Are You a New Manager? These Tips Can Help You Succeed

If the idea of becoming a manager is exciting to you, that probably means you have natural leadership skills. Although that may be the case, there is still a lot that you must learn to truly become an effective manager. Far too often people are promoted into management positions without training. While it would be nice to receive employer-sponsored training, it’s the responsibility of every manager to make sure they develop the skills needed. Whether or not you feel prepared, the tips below can help you thrive as a new manager.

Learn From Experts

There is a way you can learn a lot and master the art of managing people without spending a lot of money on training courses. How? By reading leadership books! It’s one of the best ways to expand your skills and pick up tips that can help you excel as a new manager. What’s great about reading is you get to learn tips from experts and implement them when you start your new job. If you don’t have time to read, consider audiobooks that enable you to learn while driving to and from work. You can also listen to leadership podcasts.

 

Start Preparing in Advance

Before you begin your new job, start preparing in advance. One way to do this is by getting to know the team that you’ll be managing. It’s helpful if you can learn about each employee that you’ll be supervising. By taking time to learn about your team, you have a better chance of success because it often makes people feel like you care about them and not just about the company. While it may not always be possible, it’s good to ask if there’s an opportunity to have lunch with the team before your official first day. A simple pizza lunch will usually suffice.

 

Ask For Help When Needed

Once you get acclimated to your new role, you’ll be able to determine whether you have the resources needed to excel. What’s most important is having the number of personnel required to get the job done. If you believe you’re understaffed, don’t hesitate to ask for help. You should calculate the cost so that a data-driven decision can be made in response to your request for additional staffing. A great tool to use is an employee cost calculator. It provides you with an easy way to calculate labor costs so that you know how many people you can afford to hire. This type of calculator will provide you with data for the annual overhead and payroll taxes.

 

Master Active Listening

One of the biggest challenges that many new managers must overcome is poor communication skills. In many cases, the reason for poor communication is because they don’t understand the importance of active listening. This is when you make a concentrated effort to listen when someone is speaking instead of focusing on your response. When someone does not understand active listening, they are more likely to interrupt people while they’re speaking. A great actively listening technique involves listening to what the person is saying and repeating it back to confirm that you heard them correctly.

 

Lead by Example

The best thing a new manager can do is lead by example. Why? Because people observe what you do and will often follow your behavior. Sometimes it’s subtle and you don’t even realize it’s happening. If you maintain integrity, work hard and treat people with respect, some of your team members will do the same.

 

Becoming a manager is an accomplishment and something that should make you proud. It’s important for you to remember that nobody starts out knowing everything. No matter where you are in your professional development, there is always room for growth. The tips provided can help you succeed in your new role and transition into more senior roles down the road.

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