How can a new leader deal with situation of having hostile staff?

The leader needs to establish why the individuals are behaving in that way, while he or she may be inheriting a problem, the root cause must be established first so as to address the issue at hand. If the attitudes of staff are negative and unwarranted, the leader needs to approach the situation differently, clearly communicating what's acceptable and what's not, in line with the company's values and principles.

The better way for a new leader to treat a hostile staff is not to force them towards the change that he want to implement but is to let them believe on  that change and  drives it by themselves, leaderships stylish  may vary but If you are a leader changing  staff behavior needs superior skills in communication and great influencer

I agree with Mr.  Nathan Hermanus views