Demoralized a whole team in your first call as leader
I want to share something that happened today and just get your thoughts and see if you all agree that this is a red flag and how to handle it as a team member.
Context: Corporate job, team of ~ 8.
Wednesdays we have scheduled our team call, and today was the first one without our former leader.
Our former leader was excellent, as manager, colleague and mentor, so it was a well respected figure within our team, but decided to pursue an opportunity outside of the company.
Leadership did not handle it well, so the change was effective immediately, no transition, no time to regroup.
Today's call was led by our Senior Exec, who we all (including our prior manager reported to). The call is 30 min and is a simple check in to keep all members synced with priorities and objective is to ask if anyone requires any support from the team. Normally we go one by one just checking all is in order.
Today's call the exec joins and ask what do we do here and if this is another meeting where we do nothing (I marked this as strike one). A member explains to this person the routine and agenda to which this leader ignores and proceed to joke about the departure or our prior manager as "are you guys still hurt by that" (I marked this as strike 2).
We all were in silence and we simply smile politely (in corporate). Then this person proceeds to ask a question to a team member, and putting them under the spot.
Finally, after seeing that no engagement from any of us (I think we perceived that he was no prepared for the meeting) decides to finish it to give us back 20 min of our time (strike 3).
Nobody said anything and call ended in an awkward silence.
I spoke after with a colleague and he simply said "this is my cue to look for other opportunities because if this is the leader that's going to support us during the transition, we are doomed"
Is this an accurate prediction of a poor management style?