Tips New Managers Need to Know
Your efforts have finally been recognized after working so hard to move from a cubicle to the corner office. You are now in charge of a team in your new managerial position, and some things are bound to change. It can be challenging, primarily if you have never held such a title before, because you do not know if you are overstepping your boundaries or doing less than is expected. Still, since you asked for the ball, you must be ready to make the shot. So, here are some tips to enable you to transition into your new role smoothly.
Learn to Delegate
Usually, your individual efforts inform your employer’s decision to promote you to a manager. In your previous role as part of a team, you most likely enjoyed working alone and hitting targets with little input from your colleagues. However, as a manager, you must learn to entrust the work to different people.
Managing a team means you have lots of responsibilities. Consequently, you will be overwhelmed; regardless of how well-versed you are with specific assignments. Besides enabling you to focus on your job description’s core areas, through delegation, you prove to your team members that you trust them to deliver results. That confidence positively impacts their morale.
Become a Servant Leader
Servant leadership is among the many leadership theories. It argues that an effective leader is a servant of his people. Essentially this means you get results by being attentive to your team and their needs. The four principles of being an effective servant leader include fostering leadership in others, having a selfless mindset, creating a culture of trust, and encouraging diversity of thought.
Now that you are the team leader remember that whatever the results, be they impressive or poor, reflect on you. Show the employees that you value their input by listening. Also, let them know that whenever they feel that their rights have been violated, they are welcome to hire a lawyer to make things right.
Forge Professional Relationships with Staff
If you have been working with your team members for years before your promotion, it might be difficult becoming their boss without losing their friendship. However, learn to draw the line between personal and professional relationships. If you continue relating with the staff too closely, you are likely to lose your objectivity as their manager.
Sometimes you must give harsh feedback for poor performance, and if you are too friendly with your team, you will let some things slide. Therefore, strike the right balance because you still need to know them personally to facilitate a smooth, professional relationship.
No matter how close you were with your colleagues, remember that some of the information should only be for your ears and eyes. To avoid friction and blurring the lines between friendship and professional relationships, you should keep the conversations work-related as much as possible.
Spare Time to Regularly Meet Your Team
If celebrities can spare time from their hectic schedules to meet and greet their fans, you should also ensure that you do the same. Staying hidden in your office could give the team the wrong idea ? that you are unapproachable—on the other hand, being visible sparks a connection.
Such a connection is critical, especially if your company has an open-door policy; it enables employees to share their ideas freely and contribute to the goal. Just like a crew trusts a captain to steer the ship, your team must know that you are at the helm, and they can trust you to lead the way.
Be Adaptive
Trying to make your employees perform their tasks in a specific way could be counterproductive because they will have to learn it first, which delays results. Instead, you have to understand that there are many ways to skin a cat and your method is not necessarily ideal.
Allow for your team to showcase their approaches, and you might learn a thing or two that could be implemented for better performance. However, regardless of the many working styles, understand each of their strengths and weaknesses. That way, you can point out what each employee needs to do to enhance their performance.
Have Frequent One-on-one Meetings
Experts recommend having weekly face-to-face meetings to update yourself with what your employees have been doing in the past week. You can check on progress, delays and communicate the targets for the next week as you allow them to air their ideas.
Apart from allowing you to gather feedback, one-on-one meetings also give you a platform to address sensitive issues ? some things cannot be resolved by an email unless you are trying to alienate yourself from your staff completely. Such meetings enable you to read the body language, get the tone of voice and facial expressions for better communication.
Keep Learning
You can never have too much knowledge because it is the much needed-power for your success. Therefore, even after you have clinched that top position, attend those seminars and workshops, take up an online managerial course and read those inspirational books that teach you effective management.
You could also have a mentor to mold you into the manager you have always wanted to become. Someone who has already walked a mile in your shoes knows where they pinch; thus, you can avoid certain pitfalls. As you strive to become an effective manager, also acquire leadership skills since the two usually go hand in hand; after all, strong leadership skills will shape you into a great manager.
While these seven tips will adequately prepare you to assume your new role as manager, ensure that you have read and understood employment terms before taking up the job. Since most companies use technical jargon that you may not be familiar with, call on HKM Employment Attorneys.
We will help you understand that employment contract before you append your signature on the dotted line. We have offices across the United States to efficiently cater to our clients’ needs, so give us a call today and let us take care of all your labor and employment issues.
