I was a new manager once. I think it was back in Pleistocene Era, though it may have been the Mesozoic. But one thing I do remember: It was a jungle out there. I didn't have any training - why would I need it, doesn't everyone instinctively know how to manage people?- and I quickly made a couple thousand mistakes. Or maybe it was a just couple hundred and seemed like a couple thousand - it was a long time ago.
Groping for answers well before they were available at the click of a mouse, I read books. In the first month I read The One Minute Manager, a autobiography of Lee Iacocca, and In Search of Excellence. They were all excellent, but they didn't help me with my day-to-day, in-the-trenches problems. So I blundered along, learning the hard way, through trial and error.
In that spirit, here are five things I wish I'd known then... five basic but important things new managers need to know.
Set a tone of authority but don't come on too strong - Management is all about balance. You need people to listen to you, but there's also a natural tendency initially to be over-assertive with new-found power. This can be especially dicey when you're newly elevated to the role and managing former peers. Resentment grows easily in such a fertile climate.
You can't be everyone's friend - This is the other side of the "balance" equation. There's an equally natural tendency to want to be liked (too much) in this new role. But you can't be a friend in the same collegial way you used to - at least not if you hope to exert control when you have to and take effective corrective action. Respect, not friendship, is ultimately what's needed.
Clear employee objectives can be your best friend - This is what Ken Blanchard was trying to tell me in The One Minute Manager, but it took me years to fully understand. Spend all the time you need working with your employees (and your own management) to be sure your employees' objectives are, as an old friend of mine used to say, "clear as a mountain crick." Objectives that are clear, measurable and agreed-upon will be your valuable and steadfast ally in the months ahead. When conflicts and uncertainties arise, as they most certainly will, it's great to have carefully thought-out objectives to guide you. That way, it's not your subjective opinion, or someone else's - it's a clear, authoritative document. They're not named objectives for nothing.
Create an environment of open communication, where speaking up is OK - This may sound overly basic, but as most people who've worked for a while can attest, it's not always the case. Openness breeds trust, and trust breeds engagement, and the tone you set at the outset will be crucial to how your employees relate and respond. Again, you want balance. It's not license for chaos - you're the boss. But an environment in which people feel free to speak their minds is generally one they'll enjoy working in... plus it will foster ideas and innovation.
Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, which will probably be often - Management is complex; don't let anyone tell you it's not. If it weren't, you wouldn't have national employee disengagement rates of 70% with annual lost productivity over $450 billion (according to the latest Gallup study of 350,000+ employees). Given that backdrop, it's evident that management is inherently challenging and everyone has problems... so why wouldn't you when you're just starting out? Fortunately, there are many sources to turn to when sticky situations arise: your own manager (ideally), a trusted mentor (if you're lucky enough to have one), other veteran managers you respect, or your own Human Resources operation, which often has individuals or departments designed to provide such support. Good managers are extremely willing to help others who seek their counsel. Go for it.
No one ever said management was a walk in the park. It's not. (Or maybe Jurassic Park - ample jungle around!)
There's always more to learn. But these five suggestions would have helped get me started. Or at least pointed in the right managerial direction.
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Victor is author of The Type B Manager: Leading Successfully in a Type A World (Prentice Hall Press).
