Taking on a new technical manager role often brings added challenges, such as earning the team’s trust and proving your credibility. Whether promoted internally or hired externally, you may encounter scepticism about your leadership capabilities, making it essential to establish yourself early on.
- Team members may perceive the new manager as lacking familiarity with established workflows, company culture, or technical challenges.
- Employees who expected internal promotion might feel overlooked or undervalued.
- As a new manager, you may need to invest significant effort in building trust and rapport with the team.
- Teams may resist changes a new manager introduces, particularly if they believe the existing system is already effective.
What should be effective strategies to address these challenges?
- Begin by openly acknowledging that there is a challenge within the team that needs to be addressed. Recognize the importance of understanding the team’s dynamics and committing to the learning process
- Resist the urge to make quick, large-scale changes. Instead, invest time in understanding the team’s existing workflows, successes, and areas for improvement. If you feel the pace is too fast, slow down and communicate the need for thoughtful changes.
- Identify influential team members and build relationships with them. Get to know their strengths, challenges, and aspirations. Involve them in decision-making to foster alignment, collaboration, and buy-in.
- Address any feelings of being overlooked by publicly recognizing the value each team member brings to the table. Acknowledge their technical expertise and past contributions. Additionally, help team members align their work with their career goals.
- Hold one-on-one meetings to understand team members’ aspirations and address any disappointment about missed promotions or recognition. Work with leadership to understand any underlying concerns or behaviours.
- Identify and implement small, impactful improvements that showcase your ability to make positive changes without disrupting established workflows. Hold regular retrospectives to assess progress and validate what’s working. Encourage the team to experiment and iterate.
- Frame your role as an opportunity to amplify the team’s strengths and help them reach new milestones while aligning efforts with business needs and company goals.
Is everything easy? No. What common pitfalls to avoid here?
- Ignoring the Past: Avoid overlooking established processes and systems without understanding their history and context.
- Don’t lean too much on your title: Relying solely on your authority instead of building trust through collaboration can hinder team dynamics.
- Neglecting difficult conversations: Failing to address resentment or concerns head-on can lead to unresolved tensions and hurt team cohesion.
