New job. My predessesor was apparently wonderful.

[VimtoPassion]

It's a small department in a larger public sector organisation. Employs people with specific expertise on some very high salaries and runs almost like a small business in its own right. I have a fairly senior post which is the "bridge" between the experts and the support team.

Before I started the CEO told me how wonderful this man was and how she'd relied so heavily on him, trusted him 100%, how the organisation would struggle to operate without him/the role. This didn't phase me, I'm good too

My team also think he's wonderful.

However, what I am discovering is that he was just left to do his own thing, no one really knows what that was, that it actually wasn't very much and the bits he did do no one understands. The support team love him because nothing much has been asked of them. The CEO loves him because she didn't have to worry about the things he covered, but she doesn't seem to realise that's not actually very much.

I'm a month in. Maybe I've got a shock coming and some of the work is cyclical, but for my £70k salary, I reckon I've done about 4 days of real work in the last month and this is a period where I'm finding my feet and would expect to be slower than usual.

I really don't now what to do. I don't want to stitch myself up by pointing out that the team is too big for what's needed and I'm not sure I yet have the credibility to explain that everything they believe about former staff member is wrong, but this is ridiculous. Also I'm on probation.

Sounds like a job you can have real
Impact in - once you've charmed them the way he did - do that first, make them think you have it all covered

Then quietly go around making new projects to have decent impact

But don't let the first purpose slide, they value that

I think you need to make the role your own rather than focusing on what your predecessor did - be proactive and ask people what needs you might be able to meet; get yourself into meetings and so on, so that work naturally comes your way.

Do NOT say anything! You're on probation and you're effectively telling the CEO she's a fucking idiot. She won't thank you. You also need to find out where her personal loyalties lie.

I would bide your time, get through probation and start putting together a plan to share at the end of your probation.

Cover things like: What else could you do with your time? What initiatives could you launch? How could you work more effectively with other teams? Could you redeploy/reduce headcount without affecting morale?

What's the plan for 23/24? Is there a 5 year plan? Can you bring anything forward?

What can you do to make her look good?

I'd make sure there's nothing he used to do that you've missed, then make it known you have capacity to support the CEO more.

Was the JD a load of waffle about sparking synergies and building RACIs and leading in cutting edge best practices?

TBH the whole organisation is a bit like that 😆

I just started a job like this in January so I'm now 6 months in. I am doing more in my part time hours than my predecessor was in full time hours. He was so well-liked that I make sure to never ever criticise him or his work no matter what I really think of it. On a weekly basis, I finish my mandatory work first, then I set myself projects that add value to my department. So far I've completed several. Occasionally I find my manager and ask if they need me to do anything for them and they pass me on some more work so they think I'm very helpful. Everyone thinks I'm super efficient, but really my predecessor did very little.

If the CEO thinks your predecessor was wonderful just think what he’ll think of you.
He’ll be really impressed when he can get rid of half the team. Safe in the knowledge that you will be able to do it all in your spare time. Even more so when you tell him that his golden boy did fuck all.
He’ll resign immediately and beg you to take the reins.

I would fully agree with some pp. Take the 'free time' to do side projects, working with other teams, bringing in new innovations etc etc. In my role I would say 33% is doing what i call the day job (think a pp phrased it much better as the mandatory work', 33% doing 'project work' ie anything that interests me or takes my fancy... obviously in the interest of the team and the last 33% doing not much... but is really capacity to think and figure out next projects etc etc. I find that if I don't have that last 33% I end up just doing what needs to be done but no future direction etc. I also often volunteer to get involved in projects which are not strictly my day job etc etc. For me it is always those projects that keep me interested in the role.

I've met men like your predecessor. I don't know if they are deliberate fraudulent or they genuinely believe in their own genius. It's all very Emperor's New Clothes.

The last guy like this got promoted into an unbelievably responsible job with major organisational implications should he fail. I'm intrigued to see what happens.

What are you doing to earn that much and can I have a job too please 😅

@VimtoPassion I suspect he made the CEOs problems disappear and therefore made their life easier.

I once ended up working for someone who loved all the young men who worked for her. She went on 2 weeks leave and I covered, when she got back she said to me in a shocked voice not even x thought to do that. What did I do, draft responses for her to the emails I couldn’t directly respond to.

Like pp take the time to understand the job, remember some tasks can be cyclical. Learn about the organisation and where you can make an impact. With the CEO, make problems disappear but go a step further do some anticipation to stop them arising - outshine golden boy.

I had this in my last job. She sort of created her own role and everybody thought she was amazing, but when I looked at the work she'd been producing, it was terrible. I don't know how she managed to make herself look so industrious and brilliant.

Unlike you I can't keep my mouth shut even when it's wise so I was honest about it all. I did manage to put in some new processes and improve the quality of output but ultimately it was never going to be the job for me, so I left.