How to Work with a New Boss When Your Manager is on Leave

Leadership transitions are tricky — even more so when your trusted manager goes on temporary leave, and you suddenly find yourself reporting to a skip-level boss. The dynamics shift, the expectations aren’t always clear, and even well-intentioned communication can be misunderstood.

In a recent coaching conversation, we explored Chelsea’s situation: a smart, capable team member grappling with this very challenge. If you’ve ever felt frustrated, confused, or unrecognized during a leadership transition, her story — and the lessons from it — may resonate with you.

The Situation: When the Safety Net is Gone

Chelsea’s manager went on a nine-month rotation, leaving her and her teammates reporting directly to a skip-level boss — someone who was a former friend but now felt distant, busy, and less supportive.

Chelsea quickly noticed two major changes:

• Lack of protective leadership: In weekly project meetings, follow-up actions were ballooning into unnecessary busywork. Tasks her manager would have diplomatically shut down were now escalating.

• Communication misalignment: When Chelsea tried to explain prior research or decisions, she felt her explanations were dismissed. Worse, indirect feedback later suggested she sounded defensive — something her peers didn’t perceive at all.

Underlying all this was an invisible tension: a complicated past friendship with her new interim boss, which now possibly affected how he interacted with her.

Chelsea’s central questions were:

• Should she raise her concerns directly?
• Should she clarify the misunderstandings?
• Or should she stay quiet, adapt, and simply get through the nine months?

It was a delicate and stressful situation — made harder by the emotional whiplash of losing the strong, trusting dynamic she had built with her original manager.

Coaching Insights: How to Move Forward Strategically

Through coaching, a few key insights emerged:

1. Reset Your Expectations — You’re in a New Job with a New Boss
Even though it’s temporary, Chelsea’s reporting structure has fundamentally changed. Comparing her skip-level boss to her former manager — even unintentionally — created unconscious resentment and communication friction.

New leader = new style. Assuming alignment just because it existed with the old boss can backfire. Chelsea must rebuild trust and communication norms from scratch, without assuming she already has credibility.

2. Acknowledge His Perspective Too
The skip-level boss isn’t trying to be her old manager — he’s balancing multiple teams, unfamiliar projects, and limited time. When Chelsea responds quickly with logical rebuttals (even if correct), it can accidentally feel like rejection of his input.

Perception matters as much as reality. It’s important to show openness to hearing ideas fully, even if prior experience suggests they’re not viable.

3. Manage the Emotional Baggage Separately
Chelsea’s feeling hurt — about being misunderstood, about the loss of rapport, about working harder for the same credibility. That’s valid. But those emotions must be processed separately from tactical work communications, or else they’ll leak into every interaction.

4. Practical Step: Talk to Her Original Manager
Instead of confronting the skip-level boss immediately, Chelsea can first consult her manager, asking:

• “How do you successfully manage his expectations?”
• “What communication style does he respond best to?”

This intel can help Chelsea adapt without guessing — and without escalating tensions unnecessarily.

Key Takeaways — for Chelsea and Anyone in a Similar Situation

For Chelsea:

• Let go of the old framework.
• Focus on curiosity, flexibility, and rebuilding a working relationship.
• Use feedback (even imperfect feedback) as information, not as a personal attack.
• Get strategic advice from the original manager before making assumptions.

For anyone facing a similar transition:
Leadership changes aren’t just logistical — they are emotional. The faster you recognize that your working “contract” has changed, the faster you can adjust, rebuild trust, and minimize stress.

If you find yourself suddenly reporting to someone new:

• Check your assumptions.
• Stay curious, not defensive.
• Rebuild your credibility deliberately, even if it feels unfair.
• And remember: adapting your style doesn’t mean abandoning your worth.

Transitions are messy. But they can also be powerful catalysts for growth — if you choose to meet the moment with flexibility and self-awareness.

I am always in your corner

Lei