Congrats on the Promotion… Now What? 5 Tips for New Managers
You did it: You landed a job as a manager. Whether you’ve been promoted within your department or you’re starting fresh on a new team, moving into management can be both exciting and intimidating. Shifting your mindset and building leadership skills takes time, but there are a few things you can do right away to set yourself – and your employees – up for success. As you settle into your new role, use these management tips for new managers to start building an engaged and productive team.
1. Get to Know Your Employees
One of the best tips for new managers is to spend time listening and observing. During your first weeks, make a point to learn about employees’ unique preferences, work styles, and communication styles. Make a genuine effort to get to know them as individuals.
Use the insights you gain to adapt your management style to the needs of each employee. If you notice one person is deeply uncomfortable with public recognition, for example, you might offer praise by email or in one-on-one meetings. And, if another employee is hoping to move from design to programming, you could give them stretch assignments that involve coding.
Talking to employees can also help you identify challenges and opportunities within the team and organization. When you’re ready to start making changes, understanding their perspectives can help you set priorities and choose initiatives.
2. Practice Open Communication
Effective leaders communicate openly and honestly, which helps build an atmosphere of trust. When you’re starting out as a manager, you can improve communication by:
- Soliciting input from everyone on the team
- Encouraging innovative ideas
- Being honest about challenges
- Asking for feedback
- Treating failures as opportunities to grow
Keep in mind that the way you respond to employees can make or break team communication. When you consistently take new ideas seriously and treat all contributions with respect, employees will feel safer offering their input. It’s also important to be willing to consider all perspectives, even when they challenge your beliefs.
3. Delegate Work
Transitioning from employee to manager requires a mental shift. Instead of focusing on the day-to-day tasks of an individual contributor, you’re responsible for the overall strategy and productivity of the group. Your goal is to provide the resources, systems, and support team members need to do their jobs effectively.
In many cases, this process requires you to delegate work responsibilities to team members – even when it’s faster to do it yourself. Teaching an employee to handle the task takes more time up front, but in the long run, it’ll free you to focus on higher-level tasks.
Learning delegation is so important, in fact, that it should be at the top of your list of new manager tips for the first day. Build this skill quickly and you won’t end up being a bottleneck down the road.
4. Get Used to Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations are inevitable for managers. On any given day, you might need to give constructive feedback, manage workplace conflict, or deliver unpleasant news to company leadership.
These conversations can be intimidating and uncomfortable, but it’s important to learn how to handle them early in your managerial career. Practice addressing problems quickly and directly, before they have a chance to escalate.
During each conversation, make an effort to listen to the other person, show empathy for employees’ feelings, and work together to find a solution. It’s an effective way to show you’re invested in their success and willing to provide support. Avoid anger and accusations, which tend to compromise psychological safety and put people on the defensive.
When it comes to leadership tips for new managers, this is often the most difficult to follow. However, if you can use small issues to establish an expectation of calm, respectful discussions, it’ll be easier to approach more difficult problems down the road.
5. Go to Bat for Your Team
One of the most powerful tips for a new manager is to show employees you’re on their side. That might look different at every company, but it could include:
- Securing the resources employees need
- Praising employees to clients and leaders
- Protecting employees from company politics, criticism, or pressure
- Advocating for team needs with company leaders
- Recommending team members for raises and promotions
- Taking responsibility for team performance
In short, you should be your employees’ biggest champion. Your consistent support helps them feel valued and respected, which can inspire loyalty and engagement.
Although management roles come with new pressures and challenges, you don’t need to be perfect. When you follow time-tested management tips for new managers and approach the job with openness, empathy, and respect, you can earn employees’ trust and build leadership skills gradually.
As an owner of the Dale Carnegie Mid-Atlantic franchise, McKonly & Asbury is able to offer an extension of services to our clients and friends of the firm, expanding our expertise in the areas of leadership, team building, and people development as Dale Carnegie offers programs in leadership, management development, customer engagement, service, sales, communication, and more.
About the Author
McKonly & Asbury is a leading Mid-Atlantic accounting and business advisory services firm that serves as a trusted advisor and valued business partner to many of the region’s most prominent organizations. With experience across a range of services, including advisory and business consulting, audit and assurance, tax, technology, CMMC, HITRUST, and internal audit, the firm helps clients navigate complex challenges and achieve their business goals. McKonly & Asbury specializes in providing industry-specific solutions for sectors such as Affordable Housing, Construction, Employee Benefit Plans, Family-owned Businesses, Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing and Distribution, Nonprofit, and more.
