Setting New Managers Up for Success

An ongoing thing I've heard and seen in recent years is the gap in #management and #leadership capability in #SMB and the stress and pressure this puts on owners and senior leadership. This can often stem from unclear expectations and direction, with a lack of support around the transition into those new responsibilities.

Are you looking at promoting or building this capability internally? Here's some things you can try to make the transition smoother if you haven't already.

• Create clarity and make sure they understand their role and what is expected of them. How regular they should catch up with their team, the preferred formats, why we do things certain ways, where their responsibility and decision making power starts and ends.
• What does good look like? How are we measuring success for them and for their team? Being clear on this and the "why" behind it, if they've moved from a tactical/task based role to management and now need to be more operational, systematic or strategic, they may have trouble seeing or understanding the big picture.
• Promote the need for feedback, not just between the team and them, but also between you and the new manager. Listen to what they say and consider that their experience is much closer to the ground than yours is likely to be. Their role is to manage the details and your role is to manage the big picture, make sure there's alignment between both.
• Be aware that they may have trouble dropping their old hats, particularly if it's an internal promotion and they have previous functions they were good at and feel comfortable with. In times of stress and chaos, they might fall back to these previous functions which plugs a gap for the short term but won't help theirs or your long term success. Keep them on track and support them in saying no when it's not in their or the company's best interest, even when it is to you.
• Be aware you may also have trouble dropping your old hats, and if so, this can contribute to the new manager not feeling empowered to perform what is expected of them. Consider if you need to jump in before doing so.
• They need to continually develop and learn. Whether that is training or mentorship by you, someone else in the business or an external provider. Coaching, mentoring, training, courses and certifications are all things everyone should have, especially new managers and people in new and challenging roles.
• Regularly check in with them, how much will depend on the challenge, learning curve and your own availability. Provide an ear to bounce ideas off, validate information and provide feedback on whether they are meeting your vision of success, if they aren't, provide constructive suggestions on what they could do to improve. Listen to their challenges and let them know that because they have identified and will overcome them, they are opportunities and signs of growth.

What are some other things you'd add to this list? If you're a manager today, what are some things you would have liked to have had when transitioning into that new role?