Throughout my career, I have seen dozens of different New Managers as they try to succeed in their new role. If you are a new manager, congratulations. You have exhibited competencies that have given you success and got you to where you are now. Now that you are here, where do you start?
As a Store Director and now as a District Manager, I have had several first conversations with new managers as they embark on a new journey, the leadership journey. The advice I give each and every one is inspired by my own experiences and observing the experiences of others. These tips have been molded through observing both successes and mistakes.
These new manager strategies have been implemented with much success time and time again. Your job is no longer to complete the work yourself but to inspire a team to get results. If you are used to “doing it alone”, it can be a challenge to now switch your mindset.
Here are 8 New Manager Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Starting your New Leadership Role Right
Have a Leadership Philosophy
What type of manager do you want to be? How can you become an effective leader? There are several different types of leaders and you need to choose which one will work best. There is one thing that you should understand first. Your #1 job is to focus first on the success of your organization and your team. It is not about you, it is about them.
Use this mentality to guide you throughout your career and you will succeed. The age-old mentality of, “it’s my way or the highway” is long gone. Leadership today is about building trust and inspiring your team to do and be more.
Your First Week
I have seen it countless times. A new manager comes in and immediately starts dictating what’s best for the organization and the team, without first, understanding his environment. This leader makes changes and decisions with the impression that “he knows it all”. This is one of the fastest ways to get people to resist you as a leader.
I have consulted several times of the importance of taking the time to observe and connect with your team first. Being Gung Ho is great, when you have first taken the time to understand where your starting point should be.
Get to know your people first. A great way is to schedule 1-1 time with each team member right away. What motivates them? What do they need to succeed? Get to know the answers to these questions first and you are on the right track.
Doing vs. Showing
Remember, it’s not about getting results yourself, it is about developing your team so they can get results. Leaders who have a problem with delegating, who need to control every situation, will soon find himself with a disengaged team. Here is a recent post I wrote about the effects of micromanaging.
Sharpen your Communication Skills
As a new manager, remember that communication is a two-way process. In fact, the ratio should always be skewed that you do more of the listening than talking. Your goal is to get your team to perform. Part of that is by asking more questions and listening more carefully in order to understand needs and contributions.
Performance Management
Difficult conversations are not labeled so because they are easy to do. Do not hold off having those difficult conversations with poor performers, it will not go away. Show you care about the organization and the employee by taking the time to be transparent. Explain how the employee’s actions are getting in the way of his success and the success of the organization.
See Big Picture
Helping your employees see the Big Picture will help keep them motivated during difficult periods. Keep your emotional intelligence in check during those times when results are not happening. Your team does not need you to panic or get angry. They need you to guide them and give them the tools they need to succeed.
What Gets Measured, Gets Done
Be results driven and make sure you follow-up on your team’s performance. Communicating results and recognizing great performance is a great way to ensure that success happens more often. Redirecting poor performance is how you can get your employees back on track quicker.
Create a Culture of Development
Make it your priority to have development conversations with each of your team members. Set Stretch goals based on competency to help employees reach new development levels. Schedule feedback sessions to review and track progress of goals and praise or redirect where needed. Then Repeat.
If you want to be able to raise your organization’s level of performance, if you want to ensure your team maintains sustained success, you need to commit to growing as a leader. As much as it is crucial that you focus on the development of your team, you need to commit to your personal development as a leader.
[bctt tweet=”The continued development of you and your team is not a “if I have time thing”. It is a “needed for sustained success thing”.”]
What were some of your challenges as a new manager? Is there any other tip you have that readers may benefit from?