Team and Culture

A couple of months ago, I joined a start-up-like company as their first finance hire, with the executive team already in place—most of whom had worked together successfully in a previous venture that eventually went public. Although I’ve been able to work with the current team, I’ve often felt somewhat out of the loop, missing key conversations and not fully privy to important information.

Recently, the cfo brought back their former right-hand man from that prior venture, who had been on sabbatical. Since his return, I’ve found it even harder to stay connected with the core team. I’ve had fewer one-on-one discussions with the cfo, and the right-hand man doesn’t seem to include me in meetings, emails, or workstreams. I’ve made it clear to both the cfo and his colleague that I’m eager to collaborate and be involved, but it feels like the rest of the team is more comfortable working with someone they have such a long history with.

I’m starting to worry if this might be a signal that I could be phased out, especially as the dynamics seem to be shifting more toward this close-knit group. It’s becoming harder to contribute meaningfully when I’m not in the flow of information, and it’s making the environment feel more difficult to navigate.

I left my previous job believing I had found a team that was more aligned with a start-up culture-collaborative and less political than the high-finance world—but now, it seems like there are more internal dynamics at play than I anticipated. What should I do here? Does this signal that my role could be in jeopardy?