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The Career Path PI New Manager Survival Guide — Part Two

Hi,

I’m Alix and today we’re looking at part two of the New Manager Survival Guide: Your first day as a manager…, written with hints and tips for stepping into a managerial role, working towards making the job one that will meet your passion and purpose, allowing you to reach your full potential.

The series is here to provide support and hand holding where you may not have any, being a ‘virtual mentor’ if you like…

So, without more ado, (but by all means grab coffee and cake first) and let’s take a look at ideas for you to consider and put into practice where it makes sense for your situation.

Your second block of text...

Your first day as a manager…

You’ve got the job.

You’ve survived the congratulations from colleagues, family and your mum and dad.

You’ve possibly acquired a new laptop, a slightly different email signature and access to meetings you previously had no idea existed.

And now it’s here: your first day as a manager of a team – either after being a member of that team or as a transfer within a company, or a new hire excited and raring to go.

Today’s the day, the day when you stride confidently into the workplace, deliver an inspirational speech, immediately earn the respect of your entire team and demonstrate such extraordinary leadership ability that senior management quietly begin discussing where to put your statue.

Or…

You arrive ten minutes early, nervously wonder where you’re supposed to sit and suddenly realise:

“People are going to ask me things and expect me to know the answers now.”

Welcome to management.

The good news is that your first day does not need to be spectacular, fireworks and all. You don’t need, and aren’t expected, to transform the department.

You don’t need to prove that promoting or hiring you was the greatest business decision since somebody put wheels on suitcases.

Your first job is much simpler:

Don't arrive determined to change everything…

One of the easiest mistakes a new manager can make is believing they need to make an immediate impact.

You want everyone to know you're capable. You want your own manager to know they made the right decision.

So, you arrive armed with ideas:

Stop.

There will be time to make changes, buy your first day is usually not it. Before changing something, firstly make sure you understand why it currently works that way.

That bizarre spreadsheet you immediately want to replace might contain something essential. That strange Tuesday meeting may exist because of a problem nobody has explained to you yet.

And the team may have already survived four managers who arrived announcing:

“We're going to shake things up around here.”

Don't become number five before lunch.

Meet your team as people…

If you're joining a new team, introduce yourself properly. Tell them a little about your background, how you like to work and what they can expect from you.

But don't turn your introduction into a forty-minute autobiography beginning with your Year 6 work experience.

Keep it simple.

Then concentrate on them:

If possible, arrange short individual conversations with everyone over your first few days.

These aren't interrogations. You don't need to sit behind a desk asking:

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

You're getting to know your team. So, useful questions might include:

And then do something surprisingly powerful: Listen.

If you’ve been promoted from within the team…

Congratulations. You have a slightly different challenge.

Yesterday, you were one of the team. Today, you're managing it.

The people around you may include friends, people you've worked beside for years and possibly somebody who also applied for your new job.

Pretending nothing has changed won't work.

Something has changed. You now have responsibilities you didn't have before. You may know confidential information. You may have to allocate work.

You may eventually need to challenge the performance or behaviour of someone who used to sit beside you as you both complained about management.

Awkward?

Potentially.

Impossible?

No.

You don't need to become a completely different person overnight. But you do need to acknowledge the change.

You might simply say:

“I know this will be an adjustment for all of us, including me. I want us to keep the good working relationship we've had, but I also know my responsibilities are different now.”

No grand speech required.

No sudden insistence that everyone starts calling you Boss.

Please don't do that.

Firstly…

Find out what your own manager expects…

You're managing people now. But somebody is probably still managing you.

Early on, make sure you understand what they expect:

Do not assume. You don't want to spend six weeks enthusiastically improving something only to discover it was seventeenth on the company's priority list.

Clarity upwards helps you provide clarity downwards.

Resist the temptation to prove your authority…

You are the manager.

You don't need to demonstrate this every twelve minutes.

Avoid unnecessary rule-setting, pulling rank or making decisions simply because you can. Authority doesn't become stronger because you keep reminding everybody you have it.

In fact, usually the opposite happens.

Your team will learn whether they can trust you by watching what you do:

Respect is built through behaviour, not job titles.

Don't make promises you can't keep…

During your first conversations, people may tell you about frustrations:

Your instinct may be to prove you're different.

“Leave it with me. I'll sort it.”

Be careful. You might not be able to.

Instead try:

“I'll look into it.”

Or:

“I can't promise I can change that, but I can find out what's possible.”

Then actually follow up. A small promise kept builds more trust than an enormous promise forgotten.

You don't have to answer everything immediately…

Someone will probably ask you a question you cannot answer - possibly before you've removed your coat.

That's okay.

Try:

“I'm not sure yet. Let me check.”

Your managerial badge will not be confiscated.

Taking time to get the right answer is usually better than confidently inventing one.

The same applies to decisions.

Unless something genuinely needs an immediate response, you're allowed to say:

“Let me think about that and come back to you.”

Managers are allowed thinking time. Use it.

Observe more than you announce…

Your first day gives you clues. If it’s a team meeting notice:

Pay attention to the unofficial structure as well as the organisational chart.

Sometimes the person with no management title whatsoever is the person quietly holding half the department together.

You need to know that.

Before you go home…

Take ten minutes.

Write down what you've learned. Not what you're going to change.

What you've learned:

Then give yourself some credit.

You’ve got through Day One.

Nobody expected you to master management by 5pm.

And if something went wrong? Excellent.

You’ve already started learning.

Your first day mission…

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

Don't arrive trying to prove you're the manager.

Arrive trying to understand the team you're going to manage:

And please resist any urge to gather everyone together and announce:

“There's going to be a new sheriff in town.”

You don't need to make your mark on Day One, you need to start building something much more valuable: Trust.

And fortunately, you've got more than one day to do it. So let’s approach this one day at a time, learning as we go.

Lastly, I know you’re going to be amazing and become a manager I’d happily work under.