New VP Role? Learn Who to Trust First

 

New VP Role? Learn Who to Trust First

Ben walked into Duraplastix Industries as the new Vice President of Operations.

The Mississauga plant buzzed with life. Machines whirred. Workers moved with purpose. The air smelled of warm plastic.

Ben was hired to fix a mess—quality problems, missed deadlines, and too many unhappy customers.

The board didn’t want tweaks. They wanted change.

A Warm Welcome

Less than an hour in, there was a knock on his door.

It was Ariana.

She’d been with the company for 12 years. She was the Operations Manager—just one level below Ben.

“Welcome!” she said, smiling wide. “You must have a lot on your plate already.”

She handed him a thick folder.

“I’ve put together a full overview. It covers our biggest issues and key processes. I’ve also booked meetings with department heads for the week. I know where the real problems are.”

Ben felt grateful. Ariana seemed sharp, helpful, and eager to turn things around.

Over the next few days, she showed him the ropes. She gave tours, explained systems, and introduced people.

She didn’t hold back.

According to her, some teams were dragging their feet. Others feared change. Long-time processes needed to go.

She pointed to one area in particular.

“The injection molding team,” she said. “They’re always behind. I’ve tried to streamline things, but they fight every change. Same with quality control—they aim for perfection when we just need to meet deadlines.”

Ben listened. Her points made sense. She was confident and organized. He felt lucky to have her.

Still, something told him he needed to see things for himself.

A Different View

Two weeks in, Ben walked the floor alone.

No Ariana. No schedule. Just him, watching the work in real time.

That’s when he met Justin, a machine operator who’d been there eight years.

“We used to run smoother,” Justin said as he checked his settings. “But in the last couple years, everything keeps changing. We barely have time to adjust before the next shift in process.”

Ben asked who drove the changes.

“Ariana,” Justin said. “She’s got new ideas all the time. Thing is, she’s not down here much. Doesn’t really see how they play out.”

That didn’t match what Ben had heard.

Ariana blamed resistance. Justin blamed overload.

Something was off.

Looking Closer

Ben started asking quiet questions.

He talked with staff during walks, not formal meetings. Just small chats—no pressure.

Patterns popped up fast.

People across departments shared the same complaints. Too many changes. Not enough thought. Poor communication.

No one asked for feedback. No one explained why things changed. The new ideas often made things harder, not better.

Lea from quality control said it best:

“We’re not afraid of change. But it has to make sense. These new rules sound smart on paper—but they break down in real life.”

Ben also found something troubling.

In the last two years, many experienced staff had left—mostly from the teams Ariana labeled as “problems.”

He pulled their exit interviews. The trend was clear. Many felt unheard. Most blamed poor management decisions.

So Ben dug in.

He reviewed data. He traced customer complaints. He looked at productivity numbers going back three years.

And what he found told a different story than the one he’d been fed.

The Real Picture

Ariana wasn’t lying—but she wasn’t neutral either.

She framed problems to protect her choices.

The quality team? They weren’t perfectionists. They were doing their best under pressure from unrealistic timelines.

The molding team? Not change-resistant—just tired of changes that made their work harder.

Ben met with Tom, a long-time supervisor. He’d seen three VPs come and go.

“The ones who last,” Tom said, “are the ones who take their time. The ones who crash? They trust the loudest voice too fast.”

He paused.

“Ariana means well. But she rolls out ideas without seeing how they affect the whole system. She’s been behind a lot of the recent churn.”

The Real Problem

It wasn’t just Ariana.

The deeper issue was the cycle.

Ariana made changes without enough input. When those changes didn’t work, she made more changes to fix the damage.

The last VP trusted her too. He never broke the cycle.

So Ben did.

He met with every team. He mapped what worked and what didn’t.

He reversed or fixed flawed changes.

He also had a tough but honest talk with Ariana.

“You’ve done a lot for this company,” he said. “But moving forward, we need to plan better. We need team input before we act. And we need to spend more time on the floor, seeing how ideas play out.”

It wasn’t easy. But over six months, things changed.

Production goals improved. Customer complaints dropped. Veteran staff stayed.

Best of all, trust started to return.

The Hidden Lesson

Here’s the real takeaway:

The person who helps first may also shape the story to their benefit.

It doesn’t mean they’re bad. Ariana truly cared. But she also wanted her past choices to look right.

That desire shaped what she told Ben—and what she left out.

If you’re a new leader, remember:

The best insights often come from the people living with broken systems—not those who designed them.

Ask. Watch. Cross-check.

The loudest voice isn’t always the truest.

Key Lessons for New Leaders

First impressions can fool you
 Early advice is shaped by bias and self-interest. Take time to go deeper.

The floor tells the truth
 Get close to the work. Ask people doing the job. That’s where real answers live.

Good intent doesn’t equal good results
 Even helpful people can cause harm. Look at impact—not just enthusiasm.

Loyalty isn’t always clarity
 The most loyal team members may have the most to lose if things change.

Your 90-Day Checklist

☐ Listen first. Don’t act on the first story you hear.
☐ Walk the floor. Watch the work. Talk to the doers.
☐ Map the real web. Learn who holds influence, not just titles.
☐ Ask open questions. Let people speak freely.
☐ Review the numbers. Compare data to what people say.
☐ Spot the patterns. If several people echo the same issue, pay attention.
☐ Stay open. Don’t lock in on one narrative too fast.
☐ Reconnect. Circle back to early voices and share what you’ve learned.

How to Handle Office Politics Without Losing Sight

Assume no one has the full truth
 Treat each version as a clue, not a conclusion.

Do your own homework
 Don’t rely only on summaries. Go see for yourself.

Create safe feedback loops
 People won’t speak if they fear backlash. Show that honesty is safe.

Trust takes time
 Helpful doesn’t always mean honest. Build trust slowly—based on proof, not charm.

FAQ: What New Leaders Ask Most

Q: How can I tell who’s telling the truth?
Honest people admit things aren’t always black and white.

Q: What if a top manager is the problem?
 Focus on actions, not people. Address systems. Reassign tasks if needed—but do it with care.

Q: Won’t I seem unsure if I ask too many questions?
 No. Just explain your approach:
“I want to make smart choices. So I’m listening, observing, and reviewing before I decide.”
Most teams will respect that.

Q: Is it risky to challenge someone who’s been here longer than I have?
 Sure. But it’s riskier not to. Long tenure can mean wisdom—or bad habits. You need to know the difference.

Final Thought

Leadership isn’t about having answers on Day One.

It’s about asking smart questions—and letting the truth rise to the top.

The best leaders don’t just fix symptoms. They learn the system. They listen wide. They think long. And they act with care.

That’s how real change begins.