Becoming a new manager is both exciting and daunting. On the one hand you've just earned more responsibility, recognition and power; on the other you face the prospect of trying to create a line of authority that never before existed.
You may have colleagues with whom you used to poke fun at the managers (of which you are now one yourself…), you may have older workers who resent being under the charge of a millennial, or you might simply find that while you were an outstanding employee in your last role, things don't seem as natural with you being a manager.
Let's look at a few of the most common mistakes new managers make and how to avoid or overcome them.
1. Typically new managers feel that now that they are in a role of control, authority will naturally follow.
This is untrue for many reasons, a few of which have already been dealt with above. Additionally you might find that it's not only older employees who are somewhat less than pleased at being managed by a youngster, but also employees who have been with the company for a long period of time.
New managers need to understand that just because they performed well in their previous position doesn't mean they will excel in this one, nor does it mean that they will automatically earn the respect and following of their staff.
Respect is earned over time through mutual trust and congruence. This means before you can start leading your team you've got to show them that you can walk your talk.
2. Not communicating unfavourable decisions timeously.
Often when new managers need to deliver an important, but unpopular or unwanted decision, they tend to drag their feet, not wanting to upset the applecart.
Unfortunately at the end of the day the message will still need to be delivered and your employees will resent your reticence.
Instead, new managers should focus on how they are going to deliver their message, taking pains to explain why it is necessary and how it will affect everyone. The cop out would be to lay the blame at your own superiors' door, saying "I don't like it either but that's the way they want it…"
3. Taking all the credit.
You may feel that your team's successes with your as their leader are a great deal to do with you, and indeed they may be, but a good manager never seeks to take the credit.
A good manger understands that his or her performance is judged by the performance of his or her team, and therefore redirects the recognition in their direction.
The other side of the coin is to take all the credit (because as a new manager you feel it will help justify your appointment) and end up with a team that feels robbed and less willing to apply themselves next time.
4. Letting problems develop instead of snuffing them out immediately.
Just like the delay in communicating unfavourable decisions to your team can have a negative effect on your staff and their performance, so can not dealing with performance issues as soon as they arise.
When not dealt with performance-related issues have a habit of getting worse, which means that when you can no longer ignore the problem your feedback has to be harsher than it otherwise would've been and the problem will likely be more difficult to rectify.
5. Blaming failures on the team.
As a manager your job is to manage your team. Team failures, therefore, are in essence leadership failures. Recognising this and owning it are some of the first steps in becoming a new manager.
Staff Training presents Developing Your Management Potential training nationwide. Click here to find out more about this workshop, or contact us at (021) 839 3021 or info@StaffTraining.co.za