Becoming a first-time manager is something that is exciting and, at the same time, nerve-wrecking. The feeling of being responsible for a team’s performance, the increased pressure on decision-making, the new role of understanding team dynamics and allotting work accordingly. It’s something we yearn for, and yet, when the day comes, it can give you goosebumps.
However, it’s also a stepping stone in one’s career and the sooner the day comes, the better. Keeping this in mind, our Saransh staffing experts are here to provide you with guidance as to how you can grow in your role as a first-time manager. These few simple points can help you to avoid making mistakes and to build a good rapport with your team.
In short, there are 5 things that you need to take care of, as a first-time manager. Those are as follows:
Build a bond with your team members
There is a difference between bonding with a colleague, and bonding as a manager. The communication in the latter case is more about delivering a message that you, as a manager, have your team’s best interest in mind. It is about understanding each member’s strengths and weaknesses. It is about knowing their capabilities, and then giving them opportunities to excel in those. So, as a first-time manager, you have to build a strong communication bond with the team and assure them of your capabilities to lead them.
Set the tone of expectations
There are friendly managers, there are strict managers, there are managers who participate and there are managers who simply just monitor their team’s work. As a first-time manager, you have to set the tone of how you want to be perceived by your team. It’s better to be transparent with the team about your expectations from them, rather than to project one thought and then behaving in another manner.
Assess your team dynamics
Apart form assessing individual members of your new team, as a manager, it is also important to understand the group dynamics. Who works better with whom, how the team hierarchy is, what motivates the team to perform better. These are internal assessments that need to be constantly done by a manager.
Take ownership as a leader
As a manager, your team looks up to you as their safety net. For them, you will be someone who they can reach out to, in case of any problem in work. If you can give this confidence to your tea, right from the beginning, then they are able to give their best. Another form of ownership is taking every decision based on what’s best for the team. Giving up on personal convenience to maybe provide comfort for team members.
Set boundaries
The most important part, yet probably the most difficult part as a new manager, is to set boundaries with your team members. You want to be friendly, but not too friendly. As a first-time manager, the team may tend to have a rather casual approach. It is best to set boundaries right from the start, as to when it’s okay to be friendly and when they need to maintain the seniority. This will help in a more balanced work environment, as well as make performance reviews and official meetups more professional.
Being a new manager is really exciting. It’s all about exploring new potentials and motivating your team. It’s the step where you stop focusing on yourself as an employee and enter the leadership role. The earlier you can achieve this feat, the more you are able to boost your career. If you feel you are up for your first managerial role, or feel you want to look for newer opportunities, you can simply share your resume with us at info@saranshinc.com and we can help you find a good opportunity.