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Have you listened to what these senior folks have to say? Listen to comprehend where they are coming from.
Most of the grumpy seniors that I have worked with have been overlooked, gaslit, gone through change that made more work for them, seen lots of layoffs and know that incoming crew members are being paid more. And constantly told to do more with less - but only leadership gets the bonus.
Frustration with leadership is because they have had dictators, micromanagers, or “yes men” that have reported to.
I encourage you to meet them where they are.
Look at what they are doing (separate the personality from the work they are doing),
look at their pay compared to incoming folks and talk to HR if it’s not right.
Watch how people interact with them - are they the go to people and thus no time to complete their work?
Then look at the rest of the team. Do you have people that are just “meeting folks” and don’t do what they were hired to do? Is the rest of the team hitting their numbers anywhere close to your senior folks?
How can you make the work environment better? Make it so that everyone is sharing the load and getting things done. Both from a subject matter expert and process.
And super kudos if you can figure out what they like to do and give them an hour or so a week to do it. Such as I had one person who was great at organizing/color coding. Made it a million times better after she updated the files.
I would keep doing what you're doing but with all your directs. Some just need extra time, and not surprisingly, they're usually the more senior folks. I'd start documenting your main negative interactions with your two senior directs though, just in case their behavior worsens, and so you can keep your own manager updated on what you've tried and how they're responding.
Absolutely this. At some point you have to have a hard conversation to say, "look I hear you that your frustrated with leadership and I'm going to do the best I can to change that opinion, but in the meantime we need to work with each other like professionals." If they can't do that, you may have to move to separating because eventually they'll become toxic to the new employees.
Honestly, that sounds like the right move. You’ve extended the olive branch, offered support, and held space for them to re-engage. At some point, it’s okay to shift your energy toward people who want to build with you. Keep the door open, but don’t let them drain your momentum.
As a manager I wouldn’t look too much into it and just perform as your job requires. Learn their quirks and assess whether their frustrations is something you could control and improve for the future. The rest of it let time take care of it. As a new lead, you will learn how to better navigate your new team. Goodluck !
it can be a challenge when your team has dealt with a poor leadership in the past. Invest in your new people, but keep pouring in to the ones who’ve been there for a while. It will take time, but eventually you’ll build trust and things will turn around. And if you have a toxic person on your team who continues to feed negativity into the rest, you will have to deal with that. It may require getting rid of a person like that so that the negative influence no longer impacts the team.
That sounds frustrating, but I think you’re handling it well. If they’ve checked out despite your efforts, focusing on those who want to grow is a smart move. Keep the door open for them, but don’t waste energy where it’s not wanted. Sometimes, the best way to lead is to invest in the people who are ready to engage
Honestly I would handle it exactly as you are handling it. I have learned with the more senior folks who haven't bought in, they will come to me when they need me, if they need me. Focusing my attention on the newer team members who are eager to learn and grow has been a much better use of my time.