10 Tips for First-Time Managers
“How management chooses to treat its people impacts everything—for better or for worse” —Simon Sinek
You’ve finally climbed the ladder and earned your first management role. Now what? Welcome to a new world with a new set of challenges.
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Chances are you were a top individual performer and that’s why you were promoted to a management position. Ironically, those skills aren’t going to be much use to you now. The infographic below runs you through 10 of the key areas you now need to focus on. Let’s take a quick look at a couple of the most important.
1. It’s all about your team.
Welcome to a world where your success is no longer dependent on your individual performance. You will only succeed by ensuring that every member of your team is succeeding.
You probably didn’t worry too much if a colleague was struggling. Sure, you helped them out where you could but ultimately you had your own work to focus on. The more Machiavellian of you might have even welcomed how good it made you look by comparison.
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Now that struggler is pulling down your team’s performance. Moving them up the performance curve is a key priority.
2. Communication is key.
Your team members aren’t mind readers or robots. As a leader, you need to communicate with your team clearly and consistently.
Setting clear goals and expectations is a key part of leadership. If your team doesn’t know what you want from them how can you expect them to deliver? Learn to explain the goal clearly and consistently. This is more difficult than it sounds.
You aren’t leading a team of robots. Your behavior will have a big impact on their motivation. A few well-placed words of encouragement or a well-timed check-in can make a huge difference to an employee having a tough time.
Related: 10 Thoughtful Ways to Give Thanks to Your People
Similarly a small piece of public praise for a high-performing employee can remind the rest of the team that you do notice when they work hard and perform well.
Leadership isn’t something you’ve mastered. All leaders, no matter how proficient or experienced, are always working on improving their skills—that’s the joy and frustration of leadership. Keep reading the infographic below for more tips and tricks to help you succeed.
SOURCE: ACUITYTRAINING.CO.UK
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