Being a Good New Manager Is Not Magic

How To Be a Good New Manager
Being a good new manager does not depend upon magic. While it is true that the knowledge, skills, and abilities to manage others is not always intuitive, the key leadership attributes can be learned. The right management development training can take an individual contributor who was responsible principally for their own productivity to a leader who knows how to manage the productivity of others.

Attributes of Effective New Supervisor Training
Effective new supervisor training is an essential first step in making a successful transition into management. The program you choose should be:

• Customized to your business and unique situation
• Targeted to the critical few management scenarios and skills that matter most
• Involve lots of practice, follow-up and real-time coaching

Five Disciplines of Effective Management
Focus on the five disciplines of effective management as they suit your own unique organizational culture:

• Understanding a manager’s role in your organization
• Communicating as a manager
• Implementing performance planning
• Motivating and incentives
• Prioritizing and delegating

The Importance of Communication
The one thread that links all the management disciplines is communication. The better new managers can communicate as they meet one-on-one, lead meetings, or interface with other departments, the more effective they will appear — and actually be.

The Role of Empathy
A key aspect of communicating and supporting your team members as a manager is empathy…the ability to tune in to others’ needs and feelings. This means that you as manager need to be able to read your followers’ emotions and control your own. Giving in to serious emotional displays from anger to sadness may be OK occasionally for an employee — but never for a manager.

Five Tips on How to Be a Good New Manager
Here are five tips on when and how to show empathy while at the same time you stay in control of your own feelings:

1. When It’s Right
   Don’t give in to the easy or more popular decision just to avoid controversy. Good managers have the courage to do what’s right even when the right decision causes discomfort.
2. When It’s Appropriate
   Be sympathetic when an employee is facing a difficult challenge or share their joy when they’re celebrating a success—personal or professional. A caring manager knows how to be understanding and share feelings either as a supporter or as a cheerleader.
3. When Your Gut Says So
   Some decisions are more difficult than others because the ramifications are not clear. At times like these, trust your intuition.
4. When It’s Time
   Managers don’t have the luxury of procrastination. Set an example for your team members. Do what you need to do when it’s time to do it. Avoiding a difficult conversation, for instance, only makes the task harder and more onerous when you finally tackle it.
5. When It Was Your Fault
   Step up and admit when you were wrong. Rather than “crying over spilt milk” or shifting the blame elsewhere, the mature and confident leader accepts responsibility and then looks for a solution to the problem. Isn’t this the way you’d like your followers to behave?

The Bottom Line
There is no magic wand to help new managers. To do well, you need to be prepared for the role in terms of knowledge, leadership skills and the kind of emotional control that makes for good communication.

To learn more about being a good new manager, download The Six Management Best Practices that Make the Difference Between Effective and Extraordinary