What to do if your new boss or peer resents you?
I've faced this multiple times.
I once ran an engineering group. A new business leader came in. I set a time to meet my new peer. After we said hello, some of his first words were:
"I'm not sure why you are here, I've always run my own engineering teams."
This man is now one of my best friends. We worked together for 11 years.
How did we go from that rough start to a great relationship?
Another time in my career, my manager left. In the reorganization, I was moved under a higher-level non-technical business leader.
For many engineers, this is a horror story in and of itself.
But my manager told me point blank:
"I've never run a software team and don't particularly want to, but we'll figure it out."
Not exactly a great start.
But again, this leader became one of my greatest supporters and advocates!
People see problems before they see value or opportunity.
These leaders were no different. They were looking at my title and my role, having never spoken to me, and seeing a problem.
My peer saw someone who controlled the resources he needed. He saw a potential opponent who might block his agenda.
My new boss saw a function he did not understand but would be held responsible to manage. He saw liability but no profit.