As a manager to a new team, you may find the ghost of your predecessor impedes your ability to manage your team. They may think, for example, a plan you created won’t work because the last manager tried something similar and failed. So what do you say? Responding with anger or being irritated may only make the situation worse. Your team may still feel some loyalty to their last manager, and many of the things he or she did were probably effective. So how do you address a situation like this?

This course demonstrates a method to help you show respect for your predecessor, while making your own improvements.

The video also provides a communication strategy for dealing with resistance to your new ideas. This course is part of the What To Say When series on workplace communication. These short vignettes present common communication dilemmas in the workplace.