3 Research-Backed Ways to Help Your First-Time Managers Succeed
Based on our decades of research and experience developing first-level managers, we suggest 3 key things to increase their chances of success:
1. Clarify the challenges of shifting from individual contributor to manager and acknowledge their reality.
Help new managers to anticipate challenges and understand?that?the learning curve is natural. Being?the boss of people who were your peers is often a difficult change. Leading?a team, engaging, motivating and coaching others, building relationships, and finding constructive responses to conflict are among the specific challenges that new managers face.?
Many first-time managers feel alone as if?they’re?the only ones to struggle with taking on a management role.?They?are probably too self-conscious to admit?they’re?having a hard time in fear that it?would prove they?didn’t?deserve the promotion.
When new managers attend our programs for developing new leaders, they often tell us?they’re?surprised — and relieved — to learn that the issues?they have been facing are?common and that their peers face many of the same problems.
Developing new leaders means helping them make an identity shift?away from the mindset that success is all about their contributions. The?new reality is that their success is about working with and through?others. Communicate?with new managers and give them feedback on how?they’re?doing. Let?them know?they’re?doing important work and give them?formal recognition when they do well.
This type of support does make a difference: Our research shows that when people feel supported,?they are?less likely to want to leave?and have higher job satisfaction and commitment. Providing?organizational scaffolding?and boss support is critical.
2. Provide new managers with knowledge and practical tools, tailoring development to specific areas of need.
You want to develop leaders, not just bosses,?so helping new managers understand the new mindset and?behaviours?they need in their role is essential. Training?specifically tailored to the challenges of first-level management can help. New?managers may know they need to communicate or give feedback to direct reports — but what?they’re?doing may not be working. Trying?new approaches rather than relying on what seems most?obvious?or easy is the only way to change and improve.
When you provide access to leadership development to your first-time leaders (whether in-house or through external partners), be sure the content is relevant to them and not generic.
Developing new managers also means equipping them with a clear picture of their current leadership style, strengths, and weaknesses. We?believe that one of the?key?principles to help accelerate leader development is being deliberate about providing experiences tailored to an?individual’s?most pressing development needs. So, help new managers develop?key leadership competencies?needed to succeed — especially the skills that frontline managers need?— and consider providing access to 360 feedback to increase self-awareness (but ensure they approach their assessment data in the right way?to make a real and lasting impact.)
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3. Create continuity in learning, helping new managers go beyond the Aha! moment in a one-off training.
We are always looking for ways to improve learning transfer?— the ability to put what?is learned?to use. In?our programs for developing new leaders, content and activities?are tied?to real-life needs and valuable skills. We?also use processes like goal-setting and action planning, follow-up coaching, online resources, and accountability partners to grow and maintain learning over time.
To further support and develop new managers, consider providing access to ongoing executive coaching and mentoring programs and ensure new leaders have a boss?who is?capable of holding coaching conversations and offering feedback and development.
Create learning networks for first-time managers?to further sustain learning.?Consider?setting up a formal program to create opportunities for first-level managers to share stories of success or failure, talk about what they have learned from experience, and?be a support system for?one another.
If?there is a cadre of willing mentors to support new managers,?great. But?even if there?isn’t?a formal mentoring program?set up, simply giving time and space for these new leaders to get together and act as peer mentors for each other can go a long way in making them feel supported and valued by the organization.
Developing New Leaders Requires Intentional Effort
One last point:?Improving the calibre of leadership on your?organization’s?front lines requires?commitment and intentional effort. First-level?managers are likely your?organization’s?largest population of leaders,?and they lead?a majority of people in your organization.
Don’t?set them up for failure — make sure?you’re being intentional about?developing new managers into true leaders.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Help your organization in developing new leaders. Whether you’re?looking for new manager training or executive leadership development, we offer a range of research-based programs and solutions to fit your unique context. Contact?us to discuss our leadership programs — from turnkey, scalable virtual courses to co-creating customized learning journeys for your leaders — and?let’s?explore what would best meet your organization’s needs.