Daniel McCarthy, Executive Director of the University of New Hampshire School of Business and Economics Development Program, advises aspiring managers.
“Management at the initial stage is one of the most difficult transition periods,” says the specialist and gives his recommendations to newcomers:
1. Get ready
Of course, when you are assigned, it is too late to learn something (after all, this is not a matter of one month), but there are things that a person going for a promotion can do in advance to prepare and become a good manager later. It’s hard work, reading, taking courses and learning from your peers. Do not be lazy to laboriously work on yourself every day: if you are offered a position and you are not ready, you have no one to blame but yourself.
2. Realize that this is a new job
Even if you have been with this company for a long time, remember when you are promoted: you are now in a new position. The good news is you have a track record of success. You know how to learn and be successful, so never forget that you cannot lose your charisma.
3. Learn Situational Leadership (SL)
SL is an indispensable foundation for the work of any manager. Buy a book, take a course, or have someone teach you the basics. This will allow you to explore the basic models of how to manage each of your employees, depending on what kind of management they need.
4. Get to know your employees for real
Spend time with each employee and learn more about their careers, development goals, hopes and dreams, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, names of their children and pets, where they live, and everything else that matters to them.
5. Learn and practice active listening
Listening and hearing is one of the most important skills a leader must learn.
6. You are no longer a “friend”
“Last year I wrote a post titled ‘I’m Your Boss, Not A Friend. 10 Reasons Why Your Boss Shouldn’t Be Your Friend,’” says Daniel McCarthy. “Judging by the comments, not everyone agreed with me. But you should at least remember the pitfalls and pitfalls of friendship with your employees. “
7. You may be surprised
New leaders are often shocked to find that some of the work and personal problems of the employees become the problems of the boss, which were previously unnoticed. This is your job now.
8. Learn to deal with problems
Your previous boss may have put some questions on the back burner or stalled in the middle. Either way, you need to learn a consistent and effective way to deal with all current and emerging issues.
9. Treat each of your employees with respect
Never, never, never do otherwise.
10. Use three magic words: “What do you think?”
This advice comes from management guru Tom Peters.
11. Pay attention to your new team
Although you may know everyone (for example, if you became a manager in your company), remember that now this is a different team, and you must manage it, and not only along the line “top-down”, but also “horizontally “. This advice was given to us by team building guru Patrick Lencioni.
12. Be accessible and visible
Don’t get people to say about you “I’ve never seen my boss.”
13. You will make mistakes.
Get used to it, but most importantly, learn from these mistakes and don’t repeat them.
14. Learn to ask the right questions
You don’t have to know the answers to all questions. It is better and more useful to learn how to ask the right questions.
15. Subscribe to several topical and executive blogs and read at least one good book on management every year
“I know a lot of executives who read books on a monthly basis, but I understand that this is not realistic for many,” says McCarthy. “Blogs are more accessible in this regard and often just as useful.”
16. Be yourself
We are talking about the so-called “authentic leadership”, in which it is important to begin with realizing who you are and where you are “going.”
17. Develop a strategy
It’s even better if you involve the entire team in developing the vision, mission and goals of the company.
18. Agree on expectations with your team
Waiting is a two-way street; create this dialog.
19. You have no buttons “on” and “off”
Manager, manager – these are round-the-clock and year-round positions. It’s not something that you can turn off after five in the evening and put it off until morning. Now you are a role model, your behavior sets the standard for building the culture of the entire team. Well-known executive coach Marshall Goldsmith reminds of this.
20. Stock up on paper towels
This is a joke advice, although in practice it turns out to be not such a joke. “Trust me,” McCarthy says. “Tears are not uncommon for people connected with the sphere of government.”