Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydorn
Assuming you haven’t already, start reading up on leadership, and if you can find a mentor (someone who’s already leading teams) and set up some regular coffee chats.
I informally stepped into management almost a year ago, and more formally in the last quarter, but prior to either of those I was reading leadership books, blogs, and as I said above meeting with a manager within our org (not that I report to) on a monthly basis to discuss the challenges and approaches to consider at each stage of my transition.
A few pieces that helped me:
The Effective Manager, by Mark Horstman
Mark really pushes for the value of regular 1:1s with your team, and giving effective feedback. While I don’t agree with everything he recommends (his hiring advise is bit too black/white for my taste) overall he provides a great framework for leading teams and having workplace conversations.
https://www.askamanager.org/
I follow this account on twitter, but it often links back to the blog, they regularly post questions from employees & managers about workplace conflict, and do a great job of providing an outside perspective.
Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott
Firstly off, this is a bit of a dry read so don’t go in expecting a light summer breeze… read it on company time if you can. But Kim’s focus is very much on the qualitative side of communication with your people, good conversations, tough conversations, focusing on the intent & outcomes you need, much less so than beating around the bush. She’s in no way advocating that you rule like a jerk with an iron fist, but she does a good job of illuminating the real harm caused by not seeing the whole picture, or worst not making a decision.
I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but I found immersing myself in training materials from a number of different sources gave me a broad perspective on where my skills where lacking, and the adjustments I need to be making as I shift from individual contributor roles. |
All great advice. I can't believe the number of managers that don't have regular one / ones with their employees.
My job would be a lot easier if the managers I support all read the same resources you do.
Set clear expectations. Reward people when they do a good job. Hold them accountable if they don't meet expectations. They didn't know what the expectations were? That's your job.
It's not rocket science, but it will require difficult conversations.
That said, your job as a manager is generally to support your people as well. Help them succeed and understand what they're supposed to be doing. Ask them what they need from you. Help them understand the bigger picture.
Remove obstacles for them. In some ways you're the blocker.
Keep in mind that different employees will need different things and will have different communication preferences or work styles. I like the Situational Leadership model, but there's lots of different coaching and leadership models you can look up. It's kind of common sense, but consider that new hires are going to need different kinds of support than the individual contributor that's been doing the job for 10 years and knows everything.
Oh yeah, and congrats!