Most of us are not content to do the same job for our entire career, so we learn, we grow and hope to earn more responsibilities by being promoted. At some point those new responsibilities may involve managing other people. Now you are not just accountable for your own work, but that of your entire team. It can be overwhelming, so we collected some tips from industry leaders to help you be the best manager you can be whenever you happen to become one.

  • Your direct reports are not your pals. We all want to be liked and to some degree when our direct reports like us, they are more engaged with their work. However, it is human nature to treat our friends differently than others, which can cause resentment and turnover in the roles where the individuals are not ‘friends.’ It is particularly challenging to create distance when you were promoted to manage people who were formerly your peers. The effort will be worth it when your team members feel like everyone is treated the same.
  • In cases where you have an existing personal relationship (outside of work) with one or more of your reports, it will help to discuss boundaries. For example, no talking about work when we’re out for dinner on a Saturday night or no workday lunch dates unless the whole team is included. The goal should be that no one on your team be intimidated by your personal relationship, because you treat all staff members the same.
  • While you can’t be pals, you should develop individual professional relationships with each of your direct reports. Even when people are in the same role, each will have different needs and preferences. You will get the best results if you recognize what motivates each team member.
  • Learn how to delegate well. As a manager, you are responsible for the output of your whole department. New managers in particular feel the need to do much of the work themselves. There are several justifications from ‘I’m a control freak.’ to ‘I don’t have time to train someone else and have the work done timely.’ Understand that your primary job is to provide your direct reports with the resources they need to do the work of your department. Your time is one of the most valuable resources you can provide — time for training, coaching, and listening. Your trust is also a valuable resource. When employees feel like they aren’t trusted with important tasks, they will disengage and possibly even move on from the team.
  • No one likes to be micro-managed, and you won’t have to if you have learned to delegate well. Of course, you’ll need to step in when a report is not delivering on-time, quality results. If your employees understand their responsibilities, they will come to you when they need help.
  • Provide your team members with opportunities for professional development whatever their career goals happen to be and do the appropriate follow up to make sure they have taken advantage of that opportunity. If you must, make it an assignment like any other with a specific outcome and a due date.
  • Communicate both constructive criticism and praise early and often. No one wants to wait until their annual review (if there even is one!) to hear that they weren’t performing well or were the department’s superstar. To establish your individual relationships, learn what professional development goals are reasonable, and create an opportunity to provide feedback on a regular basis. Meet with your team members one-on-one at regular intervals — weekly is not too often!
  • Don’t fix your team members’ mistakes. No one is perfect and of course, mistakes will be made. Determine what is needed to ensure similar mistakes are not made going forward — additional training, more time to complete a task, less distraction — and provide the resource, but let your employees fix their own mistakes; otherwise, it won’t be a learning opportunity and takes away their accountability.
  • Use collaboration, to the extent possible, to change negative behavior and solve problems. For example, if you have an employee who is regularly late in the morning, ask them what they can do to arrive in the office on time. Here’s another,you identify a clunky process that you want to update. Rather than dictate a procedural change to those doing the actual processing, let them tell you what would improve the process.
  • You do not have to solve every problem, be available 24/7, or know everything about everything to be a good manager. You are just as entitled to self-care and work/life balance as your employees, so don’t try to be a hero to all. If two people on your team aren’t getting along, refer them to human resources to find a way to work together. Are you planning to take a vacation? No need to give anyone except maybe your boss your cell phone number. Don’t know the answer to a technical question off the top of your head? Tell the employee where they can look it up. Creating a more independent team is good for you and for them, too. You’ll have more energy to provide resources and lead your team if you’re not constantly on the brink of burnout.
  • There will be times when an institutional policy will be seen negatively by one or more of your team members. It might be tempting to join in the gripe session but remember you are management now. A better response is to explain the origin of the policy (there must be a reason it was enacted) and help the employee(s) find the best way to navigate it.
  • Finally, this tip is for managers joining a new department or institution. Don’t rush to change every procedure no matter how inefficient they may seem. Conversely, don’t hang onto procedures just because ‘they’ve always done it this way.’ Take time to learn the background (if there is one) and get feedback from your team before making any decisions. Armed with information, you can prioritize the changes needed based on the benefit to your team and/or the students you serve.

The best part of being a manager is being able to watch as your team comes together to offer excellent service while striving to continually improve and grow. The challenging part, particularly at this time of year, is being able to deliver the resources (time and trust, most importantly) your employees need to be successful when you have unfilled positions on your team. The Higher Education Assistance Group’s interim staffing solutions can save the day by providing consultants with the experience needed to keep your operations running smoothly. Visit our website or email info@heag.us for more information.

Source: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/leadership/advice-for-first-time-managers