Leadership transitions are inevitable.

You join a new team. A new leader joins your team.

While times of transition can be exciting and energizing, they often prove difficult both for the the leader and for the groups impacted by the change.

When a new leader joins a group, they work from the start to establish their credibility in their new role.

In a sense, everyone is back in middle school, asking "who am I?" and trying to get a sense of where they fit and how they belong.

During organizational changes, the needs of the new leaders and the followers often conflict.

This is why it is helpful for leaders and members who are new to one another to ask questions like:

* What are you priorities?
* What is important for me to know about how you are processing this shift?
* What would your ideal outcome be?

Successful transitions require understanding both parties need and building communication and trust between them as quickly as possible.