Management Aibu?

Being good at your job doesn’t mean you’ll be a good manager it’s a different ball game all together
fairness ,respect and common sense go a long way
people skills are key

I have been in your position.

1. start as you mean to go on. If you have high standards stick to them. If you are supportive and be clear you want them to excel and that mistakes are ok as long as you know asap. You support them through rectifying any issues.

2. My ExH very helpfully told me, when I was manning about a very junior colleague to manage my expectations, so that they meet the role salary rather how I would do the job.

Good luck. Eventually my experience led to a great career, salary and life.

There is no 'gap' between being kind and being respected. Quite the opposite. You can be firm and kind. Try the book Radical Candour.

Yes, definitely don’t expect those you are managing to be able to work at the same pace as you, that will never work. Get to know your employees, learn their strengths and weaknesses and work with that.

Be positive, try not to focus on the negative. Do recognize their achievements. Obviously you have to manage the negatives but recognizing the positives helps that.

Do be willing to work and part of the team and support them as needed. That’s my style of management anyway. I’m always willing to do what any member of my team does if needed and it regularly is needed. I learn a lot from doing that, see what is really happening and the team appreciate it.

It is hard being promoted from within the team as the dynamics change and it can be a steep learning curve.

There are also loads of good books out there. There's a series of "pocketbooks" which are short and deal with conflict management, management styles etc. They're a good place to start Management Models Pocketbook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1906610037?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

First few week you will gain more from listening than talking.

Learn from the team, what are they being asked to do, what do they like, what do they dislike, what processes work, what processes don't work, are there any friction points with other teams, what is important to them, what would they like to do more of, who has the capability/will to progress....

Then build out a plan based on that information. The structure I've always used is 'Fix, Focus, Grow'.

Fix - what are your quick wins, the things that can be changed easily and quickly to bring benefit to your team and the business within the first 3 months

Focus - what are the medium term goals, these will require a little more thought, engagement from other teams but could be implemented within around 6 months

Grow - what are the bigger challenges, the ones that may need budget, approval, tech changes and so would likely be about a year in the planning.

Succession planning - you should always to aware of who in your team has the desire and the capability to develop and progress, it may not be that they could or want to be in a leadership role but they may be perfect for a different sideways role or a different upwards move into a more specialist field. This benefits you because at some point you may want to progress and having a second in command makes that easier. It also means that you are keeping your team members engaged and interested. Delegate to them (if you are unsure how to delegate look it up, there are loads of free courses online), give them opportunities to shadow you or other colleagues, consider mentor/buddy schemes, provide opportunities to gain experience that they can use in interview examples or to decide if they really like doing the role.

Praise and celebrate achievements - it can be easy to become hyper focused on negative behaviours but you need to make sure you are giving immediate praise and positive feedback when you see things being down well too.

Manage poor behaviour and underperformance - set objectives related to key activities, job descriptions, behaviour and personal development goals. Make them SMART, review them regularly and if underperforming address it immediately. Initially it should be as feedback, if the feedback doesn't produce improvement follow the formal improvement process. Be consistent and fair.

The best things I've learnt are treat each person as an individual. People have different needs and motivations and they need different management approaches. Understanding motivations is key to getting people on side. Be compassionate. Personally I let the small stuff slide. As long as people perform I don't care if they're a bit late or whatever. I don't enforce rules unless there is an issue with performance or attitude generally. You probably will have challenging staff at some point in your career, but if you can all pull in the same direction as a team I think that's worth a lot, and justifies being pretty relaxed about policies.

Oh, and yes: you're very likely to be unreasonable if you expect everyone to be as excellent as you are at the job you've just been promoted from.

You really need training. You sound absolutely clueless and are likely to be in for a rough time if you don't put yourself in the way of some learning.

Read a couple of management books. Book yourself on whatever new managers courses you can find (don't have to be Civil Service and honestly it will be worth putting a small amount of your own money into this).

Book-wise I recommend How To Win Friends And Influence People. An old one but full of excellent advice.

Notice what others do. What works for them may not work for you, but try out a few things that you admire and see how they go. Ask your manager for pointers; even if they aren't the world's most amazing manager - and most people aren't - they will still have something to offer.

I think one of the best tips I ever received, was never ask your staff to do something you wouldn't do yourself. With older people I found that you need to show respect for their life experience, and if they need to learn something new, then don't make them look, or feel foolish in front of younger staff, and be patient, as it does take a bit longer to take things on board as you get older. With regard to people taking advantage, ie, logging on late, etc. I would let them know that you've noticed, and ask if there is a problem. If they come up with some lame excuse, then tell them you will be monitoring them, as it isn't acceptable, and make sure you do it, with appropriate warnings, if necessary. The best job I ever had, was one where it was give and take. I don't know what your particular role is, but if for example work was slow, during the summer months, once we'd done all that needed to be done that day, our boss would allow one of us out of 4 to go home early, we took it in turns. Then in the winter, when things got busy again, no one objected if we were asked to stay on a bit. So treat your staff fairly, is absolutely THE most important thing as far as I was concerned, but take no nonsense. Good luck in your new role OP.

Spend time listening and building a relationship of trust and respect with your colleagues/subordinates. Remember, If they look good, you look good. Don’t judge everyone by your own standards- they may have a different skill set and experience to you and often that is ok and sometimes desirable in a team.

realise that as a manager you are managing but you are also being managed so you will feel pressure and tension from both directions. you need to learn how to manage up as well as down within your organisation. Your job will now be less about your own personal achievements and more about how you manage others to do a good job.

congratulations on your promotion. You will learn a lot in the next few years and it sounds like you will be great as you are already reflecting on your own approach. My key leadership advise is “don’t be a dick” and “keep your powder dry” (meaning don’t let others see your frustrations/anger when things don’t go your way., remain professional at all times)

Good luck!

Following with interest, I'm a manager of a team who are all older and have more life/experience of the job than me!