MightyRecruiterIf you’ve been recently hired as a manger, congratulations! You’ve made an important step in your careerïassuming, of course, that you can do this job right. And if you’ve never been a manager before, then taking over a team of your own might seem like a daunting prospect. Here’s a handy new manager guide that can help you start out on the right foot.
1. Study Up
First of all, get ready to learn. Moving into a management position will often expose you to entire dimensions of your business that you have limited experience with. Don’t assume that you know everything right off the bat; spend your first few weeks and months on the job observing, listening, and taking notes. You may want to find a mentor that can help you figure out what’s really important and what’s not; another manager or a long term-employee can be extremely valuable as a new manager guide.
2. Meet Individually
Second, be sure to meet with your team. This is especially critical if you’re an outsider who’s been brought in from another department or even another company, but it’s still important if you’ve been promoted from among your coworkers. Meet with people individually to find out what their expectations, histories, aspirations, and suggestions are. Give everyone a chance to improve, even if you’ve had poor experiences with them in the past; they’ll all be on their best behavior initially. These meetings will give you a feel for the state of your workplace, the strengths of your team, potential challenges you might be facing, and how possible changes will be received.
3. Set Goals and Expectations
Any New Manager Guide should mention that one of the most important parts of management is careful goal setting. Create a definition for your own job that will help guide you through decision making; figure out what the ultimate purpose or goal of your team is too. It might help to write a personal or department-wide mission statement. Part of being a good manager is being able to manage expectations. Make sure that employees know what to expect from you, and that they know what you expect from them. Remember that handling expectations is more than just telling employees what to doïit’s working with them to ensure they understand what the company needs. Once you have some general goals and expectations outlined, develop a concrete plan for what you want to have happen in your department. Work with your team to create a roadmap for the next few months, as well as the long-termïthat way you’ll all know which direction the team is heading in.
4. Kick Things Off
If you want to start your first few weeks out right, then it helps to make a memorable gesture. This doesn’t have to be something big or dramaticïit can be something as simple as eliminating redundant paperwork or offering small incentives. This will help motivate the team and indicate that you’re providing a fresh perspective. The best steps to take often involve simplifying or going back to basics. Ask what you want your team to really be focusing on and then eliminate the obstacles that are keeping them from it. This targeted improvement sends a powerful message and can help kick start your goals.
5. Be Humble
Recognize that you have limitations; not even a handy new manager guide can fix that. You don’t have a track record yet, which is both a blessing and curseïyou get a clean slate, but you also have to prove yourself. Remember that your lack of experience will sometimes put you at a disadvantage, so pick your battles and focus on the things that you know you can do well. Starting out with these victories will help you build credibility you can use later on.
6. Dedicate Yourself
Finally, be sure to keep up the hard work that got you here in the first place! Don’t be afraid to get into the trenches and get things done. Although your resume might be dazzling, it won’t prop you up forever; you have to win respect by putting in the hours. Show your employees and supervisors that you are dedicated to success. One great way to keep going is by continuing to learn and finding new ways to help your company succeed. If you found this new manager guide useful, Mighty Recruiter has many other great tools that you can use to further your career and your business’s growth.