Dear Bob ... I'm the COO of a small manufacturing company with an 11-person IT department. After months of searching we just hired a new department head, who I introduced to the staff yesterday. It was, to say the least, embarrassing. One programmer in particular, who was a favorite of the old director's (who was fired for cause), was simply rude, asking the new department head pointed, unpleasant, and very spec Dear Bob …I’m the COO of a small manufacturing company with an 11-person IT department. After months of searching we just hired a new department head, who I introduced to the staff yesterday.It was, to say the least, embarrassing. One programmer in particular, who was a favorite of the old director’s (who was fired for cause), was simply rude, asking the new department head pointed, unpleasant, and very specific questions about his plans for the department. I’m not sure I handled the situation well. What would you have done in my position?– Unused bootDear Boot … You shouldn’t have done anything. The programmer asked the question of his new department head. It was up to the new department head to answer it. Your job was to support his answer after he gave it.What should the department head have done? He should have laughed, and then said, “I just got here. I plan to spend the next month listening to everyone in the organization – all of you, all of my peers, Boot here (especially Boot, since he’s my boss), and the CEO. If you think I’m the sort of person who makes decisions and sets direction without first understanding the situation, think again. That’s not how I make decisions. And I sure hope it isn’t how you make decisions either.”Then, after the meeting, your new department head should have sought out the programmer’s supervisor (assuming there is one) and asked that starting immediately, with this incident, the supervisor start documenting performance and behavioral issues with the programmer to set the stage for an involuntary termination. – Bob ——– Technology Industry