Making a jump in your designation is not an easy task. It requires enough support in the form of training and guidance. No matter how experienced you are, being a first-time manager can be challenging. While the basic understanding of ownership and accountability is something which comes with the job role, it’s imperative to deep dive into the bigger picture to avoid making mistakes in the initial months of your leadership.
While you can be super excited of your achievement of becoming a manager, picture this:
A manager who commands and does not communicate.
A manager who hands out pink slips to employees without warning and guidance.
A manager who steals the team’s credit to mark their presence.
A manager who tends to forget an employee's career and growth amidst project deadlines.
A manager who prefers dumping over delegating work.
Would you like to be under the supervision of such a manager and sustain in the organization?
Clearly, not for long.
Here’s a checklist to keep in mind while dealing with your team:
1. Sharing Constructive Feedback
When you share a friendly bond with your team members, as a first-time manager, one might face challenges in sharing authentic and constructive feedback. Often the fear of judgements and assumptions from the team will make one question their decision.
Ensure that friendship never becomes an obstacle for you while having an uncomfortable conversation. As a manager your role elevates to a higher accountability.
2. Avoid the Micromanaging-Phobia
As managers, we tend to believe that it’s mandatory to have all the answers. At times, we tend to guide team members not just by stating what to do but how to do things. This might showcase one has a micromanager and create frustration in your team’s mind. There are some managers who might twist a question to understand if the deadline has been completed or how the task is assigned within the team.
A better way to complete the task is by asking for resources required by the team and extending a platform to prove their capabilities. In case of any guidance needed, as a manager one can always help.
3. The Idea of Delegating Right
Often due to tight deadlines, managers tend to ignore delegation with the idea of overburdening the team. In order to turn things around quicker, they find it easy to complete the task themselves. Due to this, they keep working on the same projects which should have ideally been delegated to ensure that there's new learning for the team leading to frustration and over-exertion.
The focus should be in creating new experts with the skill sets, rather than being the only one. Replace your statement with:
'I understand you are occupied, but will it be possible for you to manage this as well?’
‘Let’s get this done together. Let me know if you need any help?’
4. The Follow Up Game
Picture this: You are caught up in getting your work done leading to a mismatch in balancing your individual work responsibility and overseeing the team. Due to this negligence, it led to several project delays with zero accountability from the team’s end.
What should be your approach henceforth as a manager?
Ensure that you adapt a strategic approach while planning your work and ensure that there’s time left in the day to be able to check on your team. Don’t fall to the prey of planning, but learn the art of prioritizing.
5. Should I Ask This Question?
It’s okay to ask questions and discuss solutions with your boss or colleagues in the same level. It takes time to act like a manager in the initial few months. It’s better to pause, re-think and question yourself while deciding rather than pretending like you know it all.
Speak to your boss. Experience counts and you never know, he/she might be able to present a new perspective to you. Seek help to simplify your job. Be an exception by learning the most from your boss to avoid leadership mistakes.
Comentarios