10 Tips for New Managers
Transitioning into a management role can be complicated and a little nerve-racking. Whether you’re a one-man operation ready to hire your first employees, you’re a top salesperson promoted to sales manager, or you’re a seasoned manager but new to the organization, you’re sure to face some challenges. However, there are ways you can prevent some issues from arising and help ensure a smooth transition.
1.) Ditch the Ego. Being a manager is less about you and more about the people you are leading, so check that ego at the door. Be humble and recognize your role is to motivate, develop, and grow your team to become top performers to contribute to the success of the company and everyone involved. Your attitude matters.
2.) Remember the Ultimate Goal. New managers need to remember that people are different. Those you will be leading have their own little quirks and differences, but the important thing is that you are all aiming for the same goal—success. You are a team and need to pull together to succeed. Results are what matters.
3.) Understand & Respect Your Team’s Individuality. Our unique traits and skills are what make us special. Don’t get upset or agitated that the people you manage have individual personalities and different styles of working, communicating, and making decisions. Instead, take time to learn and understand their styles, then adjust your own to communicate with them better.
4.) Respect Seasoned Employees. Nobody likes the new guy who barges in and starts handing out demands—especially the seasoned employees. Depending on how long they’ve been with the company, they may have witnessed several management changes. Respect their tenure with the company by learning about their achievements and leaning on their experience for advice.
5.) Talk with Employees Who Applied for the Job. This one is particularly important if you are a new manager from outside the organization. Find out if there was a lead tech gunning for the operations-manager role or a CSR working to be an office manager. Acknowledge that you know they may be disappointed, but say you hope you can work together. Solicit them for advice and treat them as a future leader. It can really help smooth things over for all of you.
6.) Live the Company Values. First, if you do not believe in the company’s values or fit in their culture, you should not be in the organization in the first place. As a manager, your team will look to you as a role model. Make sure you fully understand the culture and values and do your best to be an example of them every day.
7.) Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep. New managers are sometimes a bit too eager to please their team members and to prove to everyone that they are the right person for the job. They’re tempted to make grand promises, but some don’t fully understand what it takes to actually follow through. Guard against making promises you can’t keep. Promising too much may gain you favor at first—but will erode trust when you fail to deliver.
8.) Develop & Improve Your Leadership Skills. Often, employees are promoted into management roles because they are the most skilled technician or the top salesperson. However, being the best in a field role doesn’t mean they’ll be the best in a management role. For example, you may be the best technician in the state when it comes to diagnosing and fixing technical issues, but you may not have the best communication or leadership skills, which can be a problem in management. In this case, you’re going to have to develop those skills and change the way you approach things if you want to succeed as a manager. Once you get through the learning curve, the odds are you will likely really enjoy your management role.
9.) Communicate Clearly & Frequently. Your team needs to know what’s expected of them, how they are doing, and what they can do to increase their performance. On the flip side, you need to know how they are doing, if they need your help, what obstacles are they facing, and if they are reaching their goals. In positions of leadership, the more you communicate with your team, the more everyone will succeed.
10.) Trust Yourself. If you don’t trust yourself, how can you expect others to trust and follow your lead? Show more trust in yourself by stepping up to make the tough calls, taking responsibility for your decisions, and not letting excuses get in the way. Dig through all sides of issues to find answers. Boldly implement those answers. The more confident you are in your own abilities, the better for the whole team and the company
