Stepping Up to Manage Others – Not an Easy Task
When I coach and train people who are new to the role of manager, I regularly hear the struggles that arise during the process of transitioning from ‘colleague to manager’.
Most people get promoted because of their technical abilities and the next thing, they have one or more people reporting into them, and looking to them for direction. This for most, is a daunting task. My role as a leadership development consultant oftentimes is to help build the confidence of the new people-manager so that they can get a good foundation in place. Providing effective training and support for people-managers effectively makes a massive difference to team morale, and to the culture within the organisation.
The Rise of Accidental Managers
The CMI published findings in 2023 stating that 82% of managers who enter management positions have not had any formal management and leadership training. They are referred to as ‘accidental managers’
Transitioning from colleague to manager is challenging but achievable with the right support
Ten Tips for New Managers
Here are 10 tips for new managers to consider when setting out to lead others:
1. Understand the Shared Goal
Become familiar with the overriding goals and objectives that your team is working towards. To lead other people, you need to become strong at painting a picture and leading them towards success.
2. Know Your Team and What Motivates Them
Have one on one discussions, not just to check up on whether they’re doing the work, but to check-in with them and see how they are in general. Get to know your team through informal and formal chats and meetings.
3. Understand Professional Boundaries
While I do recommend getting to know your team, the ‘manager as best friend’ approach rarely is a good move. There need to be boundaries in place so that you have the freedom to set standards, and ask for what you need from each of your team members in terms of performance outputs.
4. Remember that Managing Others is a Two-Way Process:
Most new managers forget to ask their team for feedback. This is as simple as saying, ‘How are you finding the pace at which we are working?’ or ‘What could we do more or less of as a team’. These types of open-ended questions encourage two-way discussion and lead to a more enriched working environment.
5. Know your triggers!
What is it that makes you ‘tick’, what are your stressors, how do you come across when you are really under pressure? These are all great questions and if you don’t know the answers to these, you are working with some ‘blind spots’ which need to be addressed,
6. Be a Role Model
Remember that to get the best out of people you must demonstrate the desired behaviours you’re looking for in others:
Your team will do as you ‘do’ rather than do as you ‘say’. Show people what ‘good’ looks like and maintain this standard as the way of working within your team.
7. Reward, Recognition and Feedback
Find out the ways in which your team likes to be recognised. Each team member probably has a different motivator, for example, some people like a public ‘thank you’ at a team meeting, while others prefer a private acknowledgement of the value they’re adding to the team, from your perspective.
8. Learn How to Delegate Effectively
When you’ve come from a position of knowing everything about your job, into a role where you are now expected to lead and manage others, you simply will not be able to do everything you once did. This is a huge struggle for new leaders, i.e. knowing what tasks to let go of and how to support others to complete these tasks successfully
9. Know Your HR Policies and Procedures
Legislatively, the employer is bound to provide support to staff in terms of holidays, sickness, maternity, paternity, force majeure leave etc. There are HR policies in every organisation (or there should be!) and as a manager of people, you will need to know how to apply these policies to real-life scenarios.
10. Know When to Ask for Support
Managing others is a specific skill set and as with all new skills, we need help in the initial stages when learning something new. You should have support from your own line manager, HR, learning & development and external training and development opportunities to build your skillset. If these supports are not then, then perhaps becoming comfortable at asking for what you need is next on the list!
Need Help Transitioning from Colleague to Manager?
Managing others is a skill, and as with any skill, the more practice, the better. To avoid gaining bad habits at the starting point however, it is essential to understand the basic components that comprise good managerial skills. If you or any of your team are upskilling in the role of team leader or team manager, contact me directly at denise@learningsolutions.ie or book a clarity call to discuss how we can support your requirements, whether it be for a team of one or one hundred or more, we are here to support.
