 I’m
getting a new boss in the spring, my third in two years. I wish I
could feel more confident, but I still find it hard to get started
on the right note—and the stakes seem higher with every new
boss.
—M.M.,
Worcester, MA
 Here
are a few ideas that may sound familiar, but they’re still
worth trying. They could work better with some people than with
others. And don’t forget that you are growing and changing
with each new situation too.
Ignore rumors. Don’t
believe everything you hear or repeat to others (including by e-mail)
any gossip that you do hear. And if your gossip finds its way back
to your new boss (as it probably will), it will only make it harder
to form a positive relationship.
Be cooperative. Offer help in making a new manager’s
first few weeks go smoothly. Repeat the offer if she or he does
not pick up on it the first time.
Focus on communication. Find out how a new boss wants
to give and receive information: memos, e-mail, in-person reports?
Make any adjustments in your style.
Be proactive. Make sure that your job description
fits your new boss’s expectations of what you should or shouldn’t
be doing. Request a meeting to clarify your responsibilities.
Don’t assume too much. Do not expect a new
manager to honor every commitment his or her predecessor made to
your department or to you personally. At best, it will take time
to reevaluate those decisions, particularly if change is in the
air at your workplace.
Don’t compare bosses. Don’t talk about
the “good old days” and keep any comparisons between
supervisors to yourself. 
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