New Management Role
What would you consider advice to a new management position in regards to being an effective leader?
Katie,
Probably the biggest advice I would give would be in "promoting" yourself. I borrow this term from Michael Watkins (The First 90 Days). Too often, new to role managers/leaders, forget to leave behind all of the work they used to do. By promoting yourself to that new leadership position, you can remember that your main focus is to work with those who call you "boss."
By focusing on them you help them to thrive in the roles they have & help remove barriers & obstacles to their effectiveness. If you continue to do the work of an individual contributor, than who is doing your work of a manager/leader?
I hope this helps, let me know.
Ryan
I would also suggest that you take time to learn about your new staff. Meaning explore what they value, perhaps why they are employed with your company, what they find interesting and also what they find hinders or gives them road blocks.
I believe it's important to listen to your staff when you ask the above type questions. The answers tell quite a bit about the person and can truly help you in making solid relationships and earning the respect of your team.
Great suggestion Regina. One of the very first things I strongly recommend the new managers that I coach do is to have 1-1 meetings will all of the staff for this very purpose. Not a performance review, but truly just a get to know you meeting.
Ryan
That is a great suggestion, thank you. Sometimes you get overwhelmed with new responsibilities and forget the "basics"
Hi Dr. Meers!
I enjoyed reading your post, and have found myself many times in my new role, forgetting to "delegate." I liked what you said "if you continue to do the work of an individual contributor, than who is doing your work of a manager/leader?" Many tasks that I am used to doing myself, I continued to do when I should have delegated them to my associates.
I am doing better, but have found that delegating is hard, and the art of letting go is even harder! But I have also learned that I can't do everything and be everywhere. Formulating a plan with delegated tasks has helped.
K.C.,
glad the information was useful. Delegation is very difficult, especially because doing those tasks is personally rewarding & satisfying. Keep at it!
Dr. Ryan Meers
That is an excellent point. I would never get through my day if I added my old responsibilities to my existing duties.
Delegation to the team is the key to my plan; I attempt to balance responsibility with work load while looking to support a team member’s growth. Added responsibility is an excellent tool to show trust and dependency to an individual if delivered properly. If the employee feels that my work is being “dumped†on him/her, I will not only lose their respect but I will receive a less committed employee. The employee must feel that I am depending on them and that they are the right person because of their past contributions for this particular responsibility.
Rob,
you are very right & I think a big thing to remember is to explain why they are getting these assignments; just as you have laid out here.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have been a leader for a number of years now and have struggled in various aspects of the roll. I found the insight in this post to bring a new perspective to what I do. I often get caught up in tasks that I need to complete that I often forget to work with my team and provide the direction and leadership they desperately need and want.
Matt,
this is definitely a common problem for many of us in the leadership position. Glad it was helpful.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have the same issue as Matt, I spend most of my days being an individual contributor instead of managing/leading. My department is small and only one experienced employee, so I feel that I must do the same work as my employees. I am learning that this is probably keeping my other employee from gaining the necessary knowledge needed to move forward.
Karen,
it is a very difficult situation to be in. I would encourage you to slowly develop those other employees & as you do so, let go of more of the day to day tasks.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
