How to be a good line manager?

[naiveandrestles]

Ive just been informed Im going to be line managing 5 people from Monday. All of them are brand new staff and all of them are home workers. I think one is a school leaver! They are all remote. Technically it is in my job description but Ive never had to in my 9 years here.

I do a good job but I work in my own little bubble and unless something directly affects me, I tend to ignore it. I didnt even really realise we had new starters on Monday!

What skills should I start working on? Apart from paying more attention to stuff!

Ive tried to think about previous good managers and bad managers but Ive been somewhat indifferent to most of my managers. One was power mad (as you can tell Im not!) and one thought that people didnt like her because of her "strong management style" aka micromanaging and bullying.

So how can I be a good manager? I'm feeling out of my depth.

Hey, does your organisation/ employer have any line management training that l you could attend?

Also is there a more experienced manager you could buddy up/ be coached by yourself?

Sorry, I thought I put that in. Training is in 3 months! I could do a hell of a lot of damage in 3 months by being useless.

My manager has promised he'll make himself available whenever I need him. He is a nice guy but I dont work in the same way as him and our personalities are very different so I dont think I can copy him but he'll be able to advise.

He said I was picked because they thought I would be good and its good development. I asked him if it was true and he admitted that it was basically names out of a hat. Dont ask questions you dont want to know the answer to.

Thank you for replying.

Gosh! Ok, what training materials can you get your hands on before the course? Everything isn't theory but having theory/ policy/ guidance to support you helps.

do you have a HR dept that can offer advice too?

are there any systems you also need training on for HR records?

Also are there other managers in your wider team/ area that you can go to?

I think expecting you to manage 5 new people remotely starting on Monday is a tall order given the time since you last managed so I think be clear and manage your managers expectations about where you are at.

Listen
Communicate
Build connections

I’ve managed a little team years ago but returned to it in my current role and now manage three people and also had to manage someone out of my team back into a substantive role in another part of the business earlier this year.

They’re all bright, capable and pretty experienced in our field so the first thing I practise is a bit of humility that I don’t always have all the answers and to allow them a voice, autonomy and offer them as much visibility/profile for themselves as I can.

I had fantastic manager training where I work but the bits I have found super useful are:

Learning how to give feedback. I am very open, honest and direct (in a positive and supportive way) with my team. If I have concerns they know about it quickly, I lay out the issue with them and ask them to share their thoughts and ask them what they need from me to help them address it.

I have weekly 1:1 meetings with them, set each of them one big stretch goal and then ask them to draft two others and agree them with me so they know how I’ll measure their performance at the end of the year: one more tactical/BAU and one around their own personal development. I ask them to keep a live document in the meeting invite with stuff they want to discuss with me. It’s their time to use with me how they would like.

I also keep practising coaching questions so I’m asking open ones that invite them to think for themselves. I’m a natural protector and fixer for my team so this encourages me to not go straight to what I think and tell them.

I also have a good relationship with our HR partner and check anything with them I’m unsure about - including written communications.

Hope this helps a bit!

Set up a 1-1 with each new person and say you are their line manager and will be first point of contact for all work admin matters, calling in sick, holidays, etc, and if they have any questions or worries they can ask you any time. Their induction will also include things they have to ask LM about.

If any of my LM reports ask me something too difficult I just refer it up to my team leader or HR.

I try to be supportive rather than authoritarian as a LM and make sure people know I have their success and progress as a priority. I get good feedback but honestly just try to be genuine and human about it.

Are you also responsible for supervising their workload and outputs or is it "people management" only.

From my experience of the past 2 years develop a thick skin - people will moan all the time and sometimes you will feel its personal, work on your poker face ( try to resist doing a massive eye roll, sighing and say ffs' when they don't do their job properly. Perfect the phrase "Yes, that is your job and you do.have to do I'm afraid"

Reading with interest

Hi OP, I'm a CEO. I hope I can give some advice that I'd have like to have heard early in my career.

You're on the right path thinking about what you do and don't like in previous managers and their styles...this is a great foundation.

I decided quite early on that I never wanted someone to be too frightened to share a mistake with me as I thought that would lead to even more issues...so I based my early management style on that, being approachable and part of the team. I listened, encouraged and tried to be the manager I'd want to have.

I think one of the most important things to understand is adapting your management style to each team member. If you really want to get the best from each member of your team, ask them how they like to be managed and adapt to suit them... do they like regular check-ins and firmer boundaries or do they perform better when entrusted with more and feel they can grow within their role...don't be afraid to talk to your team and ask them what they want from you as a manager.

What are they looking for long term? Do they want to progress? If so, how can you support that? You'll lose your best team members if they don't have a route to progress (and want one!!)

Encourage upward feedback... sometimes it stings, but knowing when you're making mistakes will help you to be the best manager you can be. Your team will also appreciate you asking.

Learn!! You won't always get it right, that's ok..be honest..they know you're human..admit when you get it wrong, you'll lead by example and they'll thank you for making it acceptable to get it wrong!

Listen, truly listen...I believe that everyone should contribute to making the company the best it can be. Ego shouldn't get in the way...we truly are only as great as the sum of our parts...support the weaker links and they'll thrive too! Remember that each person is an expert in their own space and if you can utilise that expertise, your team will be incredible!!

Also this is a great video... hopefully it resonates with you...Google 'submarine management video's on youtube

Good luck OP, the fact that you're asking these questions puts you ahead of so many. :-)

Edit for typos

1. listen to your team
2. EVERYONE now has an opinion of how you do your job. It doesn’t matter what most of them think.
3. listen to your team
4. If your “door is always open”, then you’re doing it wrong - management intervention should be positive and proactive. Put time in your diary to reach out.
5. listen to your team
6. Personal credibility is key. Be honest with relevant personal disclosure. “It’s been a long time since I was asked to line manage people so I’m a bit rusty, how shall we make this work?” “I’m not sure I totally understand this decision from head office, but I’ve written to them to ask and in the meantime we’re going to be the best at delivering it”
7. listen to your team
8. “Unimportant” admin tasks like approving annual leave or processing expenses are life-changing for some people. Do them immediately.
9. listen to your team
10. read. There are amazing resources out there on leadership, and learning is like a buffet, take the bits you like, leave the bits that don’t work for you. (If reading is a drag for you, audiobooks and podcasts.)

good luck

Thanks all. Really good suggestions and Ill look at the resources.

Ive spent the weekend looking over their contracts. They are remote workers with occasional days in the office so I think first off, I need to get them all in for a day to meet each other (me) and have 1:1 chats to discuss the things raised above eg what they expect etc. I know it might be difficult to get them in but I'm hoping to take advantage of them not knowing the organisation. I'll bring cake. People like people who bring food!

Ive also read our safe guarding policies and I cant be alone with the 16 year old etc so Ill have to think how to do their 1:1. I've had remote 1:1s and they are difficult.

I have written myself a list for their first day. You're right that "admin" tasks are really important so at the top of my list is to make sure they are properly set up to get paid this month (vital!), sort leave etc.

There is some training on our systems but it tends to be about managing poor performance etc which I dont want to think aboit right now. My staff will be brilliant and Ill never need that!

Ive found out that a previous manager I got on with is now a trained coach so Ill text her tomorrow. I didnt want to bother her with work talk on the weekend but hopefully shell have the capacity to at least have a chat if she cant take me on as a coach.

As it's a completely new team, is there any budget available for a structured team day? Lunch with a suitably trained trainer to do some stuff on personality types and communication styles? Can recommend a fantastic company if you happen to be in the south west. We got them in when our senior team were going through a lot of conflict and it really helped everyone understand each other better (it was a lot more light-hearted and interesting than it sounds!) and has helped massively moving forwards

Some coaching if you can swing it would be good too - again can recommend if in the right area although think she also works remotely

I decided quite early on that I never wanted someone to be too frightened to share a mistake with me as I thought that would lead to even more issues...so I based my early management style on that, being approachable and part of the team. I listened, encouraged and tried to be the manager I'd want to have.

I completely agree with this. In my team the rule is if you mess something up, come and tell me asap and we will deal with it. If we identify a training need, great, we can address that. If it's a one off human error, fine, it happens. What you will not get is a bollocking and what you will definitely not get is a bollocking in front of other people - unfortunately I have been subject to this management style and it helps literally nobody.

I hope you are getting a pay rise too! That's part of the job evaluation where I have worked. More responsibility=more money.

Optimistically it might actually be easier for your first management foray to be with new starters purely because they won't have any existing gripes about the organisation. I inherited a team of long standing employees who all had their own issues and moans and it was fucking awful as a new people manager.

You sound like you are doing everything right, I hope it goes well for you

Optimistically it might actually be easier for your first management foray to be with new starters purely because they won't have any existing gripes about the organisation. I inherited a team of long standing employees who all had their own issues and moans and it was fucking awful as a new people manager.

You sound like you are doing everything right, I hope it goes well for you

Nice idea but not a chance! 🤣
We're right at the bottom of the food chain.

Unfortunately not. Line management is in my job description. I've just avoided it so far! 🤣

Don’t micro manage
treat them like adults with respect
agree how you will support them and how often you will check in

Agree re micromanaging. We spend a good chunk of our time each week accounting for our work to our line manager. You end up managing your manager to a large degree - what shall I tell her/not tell her, to simply make your life easier and to save time. We've all fed back to her on this at performance reviews over the years, yet she still does it.

With this, don't be overly prescriptive either - trust people to get a job done.

Understand people's motivation at work will vary - not everyone has big goals or aspirations.

I think they might actually have to train you in people management they can’t expect you to just go out and do it with no prior experience or training

There is some really good advice on this thread, Op, so I won’t repeat it.
One of the most important pieces of advice I was given was remember you are NOT “one of the boys/girls” , and you are their manager. This doesn’t mean you can be rude and authoritative, just remember that you cannot be ‘best mates’ with any of them, stay professional.

One thing an old manager once said has always stuck with me. He said never go out drinking with your team. He said the boundaries will get blurred and if something happens you'll end up being responsible or be expected to deal with it. So he'd show his face for a drink or two and then quietly leave.

I would suggest you’re very clear about all discussion. Summarise all your 1:1 in an email after each meeting so you know what you said and also confirm anything you ask them to do in writing so there’s a record and ask them to comfort their understanding is the same

Fair distribution of tasks. Make sure you do not leave some people doing a lot and others doing nothing.
Catch ups so you are aware of what they are doing and if they bump into problems, ask them how they are doing.
Being unaware of what is going on is the worst you can possibly do.