Climbing a management ladder is indeed
a great achievement in one's career. It definitely signifies the fact that you
are a talented individual, better skilled than your peers. However, the story
begins only after you have assumed your managerial duties. Few days into this
new role and people sure realize what a tightrope walk it is! While there is no
sure shot formula that assures success with immediate effect, you can
definitely implement these tips to stay afloat while you devise your own
strategies to succeed in this role.
Seek Guidance from Your Boss
If you are lucky to have a mentor at
work, then go ahead and make the most of this opportunity. If not, you can
still rely on your immediate boss to offer you support and guidance. Understand
your role thoroughly, so that you can devise your plan of action accordingly.
Miscommunication or ambiguity at this very first stage can be detrimental to
your role as a manager.
Know Your Team
As you are going to be working closely
with your team, it sure makes sense to understand their strengths and
weaknesses. A few of its members could be your former peers. Chances are, some
of them may not like reporting to you and may resist in every possible way. Hence,
it is important to know every member's agenda.
Know Your Own Role
Now this one is tricky! While some
managers let the new role go into their heads, a few others may struggle with
their first encounter with a power position. So, what is the correct way to
approach this new role? A better approach is to let your actions speak rather
than your words. Exude confidence and motivate your employees. While it is
certainly not a good idea to reprimand employees for every small error that
they commit, there is definitely no harm in giving them a strong but
constructive feedback when things are going wrong.
Perform
It is a misconception that managers
only need to monitor and evaluate the performance of their employees. Remember,
it was your competency and performance that helped you bag the position of a
manager in the first place. So, always be on your toes to perform even better
and never let complacency seep in. Your employees are going to emulate your
behavior, so it is best to set an ideal example for them to follow.
Be Ready to Get Scrutinized
A manager is subjected to scrutiny all
the time. Your smallest of errors are going to be amplified and talked about.
So be prepared to take any criticism that is bound to come your way. You may
not be able to motivate every employee to accept your leadership, hence be
prepared to let go of the ones who refuse to accept your positive guidance and
spread negativity/hostility in your team. -. However, do not commit the biggest
mistake of favouring some employees over others. This can cause a rift in your
team and lead to diminishing performance.
Devise Your Own Strategy
Your predecessor may have their own way
of getting things done and your team may have gotten used to it. When you try
to implement your own management theories and practices, you may counter some
resistance. However, instead of immediately sending the rebelling employees to
a change management training program, it definitely makes sense to encourage
and involve them in the decision making process. This way they are bound to be
cooperative as they themselves are a part of it.
Train and Delegate
It is tempting for you as a new manager
to keep doing the things that earned you a promotion. However one must remember
that post your managerial promotion not only yours but your team’s performance
becomes your most important responsibility. Hence avoid the temptation of doing
your subordinates tasks because you believe you can do those better than them
and must continue to do those to boost your team’s performance. Instead
selflessly teach your best skills /work methods to all your employees and get
out of their way to give them a space to develop. Finally a competent,
motivated and high performing team will be taken as a strong indicator of your
managerial capabilities.
The most important thing while you are fulfilling
your managerial duties is not to waver from the organizational goals and
objectives. All your efforts should be aligned with your company's mission and
vision.
