Management Aibu?

[honeycookies]

I’m going to be a first time manager at 26 - any advice on how to approach this and how to moderate my expectations? I don’t think much training will exist. It’s a civil service role.

I’ve always been a high performer that tends to do more than others, aibu to expect the people I manage to perform as well as I do/did? How would I know what’s an unreasonable ask or not? As ultimately some aspects may be out of my control and unpopular decisions may have to go ahead.

as a manager, what’s your thought process when deciding whether to raise something or let it slide? Eg someone logging on a few minutes late, would you mention it or ignore?

how do you bridge the gap between being kind and being respected? I don’t want to be mean to anyone - I want to be supportive without taken advantage of and not sure how to create a good boundary.

Agree with this but its not unreasonable to benchmark to those of same experience including standards set by you and your colleagues in the past.

At 26 you don't have much experience to go on. If no role models ASK for a supporter at a more senior grade to coach and advise you.

Obviously no swearing and screaming at people is a given.

Don't expect people to be as motivated or proactive as you.

Do check in with people. Tell them you have no wish to micromanage but until you both get used to the dynamic then you will provide more support with the intention of easing off and empowering them towards a greater degree of independence.

Set deadlines, Tell people how long you expect things to take, ask where promised things are if not supplied, be understanding when it is possible, leniency at all times except when you need something done quickly. Make it clear that as long as things get done you're going to give leeway so that on the odd occasion you need someone to go above and beyond they are not burnt out from overperforming when it doesn't matter.

Don't expect people to read your mind.

Presumably you're still reporting to some else so take your lead from them about priorities.

Oh and you need to finely balance the pressure from higher management to deliver results against the stress levels of your team. Stand up for your team and try and be visible when you do this, your team will appreciate this and help gain their trust.

Although working remote it might be difficult to make this visible.

I ask my team to do stuff I can’t do all the time….it’s not my job to do their job and they can do it so much better than I can - and in plenty of places I wouldn’t even know where to start.

I focus on the outcome NOT the output. So it doesn’t matter how/what they do as long as it’s the right outcome.

I think a mentor sounds like a great idea. It’s a shame some companies don’t give training to new/young managers - I almost feel like I need to wing it. Everyone starts from somewhere and I wouldn’t mind being given a bit more direction to help me succeed. Luckily I have my degree and am leading a field of my expertise so I have something to fall back on (though I understand it’s not about my personal performance anymore!)

Manage each situation differently. For example I had a lazy fucker on my team who needed virtually micromanaging (which I hate doing) but I got nothing out of him if I wasn't checking in, seeing where he was up to, making sure he was going to meet deadlines constantly. I had other people who I could trust with my life and wouldn't have cared if they were a few mins late as their work was everything I needed and more. Focus on what you are getting out of them, rather than which boxes they are ticking for timekeeping etc. Be flexible but firm. Set deadlines and stick to them.

Oh and ignore the comments you're getting on here saying you're not ready. You're obviously ready or you wouldn't have got the job! Everyone who manages has to start somewhere, and all you've done is ask for some advice. If you end up hating it once you're doing the job then thats something I'm sure you'll recognise and act on, rather than people on MN telling you you're not ready 🤣

@honeycookies

Think more about how to lead, encourage and get the best out of people and less about whether to tell people off for logging on to zoom late.

The first will make you a great people leader and develop a high performing team. The latter will make a micromanaging mediocrity.

Have a read of this

Rules of Management: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success amzn.eu/d/dhAbNjX

It's very readable and focuses on good l people leadership

To add I first became a manager of a team at 27. I had no experience or training either. I'm now (some years later) a chief executive.

Read books
Listen to management podcasts
Go looking for training for yourself and don't expect it just to be provided by work.
Find a mentor or coach
Join the professional body for your profession or sector

Don't ignore the critical comments but that doesn't mean you need to agree with them.

A very important part of leading people is being able to critically assess yourself, request and accept feedback, seek out improvement opportunities.

When you have a difficult conversation for example, you need to reflect afterwards:

• did you cover everything that needed to be covered
• did you respond appropriately to maintain control of the conversation and stop it getting heated
• were you and the other person able to reach a common understanding
• did you both leave knowing what the next steps would be

Being able to constructively assess yourself will allow you to develop your leadership skills.

I’m not a manager and hope I never will be (it’s not me) but I’ve had a few.

The best ones are the ones that listen and quickly react to support you in your job. They’re also friendly but boundaries

loggong on a few minutes late? Does it matter ? Is your job time critical like needing to man phones from 9am so being late will affect that? Surely you’ll notice patterns- like some people are consistently 10 minutes late then yup maybe it needs a mention- maybe there’s a reason for it? Maybe their hours need changing if they’re finding it tricky to get back from school run.

I mean if you’re a high achiever you can’t expect everyone to be the same can you? Surely performance is judged on the job role and expectations.

It's all about balance. I had a member of staff who spent most of their day on a fag break however they did twice the amount of work of their team mates every single day. Take time to get to know your team.

Don't be a dickhead. Everyone hates managers like that....

You are their manager, not their friend. Sometimes you will have to make decisions that are not popular, so it helps to remember that. You can be friendly and have good relationships but if you are asked to pick someone to fire from your team, you'll have to do so.

Not everyone can work at your pace, read the appraisals of your team. Know who is good at what so you get the best out of them.

As this is a new team, you set the expectations. What you except, how you will work etc.

Poor performance cannot be allowed to slide. It is awkward but you must tackle it head on from the outset. Find out why the issue is occurring. The person could be having personal issues that is affecting their work however you always get piss takers who will test you to see how little they can get away with. You have to strongly crack down on them.

If you have someone who works to rule, you treat them the same way. They get only the bare minimum back if they give the bare minimum to the team.