How to Succeed as a New Manager from the Start

How to Succeed as a New Manager

How to succeed as a new manager? Start by understanding that first impressions matter.  The way your team initially perceives you will carry over to the way they perceive you longer term.  You will want to succeed in their minds from the beginning.

Be Well Prepared
Especially if you are transitioning to becoming a new manager from the role of an individual contributor, do yourself, your team and your company a big favor…get new supervisor training.  Of course, not any leadership training will do.  Make sure that you are discriminating in your choice of programs.

Select one that is comprehensive so you cover all a manager’s responsibilities, interactive so you have an opportunity to play the role of manager in various scenarios, customized to the culture and business of your new setting, and reinforced by proven follow-up management tools and coaching.

The Fundamentals on How to Succeed as a New Manager
Here are “the soft-but-key” fundamentals on how to succeed as a new manager – one who deserves and earns the respect and commitment of their team and colleagues.

• Know Your Team
  The best new managers are able to establish both personal and professional relationships with their employees and build the trust needed to work smoothly together. High performing leaders know what makes each individual team member tick — their special talents, ambitions, and interests.
• Communicate Openly and Often
  A well-informed, trusting work team knows what each member is responsible for and where they fit in the overall organization. They feel free to ask questions and talk together about concerns.  And they look toward frequent feedback from their manager on what’s going right and where they can improve.  Unhealthy conflict is rare because issues are addressed directly and early on.
• Set Clear Expectations
  The better your team understands what you expect of them in terms of results and behaviors, the better they are able to deliver. Clear performance expectations guide team members and provide standards for measuring results.  When fair behavioral guidelines are understood and in place, performance management is simpler and less subjective.
• Provide Opportunities to Grow
  The best managers believe in continuous learning and invest in their employees’ career development. Not only will your team hone their skills, but you will gain their loyalty because you care about their future career growth.
• Model Desired Values and Behaviors
  Good managers operate by the same values they expect of their employees.  If you expect integrity, then you must yourself be authentic and ethically above reproach.

The Bottom Line
As daunting as people management may seem to inexperienced leaders, once you prepare yourself for the challenge with effective training and adherence to the fundamentals, it can be a very rewarding path to take in your career.

To learn more about how to succeed as a new manager, download our Research-Backed New Manager Toolkit