Nine Pieces of Wisdom for the First-Time People Managers

Stepping into a role as a first-time people manager can be both exhilarating and daunting. While it represents a significant milestone in one's career, it also comes with a unique set of challenges and fears. One of the biggest fears for first-time managers is becoming a mediocre manager.

Identifying mediocre managers is straightforward. They resemble blindfolded locomotive engineers, unwittingly steering their teams toward disaster. Eventually, team members sense the impending danger. To protect themselves, they choose to leap from the speeding train, regardless of its velocity or the hazards along the way.

Here are nine pieces of wisdom for the first-time people managers to avoid being blindfolded:

Thou Shalt Not Be Perpetually Firefighting: Habitually reacting to situations urgently and without a strategy, moving from one crisis to the next, is a BIG NO. This approach hinders the team's ability to plan, learn, grow, and achieve long-term objectives.

Thou Shalt Not Be Roadblocking: Managers should not hinder their team members' professional growth and career advancement, preventing them from acquiring new skills or contributing effectively to the organization's success. This could be a change in project or role that they wish to play or an additional assignment that they want to be involved in.

Thou Shalt Not Be Counterfeiting: Mediocre managers conceal uncomfortable truths from their team members to avoid conflict, providing answers they believe are wanted rather than the honesty their team members need and deserve. It is only natural to be uncomfortable with having difficult conversations with team members, such as addressing performance issues or resolving conflicts. Learning how to manage conflict constructively is a critical skill for new managers to develop.

Thou Shalt Not Be Ghosting: Terrible managers abandon their people, especially during crises, deflecting accountability and responsibility elsewhere and leaving their team members feeling deserted.

Thou Shalt Not Be Squirrelling: Managers should not withhold or selectively share information, failing to meet their team members' needs for transparency. While it is also important to toe a line at what level, what kind of information should go is an art of people management.

Thou Shalt Not Be Trivializing Achievements: Managers should recognize, appreciate, and express gratitude for their team's efforts, ensuring team members feel valued and appreciated. Failing to appreciate results in many setbacks, the most important one being a negative organizational culture. This can create a vicious cycle where low morale and poor performance feed into each other, leading to further dissatisfaction and disengagement.

Thou Shalt Not Dehumanize: Managers should consider their employees' well-being, avoiding behaviors like gossiping, yelling, or overworking that treat them more like machines than human beings. Should also avoid being rude or disrespectful in communication and playing favorites.

Thou Shalt Not Be Bullying: Managers should not misuse their authority to bully, control, and manipulate processes and outcomes, offering little autonomy or flexibility to their team members.

Thou Shalt Not Be Standing Over Someone's Shoulder: Poor managers excessively involve themselves in their team members' work, stifling creativity and innovation.

?Stepping into the role of a first-time people manager is a significant milestone with unique challenges and fears. By embracing nine key principles, first-time managers can navigate their new role with confidence and skill, building strong, motivated teams. With dedication to continuous improvement, first-time managers can avoid pitfalls, promote team success, and foster a positive work environment.

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