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Promoted to a Management Position. What now?

Congratulations! You've just been promoted to your first leadership position. You’re excited; this is something you’ve been working hard towards for some time. Suddenly, it dawns on you: you’re going to be responsible for managing and leading your team towards achieving your organisation’s goals. How will you do that?

Having worked as a human resources practitioner as well as a leadership coach for over 20 years with multinational and global organisations of all sizes, I can tell you I have seen my share of poor leadership and the destructive trail it leaves behind, impacting the success of the team and the organisation and not to mention the individual impact on its members.

On the flip side, I have also seen some incredible leaders in action—those who are able to confidently lead their teams to achieve great results, thrive through challenging times, and create highly engaged, driven, and genuinely happy staff. These great leaders are able to add value to their individual team members and have a genuine desire and interest in seeing them grow. Yes, believe me, it’s possible to achieve that! "How," you ask? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Let me share some tips with you that will guarantee your success as a new leader.

1.      Discuss Your New Role

A lot of new managers are so focused on achieving quick wins to prove themselves to their team, their managers, and themselves without really fully understanding the bigger picture.

First things first, spend some time with your new manager to get a clear understanding of their expectations of you and the role. Ask questions to find out what the key priorities and goals are for you and the team. Get an understanding of how the team currently functions, i.e., areas of concern, strengths, team members, and even  your predecessor's management style. Learn about what has worked well or not well in the past. History can be a great teacher.

2. Be Authentically You

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde

Don’t let that new title get to your head. Stay grounded and be authentically you. Remember, a title is just a title; after all, the CEO will get buried next to the cleaner. We are all humans doing the best we can with what we have.

Chances are you spend most, if not a lot, of your week at work, so it would be pretty exhausting to have to pretend to be someone else. Be real, be you, and bring your own unique leadership style to the table. Focus on your strengths and bring out the best in your team. Working with a leadership coach can really help you identify that.

3.  Build Strong Relationships with Your Team

“Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results.” Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha

 Ever heard the saying, "People join organisations but they leave their managers?"

Statistics show that more than half of the people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their direct manager. A strong leader makes certain that they know how and are able to balance being professional with being human. Strong leaders are those who celebrate an employee’s success, empathise with those going through hard times, and challenge people, even if it sometimes hurts.

Start by meeting with members of your team individually to get to know them better. Get an understanding of how they operate, current difficulties they may be facing, and what is working well for them personally and in the team. In addition, gain some insight into their preferred management style; after all, a great leader is someone who is able to customise their leadership and communication styles to get the best out of each individual in their team.

Another great way to build strong relationships  and rapport, in addition to the above, is to learn about and take an interest in their personal lives. What’s important to them? What do they enjoy doing? How do they de-stress after a busy day? What do they value? What drives them? There is more to life than work, but you already know that!

You, as the manager, set the acceptable team culture and behaviours. Every moment in front of your team is a moment of truth, to either show you live by the values you profess or not. Remember, it could take you years to build a great reputation and 30 seconds of bad judgment to lose it.

4. Communicate Openly and Transparently

“In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect—communication that inspires and encourages others to do their best.” Zig Ziglar

“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter.” Gilbert Amelio

The most effective way to engage your team and avoid the "us vs. them" mentality is to openly and transparently communicate. Openly share the good and the bad; that way, your team is on the same bus as you, heading towards achieving the same goals with clarity.

Now that you're a leader, you'll be more involved in planning and strategy work, and it's important to keep your team informed through regular team meetings and interactions.

Managers often underestimate the importance of transparency. Transparency can also help staff better understand their role as part of a bigger picture and, therefore, feel more connected to the organisation, their team, and you as their leader. Win-Win!

 5. Take Ownership

“In crisis management, be quick with the facts and slow with the blame.” Leonard Saffir

 So, you have made a mistake. What do you do?

There is nothing worse than a manager who deflects all responsibility or hides away from taking ownership of their actions or mistakes. Don’t be that manager; instead, be that courageous leader who can step up and take responsibility for their actions!

" The most effective way to engage your team and avoid the “us vs. them” mentality is to openly and transparently communicate. Openly share the good and the bad; that way, your team is on the same bus as you, heading towards achieving the same goals with clarity "

Just like with most new things, as you start out as a manager, there may be times when you’ll make mistakes. This may be due to inexperience, misjudgment, or just the fact that you’re human. It’s Ok!

Rest assured that you are not the first or last person to make a mistake. The only thing that will set you apart from any other manager is how you deal with it. Be quick to take ownership, but be even quicker to fix it. Openly communicate with your manager and even your team, if relevant, to assist in fixing it.

The most important step you will take is one of reflection. Spend some time reflecting on the mistakes you've made in your own learning. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. How did this happen?
2. Could this have been avoided? If so, how?
3.  What countermeasures will I put in place to avoid this happening again?
4. What have been my learnings about this mistake and about myself as a leader?

Once you’ve reflected and answered the questions above, you should now consider if this is learning that can be pro-actively shared with your whole team to help ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

6. Self-Development

Just because you have a new manager title doesn’t mean that you instantly have the skills and tools to become a great leader. It’s important that you are always developing yourself and your leadership skills. It may even be in the form of a regular reflection on your own style, what you do well, and what needs improvement, then seeking support to address those gaps. So, for example, if you are regularly getting certain feedback from your team or others in relation to an area that needs development, then take some action to address it right away.

In addition to the above, most organisations will have some support at differing levels for new managers. Speak to your HR representative to find out what training and support are available as you take on your new leadership role.

Working with your manager, mentor, or leadership coach can really help you to always be developing yourself and growing as a leader.

Lead yourself first. You can’t help others reach their highest potential until you’re in the process of reaching yours.

7. Learn from Your Role Models

Leaders attract followers because of what they stand for and how they help their team grow.

You have probably worked for or at least been exposed to several different managers in your life, so why not take on the best behaviours from each one and avoid their bad habits? As an employee, what did you want from your manager? What motivated you? What turned you off?

Modelling your management style after a manager you really looked up to and admired is a good place to start, but being yourself is what matters most. Leverage and play to your own strengths; don't be who you're not.

Another great way to learn and grow is to find a mentor who you trust and who has had success in areas that you’d like to develop. This mentor doesn’t necessarily need to be from the same department or even the same organisation, but someone who has achieved great results as a leader You can use them confidentially as a sounding board, for advice, and, of course, to learn from their experiences.

8. Recognise Your Team

“Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well.”

It’s easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with top performers who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those who work hard and give their all. Managers need to communicate with their people to find out what makes them feel good. For some, it’s a raise; for others, it’s public recognition or even a simple, sincere thank you.

It’s critical to remember that the way you recognise your team is customised according to each individual. For example, you may have a team member who would shy away from public recognition and would prefer a one-on-one private conversation instead; therefore, recognising them in the form of a general ‘Employee of the Month public style may not be the most effective way to recognise that individual.  

Words can inspire. and words can destroy. Choose yours well.

9. Be Kind to Yourself and Have Fun

Now, last but definitely not least, remember that this is a period of adjustment and change for you, a time when you will also be faced with challenges. Some are big, some are small; you may even question if leadership all together is right for you. Well, don’t! Be kind to yourself as you go through this period of change; no doubt you will learn something from every challenge you face and grow. Know and believe that this is a normal part of the process of stepping into this new role. Remember, your largest fear carries your greatest growth!

It’s really important that, through this process, you become aware of what your likely stress triggers are and work out a strategy to help you through them. How will you de-stress so that you are performing at your optimal capacity? This could be as simple as heading out of the office for a walk, reading a book, or even calling your mentor for some healthy perspective. You know yourself and what will work for you best.

Don’t underestimate the importance of self-care. Expel any negative energy into a gym or a run after, before, or even during work! Maybe even go as far as booking yourself in for a regular massage. Do whatever works for you and will ensure your success and, most importantly, your happiness!

Be courageous, confident, take educated risks, and challenge yourself and your team, ensuring that you are all growing, developing, and achieving team and personal successes. I wish you every success in your new role!

Now go forth and be the awesome, inspirational leader you know you can be!