The tug-of-war of being in and out of favor at work

I remember when I took a role at a new company with the “it boss” (for the first time). I fell into a trap of treating “being in favor” as if it was a stable state of being. Here’s how it went down. I took the role and my boss immediately set up a narrative of him being the knight riding in to fix what the old team got wrong. I believed in the rightness of his assertion. A couple of months (or quarters) later, having done some good work, a new group was put in charge of our group, with a new head of whatever, and my group was on the receiving end of the “your work needs fixing” narrative. What I’ve learned is that this happens more than I’d care to admit at companies large and small. And having experienced it many times, there is a much better way to embrace and ride through the cycle.

Use your powers for good. You won’t be up forever. You have a fixed time when you’re in favor. Don’t squander that wave. Pick wins you want to accomplish and be as productive as you can. Get the budget and resources you need. Ask for raises and promotions for your team while they want to invest in you. Fully fund your programs. Move with urgency and intention to deliver results.

Don’t bash your predecessors. Seriously. Just don’t set that tone on your team. Not only are there plenty of good things that were probably happening, there were likely good reasons why they couldn’t do what you were hired to do. Create good will. Learn from them. Raise yourself up on your own accomplishments—don’t knock others down to look bigger.

Build bridges and alliances. You won’t always be in favor. Things change. So focus on helping others and building bridges when you’re in favor. Be a connector. Go out of your way to shine a light on people’s wins. Not only will this give you a strong foundation when the pendulum swings, but it will hopefully create a model where other leaders are also supportive and generous.

Most (okay all) companies have politics. Leadership changes, new strategies, you name it can push the pendulum from one side to another in terms of “who can ride the wave” of driving something important through. How you handle that wave matters. Don’t forget the cyclical nature of these things and you’ll get the most out of the “up swing” without damaging yourself and others.