Top tips for first time managers

Taking the step up to a role as a manager can often be a daunting proposition. It also may be the culmination of years if hard work and dedication to your role. Either way, it’s important that you have the right tools to make a success of the role.

To help you succeed we have compiled a list of top tips for the first-time manager, that may help in their attempts to settle into a new role.

1. Take your time

If you are new to the role of manager it helps to take your time and give yourself the best opportunity to understand your new position and/or the business that you are in. If you know an experienced manager it may be of use to ask them to provide some form of formal or informal mentoring that will help you as you begin to find your feet.

2. Stay open to new ideas and feedback

Now that you are a manager you may feel that you have to be the one that comes up with all the answers. This is not the case. Speak to your team and incorporate their ideas and feedback into your day-to-day work and planning for larger projects. It is important that your teams feels like they are listened to and have your professional respect.

3. Share out the best work

We all want to feel mentally stimulated in the workplace. So make sure you are giving your team plenty of work that can get their mental juices flowing. Make sure you aren’t hoarding all the most interesting and challenging work for yourself, delegate out as fairly as possible to members of your team and give them the opportunity to prove their value to you and your organisation.

4. Remember to recognise good work

This would appear to be a no-brainer, but it is so often overlooked in the stress of the work day. Your team rely on you to acknowledge their successes, remember that a small gesture can go a long way to motivate your team.

5. Remain open to learning new skills

Nobody is ever above the need for self-improvement. Remember that as a manager you are on a continuous learning curve that will see you developing throughout your career. You should never feel like you have achieved perfection. By learning new skills you can pass your own development onto your team and also understand the rigours of the work that you are asking them to take on.

6. Adapt your time management to reflect your new role

The demands on your time will no doubt change. Whilst before your commitments may have been limited to performing your role, you are now going to need to dedicate time to a range of new tasks.

Make sure you are delegating tasks to your team, not only to keep them challenged but also to give yourself the time you need to complete your new range of tasks.

7. Always try to provide your team with the ‘big picture’ explaining their role in its realisation

Keep your team engaged and motivated by informing them (where possible) of how their work is feeding into the goals and successes of the wider organisation. Show them the value of their hard work and dedication and they will be inspired to keep delivering.

Find out more about a management and leadership course with MOL.