by Adele Gregory

Created on: March 09, 2009

Bosses come and go and sometimes they even offer to take you with them. Accompanying your manager to a new post can be an excellent opportunity, but it is just an opportunity. No matter how right the partnership feels or how high your manager's star is rising, there can be bumps on this particular ride that will be worthwhile as long as you want the job itself.

If your boss is coming to manage an existing team, your arrival can be met with suspicion and resentment. Co-workers might be annoyed at your job going to an "outsider" rather than one of their own ranks. There could be grumblings about cronyism and suspicions that your boss is "surrounding himself with his own people" to quell opposition. This isn't always the case, of course. Unfortunately, it will be hard for you to smooth any ruffled feathers as most of it depends on how your boss manages the situation.

Even when relations are good, accompanying your boss to a new job often means fighting to be seen as an individual and not an extension of your manager. People can peg you as the one with the boss's ear and approach you as a go-between. When all is not happy in the garden, discontent with your manager could be taken out on you as the softer target. People should understand that you're not a surrogate or sidekick, and your boss might need the occasional reminder as well.

Your relationship with your manager will have been a good one if he or she is bringing into the new job. But relationships do change with the circumstances and yours will be no exception. You may grow closer, further apart or more like peers but it's impossible for it to stay exactly as it was. You'll see new and different sides of each other. Your career needs and goals will change and sooner or later one of you will probably want to move on.

Like your place in the office "village", your future prospects can be hampered if you remain too closely linked to your boss. Managers who would ordinarily love to recruit you may think twice about pinching someone's protege or worry about mixed loyalties. There is also a danger than your own future and reputation could fall with your boss's just as it has risen.

An invitation to accompany your boss to a new post can give you an "in" you might not otherwise get, or rescue you from an unhappy situation. The gains, however, need to be regarded as a short-term or even a one-off opportunity. Even if there are no immediate problems as time goes on, you and your boss are likely to reach a crossroad where you want to pursue different paths. So the best guide to resolving whether or not you should follow a boss to a new post is to ask yourself "How would I feel about this job if my boss weren't in the picture?".

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