Will try to keep this as short as possible but it could be quite a long one!
I work for quite a high pressure company and in the last 3 months we’ve had a spate of resignations, including my boss and my boss’ boss (the department c-level).
I am the European head of a department and I have counterparts in the US and Asia. When my boss (who headed the global function) quit, we were told that no decision would be made for her replacement until a new C-level was appointed (in early 2023) - we would just manage ourselves effectively. In the interim, I’ve had various pep talks from the remaining leadership team within the department (including temporary C-level) telling me that this was a really good opportunity for me to elevate myself, and get my voice heard more, step up to the plate etc. In fairness, my direct boss kept me quite sheltered and I don’t feel I always had the credit or visibility I merited.
I was sad when my boss quit, but after these conversations I started to see the opportunity and began to plan for the role without a direct manager along with the other regional heads - overall I felt quite positive, and thought I’d finally get a bit more visibility and recognition for what I do.
Then, the week before last the US regional head also quit, right before I went on leave for a week. She has a very young team so definitely needed an experienced replacement. While I was out of office (with no forewarning or discussion) an email went out to the whole department (40 people) announcing they’d appointed a new global head (I.e a direct boss for me, covering all 3 regions). This person did the US role for 3 years until 3 years ago before working in another part of the business. I’ve been in my Europe role for the past 3 years.
This person has a bit of a reputation as I micromanager, whereas I’ve had a lot of independence under my previous boss and is already really getting into the weeds of everything without much understanding of the region (has asked some easily googable questions on geography!).
Ultimately what’s done is done, and I’ll do what I can to support her in her transition, but I can’t help but feel very bitter and sad about the lost opportunity (after all those pep talks) and the way it’s been handled on the comms side.
I’m considering writing an email to the interim department head (will work to keep it factual and not too whingey/emotional) to feedback my disappointment on how it’s been handled in the hopes they can be more tactful going forward. It’s probably more of a cathartic exercise as I’m still quite sad, but is this a fool’s errand? Should I just keep quiet? Part of me thinks the problem is I’ve been too quiet/passive and I’ll just keep being walked over unless I speak up, but equally, I’m now going to start actively job hunting so maybe there is no point.
Would really value an outsider’s perspective - thank you!