3 Tips to Communicate Effectively as a New Manager

Communicate Effectively as a New Manager to Lead, Manage, and Coach Your Team

New manager training typically builds a variety of skills – from learning how to manage the performance of direct reports (setting goals, defining expectations, and establishing performance metrics) to learning how to prioritize the important and the urgent. But the foundational people leadership skill for all the new managers is being able to communicate effectively as a New Manager.

Tips to Communicate Effectively as a New Manager

Based upon people manager assessment center data, here are some experience-based tips to communicate effectively as a new manager from our over 30 years’ experience in preparing new leaders and their teams for success:

1. Set up regular one-on-one conversations with your direct reports
   There are several good reasons to set up regular one-on-one conversations with your direct reports. You will get to know your team members on an individual basis – their hopes, their aspirations, their struggles, their concerns. Then you can tailor your job assignments according to their strengths and talents. Far more satisfactory for you both. Also, when it is time for a difficult conversation, there will be less anxiety over “a talk with the boss” because your conversations have been frequent, consistent, and expected.Another advantage? As you earn the trust of your team as their manager, they will open up and feel comfortable telling you when something is not quite right, and you will then have the time to correct the problem before it grows too big to handle.

   The basic rule to follow? Do more listening than talking. Use open-ended questions rather than closed in order to learn as much as you can about the professional and personal side of your employee.

2. Make sure team meetings build collaboration among members and a sense of purpose to the work you share
   Set up some team norms for acceptable behavior. Discussions should be open; differing perspectives should be welcomed; team member roles and responsibilities should be transparent so everyone’s contribution is understood, appreciated, and respected.Set an agenda, keep on track and hold everyone accountable for doing what they say they will do. Agree upon action items and assign them with dates for delivery so everyone knows what will be accomplished and when. Check in on the status of your actions items each and every meeting to create transparency and accountability.
3. Don’t forget to have some fun and learn along the way
   Work is much more enjoyable if you have fun together and laugh once in a while. If you take yourself too seriously, you’ll drag everyone down. Mistakes will be made – even by you. Put your ego aside, admit your error, and share what you have learned from the experience. This will show that you continuously seek to improve. Be a bit humble and your team will follow your example.

To learn more about how to communicate effectively as a new manager, download Tips to Increase Employee Engagement through Communication