It’s almost always challenging for employees to make the transition from individual contributor to manager. The skills required to lead a team are different from those needed to do the actual work. Training and mentoring are vital to helping productive workers successfully become effective leaders.
Strong leadership is vital for team success and organizational growth. An effective manager keeps the team on track to achieving (or exceeding) goals, fosters engagement, and coaches employees to help develop their skills and opportunities for advancement.
Too frequently, productive individual contributors are promoted to management with the assumption that if they know how to do the work, they’ll naturally be able to impart those skills to their direct reports.
But the talents and abilities needed to be an effective manager are much different from skills in a particular work function. New managers often find themselves still “doing the work” instead of leading their team, leading to frustration and burnout. Proper training, guidance, and quality first-time manager tips and advice are essential to helping new leaders make this transition.
Important Management Skills for New Managers
New managers need to develop many skills, but among the most critical are decision-making, problem-solving, and time management. Doing these things as a manager is a completely different ballgame from performing those tasks as an individual contributor.
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Capability
While decision-making and problem-solving abilities are needed in most jobs, the problems faced in management tend to be more complex and the consequences of decisions have greater impact than for individual contributors. That makes it vital to teach new managers different approaches and techniques to expand their skills in these areas.
To help make better decisions, managers set clear goals and often apply frameworks such as a SWOT analysis or decision trees to help visualize solutions. They also understand that pursuing 100% of the data needed to make a decision is impractical if not impossible, and instead focus on collecting the most important and impactful information.
Successful managers apply different problem-solving techniques depending upon the situation. In addition to SWOT analysis, they may use:
- Root Cause Analysis (RCA): An approach to understanding the underlying causes of a problem rather than merely addressing symptoms. Techniques like the Five whys analysis, made famous at Toyota, help get to the most fundamental causes of issues.
- Pareto Analysis: Commonly known as “the 80/20 rule,” this framework helps managers focus on the relatively small number of factors that cause most of their problems.
- Eisenhower Matrix: This approach uses a four-box matric to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance.
- SMART Goals: Managers often set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to help create clear and effective action plans.
Improving problem-solving and decision-making skills are among the core pillars of all team building programs. While building solid workplace relationships and enhancing collaboration—while having fun—team building activities also impart practical workplace and management skills.
For example, in Corporate Survivor, teams must navigate a series of unfamiliar challenges while racing against time and keeping their members together. Success requires a combination of communication, strategy, leadership, and trust, as well as the ability to rapidly learn and apply new skills.
Time Management and Prioritization
Another common challenge for new managers is time management. First, it’s essential they let go, to the greatest extent possible, of being a “do-er” (of their old job tasks) so they can focus on becoming an effective leader.
Second, it’s imperative that they understand what their new tasks are and effectively prioritize them. Some tasks simply can’t be skipped or moved without disrupting the work of others, such as standing weekly or other regular-cadence meetings. Beyond those are a wide array of tasks and demands. The Eisenhower Matrix, as noted above, can be one valuable tool for sorting these out.
Prioritization skills go hand-in-hand with time management. With limited time and (what can seem like) limitless demands on it, new managers need to quickly develop their skills at listing tasks in order of importance and focusing on the duties at the top of that list.
Beyond models like the Eisenhower Matrix and SMART goals as discussed above, frameworks like the ABCDE Method and the two-minute rule (if a task or decision can be completed in two minutes or less, just do it right away) can help new managers prioritize their workload.
Technology can help as well:
- Project management software like Monday.com, Teamwork, or Asana help managers to assign, visualize, monitor, and manage tasks across their team members.
- Automation tools like Zapier for workflows, Calendly for scheduling, and email templates for responses save time and effort.
- A shared online calendar is a must-have, and managers should block out time as needed for focused work and breaks.
- AI-powered apps for capturing and summarizing meeting notes, like Otter, Zoom, Read.ai, or others save time for managers and their teams by automatically capturing the most important points from meetings.
To help new managers quickly develop and hone their prioritization and time management skills, focused training is highly effective. For example, Best Corporate Events’ Time Management Workshop teaches managers how to more effectively determine whether or not a task is “important” or “urgent,” manage (the inevitable) interruptions, utilize short-term and long-term planning, and more.
10 Essential Tips for New Managers
While a few people (e.g., Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey) seem to be “born leaders,” most of us don’t have that advantage. The good news though is that leadership skills can be taught, learned, and developed. Here are 10 helpful first-time manager tips to get new managers started on the road to becoming effective leaders.
Tip 1: Communicate Clearly and Often
Regular and transparent communication with your team is essential. When employees feel like they are being kept “in the loop,” they are more engaged and better equipped to do their jobs.
Managers can use several channels to keep team members informed and engaged, depending on the timeliness and complexity of the information:
- Weekly team meetings: These are not only essential for keeping team members updated and in alignment on goals, but also useful for sharing information that 1) applies to everyone, and 2) may require detailed explanation or raise questions.
- Email: This works best for updates that are somewhat time-sensitive but simple and non-controversial.
- Instant messaging: Business IM tools like Slack, Google Chat, and Mattermost are great for quick, urgent-but-simple updates, and make it easy to communicate with an individual, selected employees, or your entire team.
- Weekly coaching sessions: These work best for information that impacts only one or a few individuals who would benefit from a more detailed explanation and discussion.
Clear and frequent communication is even more essential to maintaining engagement and involvement if your team is partly or completely remote. Check out this guidance for useful tips on keeping remote teams connected.
Tip 2: Set Clear Expectations
Setting clear goals and expectations for your team is essential. Employees can’t meet (or better yet, exceed) expectations without a clear understanding of their objectives and how they will be measured.
To communicate expectations effectively:
- Use precise language and set measurable, quantifiable goals whenever possible.
- Use project management software to document tasks and timelines and hold people accountable for their deliverables.
- Encourage open communication and feedback. It’s inevitable that some deadlines will be missed. Set the expectation that employees will let you know about problems or bottlenecks as soon as possible, so that corrective action can be taken.
- Regularly ask employees about any obstacles they are facing or resources they need.
- Recognize efforts and achievements publicly (in team meetings and via team emails).
Tip 3: Delegate Tasks Effectively
Delegating tasks properly will improve the productivity of your team while freeing you to spend time on higher-value tasks. If an employee is feeling overwhelmed, use the coaching opportunity to help them prioritize their workload and perform tasks more efficiently.
Delegate tasks to the lowest level (in terms of seniority or hierarchy) employee who has the skills and capability to do the job. While you never want a team member to feel they are “in over their head,” appropriately challenging tasks give your people the opportunity to grow professionally, and demonstrate your trust and confidence in their abilities.
Tip 4: Provide Regular Feedback
During the Olympics, what do athletes like gymnasts and swimmers do immediately after completing a routine or race? They look at the scoreboard to see what the judges thought or what their time was.
Your employees may not be world-class athletes, but they still want to know “the score” as often as possible. Take advantage of every opportunity to offer feedback. If they beat a deadline or exceeded a goal, recognize that achievement publicly in an email or team meeting.
If you need to offer guidance on performance improvement, do that one-on-one in the moment if possible, or during your weekly individual conversation.
When you need to offer corrective feedback to your team or a team member, use these constructive communication techniques to keep the tone positive yet effective.
Tip 5: Develop Your Team’s Skills
Your two primary responsibilities as a manager are to 1) accomplish the goals for your group by directing and coordinating the efforts of your team, and 2) encourage and facilitate the professional growth of each member of your team.
Along with a comfortable work environment and attractive compensation, opportunities for job growth are one of the top three factors in employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention.
Those are two powerful reasons to make investing in the professional growth of your team members a high priority. Coaching and mentoring play a significant role in this, but providing training and professional development opportunities really raises the bar.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of training. Functionally focused (sales, engineering, finance, marketing, etc.) classes, seminars, and conferences improve employees’ skills in their specific role. Professional development workshops and programs expand the skills of your team members.
For example, leadership training benefits employees at every level. Programs like our DiSC Workshop and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Training help employees recognize their own personality types and communication preferences as well as those of their teammates, improving group dynamics and collaboration.
And a program like Best Corporate Events’ Competition to Collaboration® combines strategic team challenges with an interesting twist to help improve organizational performance.
Tip 6: Build Relationships with Your Team
The most effective teams are built on strong relationships and trust. When you’ve earned the trust of your team as a leader and encourage open communication, performance improves, negative surprises become rare, and any conflicts that do arise are resolved quickly and professionally.
To build rapport and foster a positive team environment, be authentic and empathetic; show genuine interest in your team members as people, not just employees. Demonstrate trust in your team members by giving them as much autonomy as practical. And at least occasionally, during weekly one-on-one meetings, ask for feedback on your management approach to understand how you can support them better.
Coaching employees to help them excel in their current role as well as position themselves for advancement is a vital element of effective management. Professional training workshops like our Manager’s Guide to Business Coaching teach new leaders different techniques and approaches that help build strong relationships, bolster trust, and improve communication.
Tip 7: Lead by Example
Team members look to their manager for leadership. Authentic leaders model the behaviors and set the standards they expect from their team. Setting a positive example through specific behaviors and attitudes is key to establishing credibility, trust, and a productive team culture.
Examples of behaviors and attitudes that managers should demonstrate include:
- A respectful and inclusive attitude: Be open-minded, show respect for each team member’s ideas and skills, and actively include everyone in discussions during team meetings.
- A proactive stance and taking initiative: Tackle challenges head-on, show initiative in solving problems, and encourage the team to do the same. Embrace a “can-do” attitude.
- Empathy and emotional intelligence: Practice active listening, acknowledge concerns, and respond with understanding. Show genuine concern for team members’ workplace well-being; empathy builds trust.
- Accountability and ownership: Take responsibility for your actions, including mistakes, and encourage the same from your team. If something doesn’t go as planned, discuss lessons learned rather than assigning blame.
Tip 8: Stay Organized
Managers typically juggle a lot of “balls in the air,” trying to stay on top of multiple simultaneous initiatives and projects. Organization is essential in order to be effective. Technology like project management and scheduling software can help, but it’s vital to develop habits and processes for organization as well.
Several tips for new managers for staying organized have been covered above, such as using task management software, prioritizing using the Eisenhower Matrix, scheduling blocks of time for focused work, and using communication tools effectively. Additional practical tips include:
- Creating templates for repeated tasks: Develop then consistently use templates for recurring tasks, such as meeting agendas, weekly reports, or project checklists.
- Setting up recurring reminders for routine tasks and events: Use reminders for routine responsibilities like weekly check-ins and regular reports using digital calendar reminders or app notifications.
- Creating visual overviews of projects with deadlines: Use visual tools like Gantt charts, calendars, or Kanban boards to map out timelines and track project status. It’s easier to track progress and spot delays when this information is presented visually.
- Limiting meetings and keeping them purposeful: Only schedule meetings when necessary and keep them concise by having a clear, consistent agenda. End meetings with action items and follow-ups. Our one-day Meeting Management workshop can help managers at all levels to more effectively prepare for, lead, and follow up on meetings.
Tip 9: Manage Stress and Stay Resilient
While a certain amount of stress can be healthy—driving people to embrace an appropriate sense of urgency—excessive stress is harmful. It can lead to unnecessary conflict, poor decision making, and disorganization. Managers especially need to effectively manage stress, be resilient, and model these behaviors for their teams.
Managing stress and maintaining a positive outlook at work can be challenging, but there are effective strategies that can help you stay resilient, balanced, and optimistic. Here are some practical approaches:
- Keep simple self-care in mind: Set aside adequate time for sleep, be healthy with your nutrition and hydration, and get regular exercise. Physical well-being is foundational to managing stress; when you feel physically good, it’s easier to manage the mental demands of work.
- Set boundaries for work-life balance: While a 40-hour work week is unrealistic in most management positions, you can still set clear start and end times for your workday, and try to avoid checking emails or messages after hours. Your body and brain need non-work time to recharge. This also lets you look at problems the next day with a fresh mind and perspective, which can improve decision making.
- Stay organized and use time management techniques: Break your tasks down into manageable steps, prioritize your to-do list, and consider techniques like the Pomodoro method to maintain focus while allowing for breaks.
- Be realistic with expectations and goals: To the extent you are able, set achievable, realistic goals, and break large projects into smaller milestones. Setting overly ambitious goals isn’t ultimately good for you, your team, or your organization.
Tip 10: Aim for Continuous Improvement
Continuous learning and improvement are crucial for leaders at all levels. Hard as it can be to “break away” from the daily routine, these tasks are essential for the long-term success and growth of your career as well as your organization.
Simple steps like seeking feedback from multiple perspectives and conducting a debriefing or hotwash after major projects support continuous improvement. But it’s also important to make time for reading, attending conferences, and taking courses.
Professional development workshops and team building exercises can help enhance leadership abilities by improving problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.
Overcoming Common Challenges Faced by First-Time Managers
First-time managers face a wide array of challenges. Here are two of the most common and how to overcome them.
Navigating Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations are an unpleasant but inevitable part of every manager’s job. Perhaps an employee isn’t performing up to expectations, is excessively absent, or has behaved in a way that upsets coworkers.
Whatever the specific situation, it has to be addressed in order to maintain team performance and cohesion. The challenge is to do it well, without unnecessary belligerence or resistance.
Follow these steps to productively address difficult situations:
Prepare for the conversation
Clearly identify the issue and purpose of the conversation. Gather the facts and documentation. Consider the issue from the employee’s perspective and anticipate their potential reactions, helping you to be empathetic and ready for different responses.
Choose an appropriate time and place
Hold the conversation in a private, comfortable setting where the employee feels safe and undistracted, and set aside a time when neither of you is rushed or stressed.
Start the conversation with a calm and constructive tone
State your purpose and desired outcome or path forward clearly. Acknowledge their contributions or strengths to reinforce that the conversation is not about their worth but about improvement and growth.
Present the issue objectively and factually
Use specific examples and focus on facts. Then listen actively and show empathy when the employee responds. Say things like, “So what I’m hearing is…” to acknowledge their viewpoint.
Discuss solutions and set clear expectations
Unless the resolution is termination (in which case, follow the procedures set forth by your HR department), agree on an action plan with the employee. Try to close the meeting on a positive note once a solution has been agreed to.
Employees will often subconsciously mirror your demeanor. By keeping your side of the conversation factual and free of accusation or negative emotion, and displaying empathy when the employee responds, you are inviting the employee to respond in the same manner. Be professional in your approach and the employee is likely to react in a professional manner as well.
Balancing Authority and Approachability
One of the most difficult skills for a new manager to learn is how to balance authority with approachability. This is especially challenging when an individual is promoted to a position of authority over former peers. You need to make it clear that you are still the same person and open to conversations, but your role and relationship have changed.
One key to this balance is openness and transparency. Explain to employees what you are responsible for—the goals and objectives that have been set for you as a manager and your team. Make clear how you can help each other to be successful: what you need from them in order for the team to succeed, and how you will support them, provide the resources they need, and help them develop their skills and abilities.
Helpful first-time manager tips for being (or becoming) a respected authority while remaining approachable include:
- Set clear expectations from the start.
- Model the kind of professional behavior you expect from your team.
- Communicate honestly, authentically, and transparently (and encourage open communication from your team).
- Be consistent in your actions and decisions.
- Treat everyone fairly and avoid favoritism.
- Listen actively and empathetically to your team’s ideas, feedback, and concerns.
- Celebrate successes and recognize team member contributions.
Examples of famous leaders who successfully balance authority with approachability include Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Mary Barra at GM, and Apple’s Tim Cook. But there are probably less-famous examples all around you. Every organization that promotes people from within when possible potentially has leaders who demonstrate this balance.
Take the Next Step: Use Our Tips for New Managers to Enhance Management Skills
Whether you are a first-time leader trying to learn how to make the leap to leadership effectively or a more seasoned executive tasked with developing new leaders, the guidance above can improve your success.
Compare the recommendations above to the situation in your organization and take action as needed to improve the development of management and leadership skills within your organization.
To learn more about professional development, training, and team building programs that can help improve your organization’s leadership advancement practices, explore the Best Corporate Events site. When you’re ready, contact us for a consultation on customized leadership and team-building solutions.
