At Work with The Ready: "AUA: Promotion Problems - Managing Former Bosses"

Hosts: Rodney Evans & Sam Spurlin
Date: October 13, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin answer a listener’s challenging question:
"I just got promoted to lead my team, but there's baggage. I now manage my former boss and supervisor, who were reassigned due to performance. I'm under a lot of pressure to turn the team around fast and need advice."

Rodney and Sam explore the emotional, relational, and practical dynamics of stepping into leadership over former superiors, and offer actionable strategies for navigating awkwardness, shame, and necessary team changes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Acknowledge the Awkwardness (00:48–02:26)

• Rodney underscores the importance of not ignoring the "weirdness" of suddenly managing your former boss or supervisor.
  • “Assume that everybody is cringing right now and sort of like, white knuckling through this moment.” (01:00)
• Suggests a candid approach with the team, openly acknowledging past roles and the inherent discomfort:
  • “I'm not going to pretend that it's not weird. I'm going to do my absolute best. I would ask you to ask me what you need from me… and let's just like, roll from here and see how it goes.” (01:30)
• Warns against forced trust-building exercises (“trust falls”), advocating honesty instead.

2. Individual Conversations & Seeking Advice (02:26–03:47)

• Sam recommends 1-on-1 conversations with both the former boss and supervisor to understand their perspectives:
  • “I would be looking to have some conversations, one on one… to really, like, ask for advice and try to actually understand how they saw the situation that they were trying to navigate.” (02:30)
• Both highlight the shame these former leaders may feel, emphasizing the importance of authentic engagement.
• Rodney cautions against inauthentically soliciting advice just to appease former leaders:
  • “I have gotten into trouble in my own career basically asking people for advice to get them on my side, even though I thought I knew better… don't do that, because people know and they get really mad at you and then they try to destroy you, which is what happened to me.” (03:35)
  • “Ask about things where you're really ready to hear their answer and possibly execute on it… it's worse to do that inauthentically than to not do it at all.” (03:58)

3. Be Open to Decisive Changes (04:26–05:53)

• Sam points out that, despite best intentions, managing out former leaders may become necessary if things don’t work:
  • “If the result of the tough situation is that… these folks need to be managed out of this team, I think that's a very likely possibility… good intentions do not perfect organizations make.” (04:37)
• Rodney advocates for prompt action if it’s clear the new team dynamic isn’t working:
  • “The worst mistakes that I've made around parting ways with people is waiting too long. Fast and decisive is kinder, actually, than letting something fester that's not working.” (05:18)
  • “If it isn't working and you know it isn't working, let them go. Otherwise this dynamic will poison the team.” (05:29)

4. Don't Over-Engineer the Solution—Allow Time and Space (05:53–06:57)

• Rodney notes the human tendency to rush into mending awkward team dynamics, but cautions against it:
  • “While out of side of my mouth, I'm saying don't let it persist, be decisive if you know that it's borked. On the other hand, I would also say don't rush to fix it. Give it some space, give it some oxygen.” (05:54)
• Suggests allowing team members to adapt and organically find new footing:
  • “Give these adults some time to get adjusted to the new reality and get over whatever, you know, ego smackdown they've just taken and see if it can sort of, like, all smooth out.” (06:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rodney Evans (01:00):
  “Everybody in this situation is having, like, a real ego ping right now as a result.”

• Rodney Evans (01:34):
  “I don't think you have to… get everybody into a room and, like, do trust falls. But part of why these things go so sideways is our refusal to just say, well, this is fucking awkward.”

• Sam Spurlin (02:30):
  “I would be looking to have some conversations, one on one, with these former bosses… to really, like, ask for advice and try to actually understand how they saw the situation.”

• Rodney Evans (03:35):
  “I've gotten into trouble in my own career basically asking people for advice to get them on my side, even though I thought I knew better… don't do that.”

• Rodney Evans (05:18):
  “The worst mistakes that I've made around parting ways with people is waiting too long. Fast and decisive is kinder, actually, than letting something fester that's not working.”

• Rodney Evans (06:30):
  “Give these adults some time to get adjusted to the new reality and get over whatever, you know, ego smackdown they've just taken and see if it can sort of, like, all smooth out.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:48: Acknowledging the awkwardness openly
• 02:26: Value of 1-on-1 conversations and authentic advice-seeking
• 03:35: Dangers of inauthentic engagement
• 04:26: Discussing when and how to part ways if necessary
• 05:54: The importance of not over-engineering solutions, letting the team settle
• 06:30: The team’s ability to adapt with time and space

Episode Takeaways

• Be upfront about weird team dynamics—normalize the discomfort.
• Treat former superiors with humility and listen authentically.
• Don’t tolerate toxic dynamics to fester; act decisively if things don’t work.
• Avoid over-managing; sometimes, giving people space is the best medicine.

Practical, compassionate, and blunt as ever, Rodney and Sam deliver solid guidance for anyone thrust into the delicate role of leading former leaders under scrutiny.

[End of summary]