Five Ways New Managers Succeed

Moving into a managerial position can be very exciting and challenging.

It can also be terrifying.

Finding yourself in charge of a team, possibly with co-workers you’ve known for a long time, can keep you up at night, wondering how you can keep friendships but increase efficiency. So here are five things to aim for when taking on your new role:

1. Be Empathetic

You need to remember both the position you just advanced from and how you would feel if one of your co-workers had become your manager.

No matter how you approach a situation, there may be people who are uncomfortable with this shift in the office. Whether or not any of their feelings are justified, it will help greatly to try and put yourself in their shoes.

You will have new responsibilities and concerns, but employees want to feel a connection with their managers and that means you can’t forget where you came from.

2. Be Clear With Expectations

When trying to fit into any new position, it may be hard to know exactly what you want from yourself and other people. But figuring out a plan of action and being explicit about it can eliminate many potential problems in the future.

Schedule a one-on-one meeting with every team member and let them know what you expect from yourself and what you expect from them. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but your employees will greatly appreciate the clarity and ability to hit the ground running.

3. Be Ready to Ask for Advice

Even the old pros started out as young people testing the waters. They know what it’s like to feel a little overwhelmed and to question whether you are prepared for your new responsibilities.

You may want to seem like you have everything figured out, but reaching out to someone with experience can be a huge help. They can point out some blindspots you may have, but most importantly they will be able to listen to your concerns and know exactly what you’re talking about.

Don’t be scared to find someone to help guide you through some of those early growing pains.

4. Be Sure to Keep Your Promises

Trust is integral to a positive office relationship. That means you need to make sure that you can deliver on what you say, whether it’s to reward someone or incentivize them to do better. A manager is someone employees look to when gauging their performance and the performance of others.

The manager who cries wolf can have a very difficult time, but following up on your promises will make others want to do the same.

5. Be Willing to Take a Break

There are a lot of benefits to getting a promotion, but it can also cause a lot of stress.

This is especially true when you’re trying to be the best manager and live up to what you believe people are expecting of you. At some point this may even threaten your own output and decision-making.

Make sure that you are focused on self-care and not trying to over-perform. A lot of what your position requires is someone who can be the calm in a storm. Keep your stress levels low and you will not only be thankful for your new job, you’ll be a far better manager.

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