Project Greenhorn
‘WE are going to promote you to become a manager.” I can still remember the very moment when my manager told me about her plans. My first question was, “Why me?” but she countered, “Why not?” I could think of a million reasons why I should not be promoted but before I could say anything else, she told me the director was behind the idea of grooming me to become a manager. I was surprised. I was always scared whenever I had to talk to that director because she was so smart and she asked the most incisive questions. Her support behind my promotion bolstered my confidence, and I found myself accepting the next challenge in my career.
There were several lessons I learned within the first months of becoming a manager, and some of them I would like to share here for first-time managers so they would know what to expect. This is also for people managers who will promote others because these will be the challenges new managers will face, and these will help you better understand how you can support their development. Mainly, however, this article is for new managers and some tips on how they can traverse from being a team member to becoming a people manager.
One thing you have to remember when you are promoted is to stay grounded. Do not let your promotion bloat your ego. Things might have changed but it just means you have more responsibilities. There is a different set of expectations and your potential has become the reality. You were considered for the position because of your skills as a contributor. You are now expected to not just contribute but provide strategic recommendations and innovative ways of working which will help your team and the company in general. Rank is directly proportional to roles and responsibilities. You will find out soon enough that you will be wearing several hats as you manage people.
Many times, people get promoted because of their impressive contribution and resilience to trudge through problems to find creative solutions to their work. And sometimes, a person who is good in what he does will not necessarily know how to handle people. Too often, a new manager will find himself handling his own peers and this will pose a problem especially when he is very close to them. Or the opposite of that: you will be handling a different team where you do not know any of them. In these cases, boundaries have to be drawn. And it has to be made clear to your team that you look out for the entire team and not just certain individuals. Your decisions have to be inspected under the lens of equity and what will benefit the entire group.
You also have to understand your new role means your priorities are no longer just about what you can do but also the contribution of your team to the company. Your success as a manager depends on the success of your team members, which means you have to invest time and effort in ensuring everyone in your team can significantly contribute to the overall objective of the team. Their success is your success. But this also does not mean you become overly focused on meeting targets and forget your team members are people. Targets are important but relationships also matter.
Take the time to talk to your team members individually. It could be as formal as a weekly oneon-one or an informal catch-up during lunch. But stick your ear to the ground and feel the pulse of your team. Developing a personal relationship with your team helps, you identify their motivations and, at the same time, help them understand your values as a leader. People know when you are just faking it when you talk to them. Show genuine concern by actively listening to what they are saying. It takes discernment and knowing your team members to understand whether the changes you want to implement will be well received. And if you know there will be opposition to new policies or rules, you have a better understanding of how to implement these in your team because you understand them and they know they can trust you.
Trusting you as their manager is the best compliment you can ever receive from team members. And you can only earn their trust if you take the time to talk to them and know them. They need to know you are impartial. A good test of knowing whether your team trusts you is when they can openly oppose what you are saying without fear of retaliation. Too often, a team opposes a leader not because of this leader’s ideas but because of how they were treated by this leader. So even if the leader is implementing changes which will benefit the whole team, they will not follow because the leader is perceived as aloof and unworthy of trust.
To avoid this, you have to get your team’s buyin. When your team gives their ideas, take the time to think it through before providing alternative solutions and explaining why their ideas will not work. And for really good ones and those who are passionate about their ideas, let them have a go at it because either way, you cannot lose. If their idea fails, you show you are a leader who gives chances and you foster creativity in your team. And when their idea succeeds, you build up their confidence and you create a culture of innovation and problemsolving. Either way, you build trust with your team and show them that in failure or success, they know they can count on you.
During coaching sessions with your team members, give specific feedback. Nothing frustrates someone more than a vague or ambiguous critique. You cannot just say the work was done poorly. Give details of why the work was such and provide explicit instructions on how to make it better. Sooner than later, they will catch on to your standards and strive hard to avoid those mistakes. But you have to be definite with what you want as the end product. Consistency with your standards will help team members produce exceptional work, and they even might surpass expectations.
Through all of this, find someone you would like to be as a leader and ask them to be your mentor. Having a mentor will help you find the leadership style you want and help guide you on how to navigate the tricky world of office politics. Find a mentor who will teach you what you need to learn but is also willing to let go of you to find your own voice. While it is important for a mentor to have a clear vision, it is more important for a mentor to give you the tools you need to have your own vision.
Being a manager is difficult but with proper guidance and the support of your team, it can become one of the most rewarding developments in your career. Take the challenge head-on and show them why you are worthy of your promotion. ■