Uh Oh…I’m a Manager?!?

Congratulations – you got the promotion – you are a MANAGER! You are thinking, “this is great”, “now things can get done”, “people will have to listen to me now” and then comes that little voice from the back of your head…now it’s saying “what if they don’t listen to me”, “what if I get this all wrong”, or “what if they hate me”.

Well there is no guarantee that you will get it right the first time but that’s ok. We have a tendency to put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect.  Usually we are thrown into these roles without coaching, training, or guidance.  While there is no substitute for one-on-one training or mentoring – here’s a map of things to keep in mind to get you on the right road to success. I’m speaking from experience, having tripped over myself and having really made a mess of things (my poor people) – let my past errors help you not make as many (or at least different ones).

Take a deep breath. I know sounds basic, right. Well it is. Take a deep breath, relax and get focused. Silence that inner evil voice and find that “go get ’em” attitude that has gotten you to this point. You need to be positive with and about yourself in order to succeed.

Determine what kind of manager you want to be.  You probably have a mental list of the kind of manager you don’t want to be and that’s good, just not enough.  For some ideas check out an earlier blog post: I’m a ___ Leader.  Get a clear picture in mind of how you will handle different situations, treat your employees, motivate your employees, train/coach your employees and how you will recognize their work. Write it down, create a picture, or tell someone who will hold you accountable. If you wrote it down or created a picture keep in someplace where you can easily look at it. For example, under the clear blotter on your desk.

What are your department’s/company’s goals. This is to follow the old adage – if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. (Or something like that – I have been known to mangle sayings) Think big here – what is it your team is trying to achieve? Is it a sales goal? Is it customer satisfaction? Is it efficiencies? What ever it is, write it on the top of a piece of paper. Without this the next two steps won’t matter….hint, hint.  Figure this out now before you continue reading.

What are your goals. You know where your department/company is aiming for – what is your role? What are you going to do to help achieve that big goal you wrote on top of the page? Write out your goals underneath the big goal on the same page.  This will keep it all in one place (for me that means, harder to loose).

What are your employee’s goals. Now this is where it can get a bit tricky.  How are your people going to help you achieve your goals as well as the department/company goals? There are two ways to do this – a couple goals for the whole team or assign goals to individuals based on their strengths. Choose the one you are the most comfortable with and write them down on that same piece of paper. You should now have what you need in one place.

Make a plan. This is where all it all comes together. Your plan should include any training, retraining, coaching, and milestones.  This doesn’t have to be elaborate – it must contain enough that anyone reading it knows what needs to be done.

Have a meeting. Here is where you will get everyone together and explain all the previous steps.  Be humble, explain you are new to this and you are looking for their help.  Explain to them the kind of manager you want to be and you are looking for their support. Go through the goals you have outlined and the plan to achieve it. Take time to answer their questions, go over their concerns and get their buy-in.

Enjoy! You are on a wonderful journey. Take time to motivate, encourage and recognize your people.

There will always be an element of trial and error. Just don’t let it get the best of you. Learn from every interaction and relish every experience – this is how you know you are getting better!