Navigating the Transition: Helping New Managers Manage

One of the most challenging roles in recruitment is the entry-level management position. It’s especially difficult, because the role hasn’t totally moved away from being a biller, instead it now includes a mass of responsibility and new skillsets in addition to those billing targets. Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies and support mechanisms to help facilitate this transition.?

The foundation of effective management starts with current leadership. If your current management team are not modelling the behaviours and skills expected of the new managers, then these new managers are likely to adopt bad behaviours or poor practices. This can lead to an ineffective management team that fails to bring in the results expected of them. By ensuring the current management team is performing to the best of their abilities, you provide excellent role models for new managers.?

When developing new managers, it is also important to understand the motivation behind their decisions to make the switch. In recruitment, individuals often feel limited in their current roles and are seeking new, exciting opportunities or variety in their day-to-day working. However, without fully understanding the implications of a managerial position, this transition can be challenging.?

It is crucial to understand why team members are moving into management to ensure you are motivating them effectively. For some, the switch to management may stem from a wish to reduce their billing responsibilities. This can then complicate matters when it comes to maintaining their pre-management billing performance whilst they develop personally and professionally as managers.?

In addition to understanding these motivations, new managers must also fully understand the whys and wherefores of their role. Sure, they’ll know what the day-to-day tasks are, but they need to grasp the broader purpose and how the role fits into the overall business strategy. The role goes beyond running morning meetings, issuing KPIs, or monitoring attendance, managers should be exploring the capabilities and potential of their team members. A lack of clarity about the depth and scope of their role can significantly impact their effectiveness and the overall team performance.??

Once new managers have slotted into their roles, it’s important that they are developed and measured. However, evaluating a manager’s capability solely based on the team’s billing performance can be misleading. Some teams may have naturally high-performing billers, or strong markets or house accounts. Alternatively, good managers might struggle to generate results if their team are facing specific challenges. By implementing non-billing related assessments, you can see clearly whether managers are fulfilling their roles effectively. This comprehensive evaluation helps identify areas for develop to support managers in their growth.?

Junior managers need to shift their mindset from solving problems within their own area to addressing issues on a broader scale. While it might be tempting to give them the answers, it’s important to encourage them to generate ideas independently. This approach fosters commercial awareness and problem-solving skills within the team. Overall, the goal is to develop a junior management team capable of succession planning, that allows senior managers and directors to focus more on strategy, rather than dealing with the day-to-day problem solving.?

Transitioning into a management role in recruitment bring a unique, complex set of challenges. By ensuring current managers are good role models, senior managers understand the motivations behind movements to management, clarifying expectations, using comprehensive measures for development, and fostering a culture of autonomy and accountability, new managers can be fully supported in their transition.?