Dear Claudia,

My company just went through a series of layoffs, and in an unexpected turn of events I have been promoted to replace the manager of our small recruiting team. One of the remaining recruiters is really angry that I was given the promotion; she’s been with the company longer, and says she was being groomed for the job by our old boss (who was let go in the last round of layoffs). As you might imagine, between the layoffs and the politics our office is not a fun place to be at this moment, but this is a great opportunity for me and I want to do a good job. Any suggestions?

Underdog Boss


Dear Underdog,

Wow – trouble always brings friends, as my grandmother liked to say. I’m going to assume that you were promoted to the manager role because you merit the promotion, and not because you were the tallest person in the lineup that day. If that’s not the case, and you were selected because of dysfunctional politics in your company, there’s more trouble waiting for you around the corner – but let’s deal with the current problems first. Today you have two immediate objectives: be a leader, and lead your team. Let me explain...

Read the rest of my response and add comments of your own here...

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