How to be a good manager

[Exposedwhoknows]

I’ve been selected to manage a team of 10 people. All men (I’m a woman) in a fairly demanding area of our manufacturing company. I’ve worked for the company for many years but until now never in a supervisory role.

Im feeling a bit nervous but excited and I want to make sure I do this right. I want to be a kind person, I want to help people succeed and ensure they have all the tools to do their jobs successfully.

I also don’t want to be taken for a ride or be a pushover. I’d like to be respected and liked as I genuinely like the team I’ll now be managing.

Any hints or tips please? I’d be so grateful for some guidance on do’s and dont’s if any seasoned managers are around

Did you know that Linked in have some excellent free learning modules, videos and TED talks you can watch?

Gosh that’s a big question!
I’d say always act with integrity and honesty, people can tell if you lie/skive - lead by example in this area.
be a ‘friendly colleague’ not a friend.
don’t be friends on social media with anyone through work.
keep personal and work life fairly separated. A pleasant greeting/brief exchange after the weekend is good, over sharing all your problems is not good.
be consistent with everyone guard against anything that might be perceived as favouritism.

Treat everyone the same.
Have no favourites.
Good communication.
Make notes of every conversation you have as a 121.
You are their manager not their friend.
Don't suffer from imposter syndrome.

Acas have some free online learning modules on managing people etc. They may also be useful.

@onepieceoflollipop excellent advice!

Get a coach, especially if you used to work within the team that you will now lead. Really helpful for practicing difficult conversations.
Dont feel you need to explain yourself eg your availability.
Give in the moment feedback - both positive and developmental.
If possible / appropriate spend some time with your team members 121 when they are on the job eg in meetings or doing their role.
Dont be upset if you get left out of some of the social stuff now. Makes it easier anyway to have a little bit more distance.

Also never moan to your team about the Company, moan up to your boss or to peers.

There's a website 'ask a manager' which has good advice.

Think about your past managers good and bad - note their best & worst traits. Adopt the best ones and avoid the worst.

Other people have already covered the big ones (no favourites, good communication etc).

Know your processes
know your people
Don’t have favourites- or if you do don’t make it obvious

Definitely lead by example. You need to demonstrate you're a hard worker who's competent and not afraid to roll their sleeves up if needs be. I think weak managers lack self-confidence and will pull rank as a result of being fragile. It's important to treat everyone with equal respect whatever their position in an organisation. Good luck!🍀

Very tiny bit of advice but keep your head still when you speak and listen. Women have a habit of bobbing their heads to one side to empathise and it comes across as soft/nervy/indecisive.

What? I've noticed this happening. Certainly not in my workplace.

@halfgirlhalfturnip
thank you
I learnt from my many mistakes, I also learned about keeping my mouth shut quite a lot

Learn your company policies and how they tie into the legal requirements, holidays, sick pay, breaks, disciplinary procedures etc.
Don't tell an ex union rep that staff working 5hrs are entitled to a 10min break. It makes you look like an idiot and loses respect.

Listen to your team. If someone has a skill or talent then enable them to develop it. Don't ignore them and the advice they offer and do the task yourself (because it's very important management that have to set it up) badly meaning that they get frustrated when implementing it as it's been over complicated and badly thought out.

Talk to your team in advance of implementing changes, ask if they've been tried like that before, what worked, what didn't. Ask what they need you to do to help them.

Be honest, respectful and trustworthy in your dealings with staff. Remember that respect goes two ways.

Sorry I've NOT noticed this.

Do not micromanage.

It might be worth looking at the Institute of leadership and management (ILM). They have a great learning resource scheme that covers all aspects of management. I'm an experienced manager but I've been enjoying doing their accreditation scheme. I'm not sure it's 'worth' anything but I think it's a great learning resource and shows an enthusiasm.

Absolutely as pp said be familiar with policies.
in my role I have an HR advisor who is available to guide for example with sickness management, disciplinary or other HR issues, I’ve learned a lot from her.

Definitely agree with being friendly but not their friend. I made this mistake a few times as a young manager and wanting to be liked but it then makes difficult conversations even more difficult.
The best ever manager was one who I knew had my back. In front of more senior people in the business, he would always defend the team and take the fallout for any mistakes that had been made. I always felt that he was looking out for me and would go out of his way to help me. On the flip side, my boss after him was selfish and self-centred and had no issues with throwing anyone under the bus to make himself look good.

Also when I first became a manager someone told me to be reliable and not to reschedule 121s unless I really had to and it’s so true. My current boss reschedules most weeks or skips entirely and I don’t feel particularly supported or like he’s bothered by what me and my team are doing.

the best manager i had, in team meetings, at the end instead of just saying has anyone else got anything else to say, she would go round the room and ask each person by name. i found this respectful and affirming; it encouraged the less confident and junior roles to feel included and valued.

"Why can't women be more like men"

No not at all and there is definitely a place for empathy of course with managers. But head tilting comes across as indecisive and while not every single woman does this, and not every man doesn’t, it’s worth being aware of. In my opinion. Other suggestions below.

www.forbes.com/2010/07/12/body-language-mistakes-women-forbes-woman-leadership-authority.html?sh=5839afa9565e

Good luck! You’ll be grand and will have been selected for a reason.

One thing that struck me is that had you not said you’re female I think it would have come across because how many new male managers would list that they want to be kind as their first priority? I’m not saying that’s wrong but maybe something to think about and the different approaches by many (not all of course) women compared to men.

Thanks all, brilliant advice.

I’ll look into the ILM course and also at some of the free resources available.

I think getting fully conversant with the company policies is a good start though, at least then everything is aligned and I can treat everyone the same based upon them.