Lovely colleague but struggling to get her to step back

[Motherfeckinlegend]

Hi all, I don't really know what I'm looking for by posting this but some advice would be great. I've started a new job and have been there for a few months. A colleague did her best to cover the position whilst the company recruited (her words), she's a lovely person and I've worked with the board to change her role so she's doing more of what she enjoys now.
The problem I have is that she oversteps the mark with the team I manage. She doesn't seem to realise that she's doing the things I should be doing and it's causing some real issues. For example, when we're all in a meeting together she will try to take over and lead this meeting or give my team advice/instructions. Apart from anything else, I am the most senior member of the organisation and she's making it very difficult for me to take on the role or develop working relationships with the team.

I'm not saying that she shouldn't be involved and I appreciate that I'm still fairly new, but she is most definitely overstepping and I can't understand that she doesn't see this. We're a very small team so I have to be very careful how I approach this.
Has anyone had similar experiences and how did you deal with it?
TIA

Is she the second most senior person? And are the instructions valid?

I ask because arguably, her involvement while irritating doesn't necessarily mean that you are not in charge overall? Does she have any responsibilities within your team at all?

Otherwise I think the trick is just to make sure you have the last word - "okay, thanks Daisy but john and mary, I'd like you to focus on ...." or whatever?

Is it worth having a chat to clarify some boundaries and expectations of her role? She maybe thinks she is helping or impressing you or then again she possibly doesn't have a clue she is doing it....!

This is common when someone’s been covering a role and I guess some of the boundaries have become blurred. Good opportunity to set her some new goals and maybe give her some areas of responsibility that she can lead on, but keep overall responsibility yourself. That helps with her development and gives her some authority too. It’s not easy when you are covering a job and then you have to step back but I’d want to know if I was over stepping the mark. Goal setting will allow you both to be clear who does what and then at 1-2-1’s if she is taking over you can raise it

She knows exactly what she is doing. You need to nip this in the bud

You need to be straight with her, have that difficult conversation. If she is truly lovely as you say, she will back off.

You need to sit with her and get her to do a hand over as she seems to still be hanging on to some items and of course stop inviting her to the team meetings.

Maybe change the venue, or the agenda, or start giving a circulating chair role to develop your team and allow them to step up - there are loads of ways of asserting yourself without upsetting her too much.

One way of doing it is to stop the current meetings and start new project based ones, with only people involved in the project. You can always go back to it once she is off the radar.

This sounds hard. I has similar in my job I was the assistant team manager and then they restructured and made me the TM for one part of the service and the existing TM the manager for another part. For about the first 6 months the old TM was constantly interfering and managing parts of my role. I don't know what it is like where you are but I chose to 'ride it out'. As we're a social work team and eventually the cases allocated would ne geographical and as the new cases came in the other TM would then have no oversight. I don't know what service you're in though?

This is delicate. But the fact you need to ask is worrying. Surely you have the management experience to nip this in the bud and curb her?

Do you have a meeting agenda? Sometimes adding the name of the person leading the item can help. It means that in advance of the meeting everyone knows who is going to speak to and lead that section. It means you can give her something to lead on, but equally do the same for others. You can always give yourself the first and last item.