help you get started.
- Support success: Make it your primary goal to support your new manager’s success. What do they need to succeed in their role?
- Communicate openly: Communicate openly and honestly with your new supervisor. While you may not want to harp on the negative, certainly let the new boss know of the challenges and problems in the department that they may face. Clear and honest communications build trust and rapport quickly.
- Ask for what you need: Ask for what you need to complete a project or get a job done. Don’t be afraid to make reasonable requests of your new supervisor. Your success reflects on their success, and they want to help you do a great job for the organization.
- Offer help (but don’t be offended when it’s turned down): Your new supervisor is juggling the stress of a new job, a new organization, and challenges you might not be aware of, so be kind and offer help when you can. But don’t be offended or upset if it is turned down. Be available but not overpowering as you offer to help.
- Be a team: Work with your new supervisor, not against him. Be a team. Even if you were turned down for the promotion, your job should be a supporting player, not fighting for the lead role.
Avoid These Common Mistakes
In addition to what you can do to create and build a supportive, mutually beneficial relationship with your new supervisor, there are also things you should avoid.
For example, common communications mistakes made with new supervisors include:
- Divulging too much personal information right away: In an attempt to build rapport, some people tell all their secrets. Some personal information may be fine but too many details can be intrusive.
- Expecting the new person to manage like the old: Every person is unique. Some managers delegate while others have a more hands-on management style. Never assume that a new supervisor is identical to an old one. Each will have their own way of working, communicating, and managing.
- Assuming your new boss has the same knowledge: It’s also important not to assume that your new boss has the same level of knowledge and information as your former boss. They may lack invaluable institutional knowledge that you have.
- Scoffing at new ideas: The reason managers are brought into an organization is to bring new ideas with them. Be open and receptive to new concepts and ideas. Demonstrate your willingness to try them!
Change is difficult, and getting a new supervisor, especially when you had a great working relationship with the former one, can be especially difficult. But if you use these tips, you can start off on the right tone and keep the relationship humming along for many years to come.
Nonprofit Accounting with Beck & Company
Beck & Company is a Washington D.C. area nonprofit accounting firm with a team of expert auditors, accountants, and advisors available to help nonprofits of all sizes. We provide a variety of consulting, auditing, and accounting services and blend knowledge from the accounting and nonprofit worlds to help you improve operations and efficiency. For more information, please contact us at 703-834-0776 x 8001.