Things a first time manager must to do – If you are promoted to management for the first time, you are likely excited about your new job, ready to take responsibility, and let’s be honest, think about how to spend your first new salary. Promoting to director for the first time is exhilarating and challenging. It takes intelligence to move up the company ladder, but moving to your new role means mastering a new skill set.
First Time Manager
Some people fall into managerial positions, some people work their way up the ladder to reach managerial positions, and others are placed in managerial positions based on company need. It is a career path that is not different from others.
Each person you manage will bring a different natural work style into the office, which means they all have different things that will inspire and motivate them, or prevent them from doing their best work. Sometimes you are lucky to have employees who have a style of work that is very similar to you and you have them right away without any fuss. Often times, the opposite is true and you end up with employees who handle the work differently. You should bear in mind that “difference” is not necessarily bad or wrong. Each business style has its own set of strengths and challenges, and no working style is better or worse than any other.
Management is not easy. Even with hundreds of resources available, taking on a first-time management position can be a bit like jumping out of an airplane, even if you have an umbrella tied to your back.
You suddenly become responsible for the well-being, production, and success of a team of people, and you are the one to turn to if something goes wrong, which can be a daunting change if you are in the habit of looking at someone else for answers.
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It takes time to adjust to a new position, especially as a first-time manager, and it’s easy to get around. Just remember that you are not alone and that everyone starts somewhere.
Things a first time manager must to do
· Clarify expectations with your boss
One of the things that is often forgotten when you become a new manager is that you will likely have a new boss as well. And while there is a lot of focus on clarifying expectations with your employees, it is also important to clarify expectations with your new boss.
This means understanding your boss’s priorities and key goals that go beyond your team’s performance. Additionally, it means talking to your boss about any changes that need to be made in order to be successful – more people or different tools, for example.
· Embrace a growth mindset
Adopting a growth mindset is the most important mental shift you need to make as a new manager. As a new manager, you have a lot to learn. It’s a change of career compared to being an individual contributor, not just a promotion. If you do not adopt a growth mindset, you will not be able to learn and develop the skills necessary to be a good leader.
Even if you’ve been a manager before, you need to realize that working for a new company, you’ll have a lot to learn as well. Every culture is different, so what worked for one company and one team may not work in your new job.
If you have a fixed mindset – you believe that people cannot change or improve – it directly affects your ability to grow and develop. However, it not only changes the way you act and treat yourself, it affects how you interact with your entire team.
· Really get to know your team
Spend time with each employee and learn about their jobs, career goals, strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes, but don’t stop there. If you also get to know the names of their children and pets, where they live, and whatever else is important to them, you will build a solid foundation of trust.
· Develop professional relationships with your employees
Your goal as a first time manager shouldn’t be to make friends with your employees. The reason is that friendships often block difficult reactions and there is no performance component to friendship, while performance is your biggest concern as a new manager.
Instead, you want to form strong professional relationships with your employees, DeWitt said. This doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a personal aspect to your relationship – in fact, there should be. It is just a matter of proportion, as the vast majority of your conversations with your direct reports should be about work. So yes, be friendly to your employees and get to know them on a personal level. But the majority of your conversation should be about work and ultimately the relationship should be a professional one.
· Keep track of what everyone is working on
There is a difference between being a meticulous manager and being a great manager – someone who knows what your reporting is on, so it’s easy to get involved and offer help when needed. If you have more than a few people on your team, a project management tool, like Trello, is helpful. This is how Kate Hoffman, director of marketing at scooter manufacturer Amigo Mobility, keeps entrepreneurship.
Project management software allows you to add projects with instructions and assign tasks to the entire team to help reduce confusion in new or duplicate projects. “It was especially helpful when training new people, as I can pull off instructions I’ve already written. It provides a resource base that employees can refer to throughout the project,” Hoffman says.
· Encourage teamwork
Yes, you are the brave leader, but by helping your employees feel comfortable reaching out to their teammates and other departments, you will benefit them and your team in the long run. From the start, encourage your employees to start establishing connections with the people they will work with each day. Facilitate this by making the introduction, which is especially important if they are new to the company or if they are shy.
· Set recurring feedback meetings
The sign of a great manager is someone who gives great feedback – and has time for his direct reports. You’ll likely work closely with your new report on various projects, but it’s also nice to have time to talk openly about how to manage their workload and job and monitor their level of stress. One way to do this is to set aside regular time for comments.
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