A thoughtful article in MIT Sloan Mgt. Rev., Vol. 50, Summer 2009 at 44, should unnerve newly appointed general counsel. Research shows that “subordinates’ expectations of the boss measured in the first five days of their relationship were strong predictors of subordinate assessments of the quality of their working relationship measured two weeks, six weeks and six months later.” (emphasis in original)
The article explains how good bosses get mislabeled and how perceptions form rapidly around their behavior. It also gives advice for how to combat premature misimpressions and snap judgments (See my post of Sept. 7, 2008: staff watch the general counsel like hawks.).