To ask for your top tips for being a manger?

[Bixs]

I am about to start my first ever managerial position. It will be managing a team of 12 and I have previously worked along side most of them in the same team. I have the experience and the training and I’m confident I can do it but I’m just looking for any tips or advice from people around being a manager for the first time.

I’m excited but also nervous!

Lots of great tips here. It is key to remember that everyone’s looking out for themselves ultimately and you should do the same. They were your friends but now you’re their boss, I’m not saying don’t be friendly but remember to keep it professional.

Yes your relationships will change, if they are true friendships then they will still exist outside work time, but while at work you need to be seen to be treating the team equally and not favouring anyone.

Take the time to really listen to what your team is saying, that doesn't mean doing everything they want, but try to hear and address their needs, and take advice from the people who are actually doing the job.

Don't go in hot and start changing things just to make your mark.

Encourage the team to take responsibility for aspects of the role, to become 'subject matter experts' or 'champions'. It lightens your load and gives the people who want extra responsibility and development opportunities a chance to shine.

Delegation is great, dumping is not. If you delegate a task then you need to confirm they have fully understood, check in with them regularly, check the work, deliver constructive and supportive feedback, then review when they have completed it that they have done a good job and are able and willing to continue.

@Mangermaid

I'm MangerMaid, can I help?

Well I'm a mystery shopper.

Organisation. Preparation. And remember, you are now their manager. Not (just) their friend. You need to do your job.

I got promoted above my team and it was hard at first. Still can be occasionally. But just be firm but fair.

Brilliant advice above - obviously some great managers on this thread (or mangers )

I also moved into management of a team of people I'd previously been the colleagues of. Be careful not to over promise or over share once your relationship with them changes.

Managing people can be exhausting some days. There has been lots of mental health issues created for people by Covid. Take all the management training you can get and take care of yourself too!

Good luck

Top tips for being a manger:

1. Only be filled with high quality straw.

1. Be at such a level that all animals high and low can eat from you.

1. Try to be located in a stable that has a non-leaking roof so your straw stays fresh and dry.

Manage: that is make sure that you have enough time to review and plan for the team, have regular meetings and allow for time to catch up on areas which need closer inspection. One of the best team leads I’ve had hardly did any of the actual tasks, just got involved in helping/ reviewing work. The person before had tasks themselves and somehow we seemed busier and more chaotic, even with seemingly more “hands” available.

Lead by example: expect diligent work by being diligent.

Judge yourself and others by actions not intentions

The extra money is compensation for the paperwork! Be yourself, just a slightly watered down version. And micromanaging is the pits.

I've recently become a manager. My top tips (some of which are what I learned from
my amazing previous manager):

• remember, you don't have to treat everyone the same. With some things yes, but with others (eg level of supervision), you don't. This will depend on the individual. This was a revelation to me, but it's really obvious. You don't treat your experienced, top of their game, loyal, busting a gut employee in any way the same as someone who is inexperienced, new, poor performer etc.

• never, ever take direct credit for work your team member has done. It was their talent/hard work - and you should feel proud as if they were one of your children that you have brought and up and nurtured/enabled to be able to do their job well.

• small things make a big difference eg flexibility (as much as your culture and job permits)...I often suggest to people in my

team they finish early on a Friday if I know they've gone above and beyond in the week.

• a simple, well meant thank you means the world

• always find time to be available for your team. Always. Help them out if they're under pressure even if it's 'below' your job role.

• get to know them individually and care about them as people. What makes them tick, what outside pressures do they have at home, what are their career aspirations (or not!).

• act with integrity ALL the time with and between your team. They need to trust you and know you have their back. That culture will help breed trust and positive dynamics in the team. They need to know you will buffer the shit from above and not directly pass it on to them. Act like their advocate. Aspire that the team is their 'safe space' and others also have their back.

• small gifts (or even just a card and a chocolate bar given the size of your team) for things such as birthdays go a long way.

• Trust your team members until they give you reason not to, not the other way round.

There's lots more I've learned from some great bosses but those are the main ones I can think of.

Give people time to work stuff out. Of theu are doing something new ask how it's going and, specifically, what's going well and what isn't and let them talk. They often say X task is really hard because... but i think I am going to do Y to solve it.

DO NOT work on your personal time because it sets the tone to the staff and comes across as disorganised.

Be calm, have a handle on what is where. Be the calm duck even if you are frantic.

Rock gently. Don't tip the baby out

I found situational leadership a useful framework for style flex depending on the person you're managing.

Some things like transparency and fairness are a given but others aren't one size fits all.

Always say thank you. It goes a long way.

Be fair and consistent

Your peer group changes. Find your support for that if it was previously in your team.

Never be afraid to get stuck in and do.

Be approachable. Don’t leave things for meetings or 121s unless you have to.

Be human. You don’t have to be superhuman as a manager.

Understand your organisations policies. Be consistent in applying these, but where you can be flexible, do.

As with all things. If you look after the people everything will be easier. Even unpopular changes.

Proofread everything before you send it.

Show an interest in your team members and get to know them as individuals. Talk to them with the same respect you'd give to your CEO. Be supportive and understanding of their personal situations and be flexible when you can - there'll be times when you need them to be go the extra mile, they're far more likely to do this if you're flexible with them. Don't micro-manage, but check in regularly and help them find strategies to cope with workload if they're struggling. Give them feedback on their performance in a constructive way and recognise when they've done something really well. Ask them about their aspirations and provide opportunities for leading and development. Remember their birthdays and always remember to say thank you.

One of the things I got out of a management course is everyone is doing their best.

When I started with my current team i had a get to know you chat and asked all of them what do you love to do and what do you hate to do. It's really handy to know what people enjoy doing. People are happy when they're in flow. Yes, we all have to do things we don't like, but if work comes in and someone has said it's something they enjoy, I try to get them involved.

I always promote my team. If I'm in meetings with other leaders I'll say "Sue has a great idea on xyz". I always make a point of noting who has the ideas. If things go bad, no one is blamed. It's a learning opportunity and steps are put in place to stop it happening again. I want people to tell me when they've made a mistake, not try to hide it.

I've had a team member call me very upset about something I had done. I think it's important to acknowledge how hard it is to make that call and thank them for letting you know there's a problem so you can try to deal with it.

I've got a team of 16. I tell everyone how lucky I am to have such a fantastic team. They all take on additional work when needed, even if it's not their area of responsibility. I initially had some who were only comfortable with their own work. But the culture of the team has them putting their hand up for new things. I try not to put everything on high performers. We have twice weekly team catch ups for 1/2 hr (the team wanted this frequency). If help is needed I'll ask there who might have capacity. People always offer.

Given the size of the team, they're broken into 4 smaller teams so that there's a senior person everyone can go to. I've got so many meetings I'm hard to catch and people weren't sure who they could ask for help. They can ask anybody, but having a dedicated person has really helped.

I'd research the servant leader techniques. Its basically supporting other people
To do their job as oppose to command and control. Much more modern and works well.

Also, research the attitude ladder. Picture confrontational and aggressive at the bottom, indifference in the middle and LOVE at the top. In my first management role i went from being one of the team to the boss and i found picturing the attitude ladder when people were difficult and only focussing on moving along one rung at a time really helpful.

Congrats! You are asking for advice and don't think you know it all. Thats a sign of a great manager i think. Valuing others opinions.

Don't try and be friends

Know 3 personal things about each member of staff. Married, kids, hobbies etc

Regular catch ups even if it's a 15 minute cuppa once a month

Be straight, open and honest

Know what motivates people, some people like praise, others like extra responsibility, others are motivated by money

Don't micromanage, why pay someone big bucks if you don't trust them to do the job properly

Proofread everything before you send it

Very wise advice

Say little, listen to everything, don't change anything too soon.

Thank you for all the replies. They’re all really helpful and you’ve given me some really good pointers.

Sorry I disappeared and didn’t come back to the thread last night. Ds started with an upset tummy.

Remember that your team are their own people with their own development goals and career aspirations and be supportive of those.
I had a manager who was really protective of work/projects coming through and would keep what would look good for her and give me the shit stuff. So I never had the opportunity to own anything and demonstrate improvement. When I changed teams to get new experience she then made me feel guilty for that.

My new manager was absolutely amazing and made efforts to give me work that helped me grow, and develop areas I was less confident in, and get exposure across the business. A couple of years later I felt comfortable enough to be honest and say I wanted to leave to try something new and she actually asked what I was interested in doing or applying for so that she could give me work that would reflect that well on my CV. (appreciate this might not be possible for 12 people though! in both cases it was just me and manager)

Have a think about your best and worst managers.
Situational leadership as someone posted up thread is brilliant.
Ask people how they like being managed and communicated with. Don’t assume. Doesn’t mean you have to do exactly what they want, but gives you more awareness if they like an email to ponder over of a chat over the phone if there’s big news.
Encourage people to develop themselves.

Don't eat lunch with the people you manage
Don't micromanage
Don't entertain silliness
Be blunt
Keep meetings on point
See the whole employee, not just a single request /incident. I. E don't lose a good worker because they want to adjust their working hours by 5 mins (happened to me)

Only adding on to great advice already given:

1. Trust but verify. Don’t take what a subordinate has said and run with it up chain unless you’ve first verified that what they have told you is both accurate and complete.

2. Know and communicate your priorities to your team, because if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. And when a manager is pressuring for everything to be done as an urgent matter, this creates unnecessary stress. You owe it to your team to tell them the relative priorities of their tasks.

3. Know when your teams plate is full and no added workload can be pushed on to them. You then have to tell your upper management “no” without actually saying no- the way you do this is by deciding that if you add y to the team workload, then x is what you recommend fall off the plate/not get done/be deferred.

4. Don’t make promises you cannot keep. Upper management will sometimes present you with mission impossibles. Be the technical expert who can say exactly how long and how many people you need to do a project at a reasonable pace, and if at a fast pace how much extra budget you need to fund their overtime.