Tips and Advice for Managers 2
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Making the change from being a team member to being the team manger can create a great deal of anxiety in the newly promoted manager. After all you need to gain the respect of the team whilst ensuring results are still achieved and targets met. If you are a new manager and haven’t had any management training it can be hard knowing what type of relationship you need to have. In this article from Spearhead Training we look at some of the do’s (and don’ts) for managing.
Some new managers try to gain respect by adopting an autocratic approach becoming bossy and domineering. Others go to the other extreme, “mothering” their team and trying to protect them. Perhaps because they haven’t had management training such managers don’t know that treating your team members like children will make them behave that way – which just means trouble, either now or later. A better relationship to aim for is that of being direct and honest with your team members. An honest relationship allows you to address problems as they arise and then move on. If you don’t take this approach the problems won’t get resolved, they’ll just get bigger.
One question people attending management training often ask is “How much distance should I create between the team and myself?” It is not a simply question to answer. Keeping the balance between being close and remaining distant is hard because situations are constantly changing. Perhaps the most useful question for all new managers to ask themselves is “In the present situation, how would I feel most comfortable if I were a team member?”
Using this question regularly will guide you to making the right decisions, provided you are objectively assessing the needs of the situation and not simply making yourself feel more comfortable. Be aware that whilst it is natural for the newly promoted manager to want to use the team for their own emotional support (leadership can be lonely), this approach can seriously backfire. Instead aim to fulfil your need for fellowship by using interaction with people of the same or similar level. Sharing concerns on a management training course with other managers from different departments or organisations can be useful and reassuring fro the newly promoted manager.
Tags: management training
