Newly promoted to a managerial position? Congratulations! Wait, what happens now? Often the person being promoted has excellent technical skills but little managerial expertise. Business consultant and former Fortune 500 executive Lisa Quast offers these tips as you transition from co-worker to manager.
- Your co-workers are no longer your peers, realize that your personal relationships need to change because you are now a leader who assigns tasks and gives performance appraisals
- Human Resources can provide valuable training and support.
- Talk with all of the employees in your department about your transition to leadership. Talk about their feelings and both parties’ expectations.
- Always be professional and treat your employees fairly and with respect.
- Stop gossip and venting sessions with your employees.
- Make sure that your responsibilities as a manager are not influenced by pervious work and friendships with former peers.
- It is important that your employees completely understand your leadership role and responsibilities, as well as the part they play in the success of the department.
- Have a strategic plan and clearly communicate the goals and objectives of this plan to your employees.
Recognize that being a leader and supervising employees requires a different set of skills and can be even more tricky if you are managing former co-workers. If your company has options for formal training, take advantage of that opportunity. Other training possibilities include books or online courses. Try to develop a relationship with a mentor that you trust for honest and constructive feedback.
To be a more effective leader, immerse yourself in the process of executing strategy. You can increase the chances of organizational success by embracing and engaging execution.
Remember that leadership is about mutual trust.
Trust is the foundation upon which everything else is built. Your team members have to believe that they can trust you to keep your commitments, to tell them the truth, and to go to bat for them if need be. You have to trust that your team members are doing their best and that they care about the work they do and the team as a whole. When trust breaks down, it becomes almost impossible to achieve any goal, no matter how well-aligned or constructed it is. – Katy Tynan, Managing Director of CoreAxis Consulting
One of the most effective tools that can help you learn as a leader is asking questions. Asking questions can help you clarify your business strategies and objectives. It also empowers and engages your team. It is important to continue to ask questions, even after you get comfortable in your new role.
Have you checked in with your employees today?