Taking your management skills to the top: Rules for new managers

Have you been recently promoted to a management position?

Congratulations!

You have just accepted the greater responsibility that requires a different set of rules, goals, and skill.

Taking your managerial role is not always smooth sailing. You will need to inspire, lead, and motivate everyone in your team to reach the organizational goals.

Managers are usually pulled in many directions and this can be both frustrating and confusing.

Management isn’t a one-size-fits all, and the various tips for managing employees you get online shouldn’t be too.

There are important rules you need to know and this is where I come in

Having advised and helped line managers over the years on effective people management practices, I have come up with my list of 14 rules to guide you on this journey.

Though not exhaustive, the knowledge and application of these rules will help you as a new manager to cope and excel without constant recourse to your HR manager.

1.??????Understand your new role as a manager.

?The migration from the individual contribution market sets you apart from your team. Your responsibility now is to have more of an oversight function. However, it is not your job to fix all possible problems in your organization.

2.??????You are responsible for your team

You are accountable for their functions within the organization. Being mindful of gender and generational disparities, treat them with fairness and care, and discipline when required. You are accountable for their successes as well as their failures.

3.??????Coach them

As a line manager, coaching your employees is your responsibility and not for HR.?In the evolving world of work, focus more on outcomes as against time at work. Take interest in their development as they are going to be as good as the effort you have invested in them.

4.??????Learn to delegate

You can’t and shouldn’t do everything by yourself. By delegating, you empower your team, build trust and thereby promoting their professional development. It also helps you learn how to identify who is best suited to tackle tasks or projects.

5.??????Know them outside work

You can also build trust by making efforts to know your team members outside the work environment. It builds connection. Employees who feel connected to their leaders often go the extra mile for them.

6.??????Produce Voltrons (Defenders)

Build Oba and Ade tiger kind of relationship with your team (Watch the King of Boys Movie (Part 1 &2) by showing and demonstrating your care for your team. Every manager needs them (Voltrons).

7.??????Implement Consequence management

Reward and motivate your team as required. In the same vein, apply the necessary disciplinary actions as required. Both should be done timely, rationally and humanely.

8.??????Be fair to all

Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Don’t over labor the hardworking employees who can become disengaged due to over load of work. Other geese can also become gold eggs layers. Invest on the low performing ones too. Implement performance improvement measures.

9.??????Practice situational leadership

All your team members are different and have areas of strength and weaknesses. Leverage on their strengths and build on their weaknesses.

10.??????Be their role model

The team will imitate your actions and behaviors. Be mindful as a leader what you say and do before your team members. If it’s not going to motivate them, check it. If you want the team to be agile, be agile yourself.

11.??????Be their shield

Learn to be the buffer between your team and management pressure. If it’s coming hot from the top, find a way to lessen the blow.

12.??????Be approachable

Let your team feel free and comfortable to be able to ask you any question. Great ideas often come from what at times appears silly. Being approachable also leaves a large room of opportunity for you to coach for performance. Let them know that no question is stupid, it's simply someone's thought process.

13.??Co-Create with them

Involve your team members in team work decision. People take accountability for what they help to co create.

14.??Avoid snide remarks about business strategies.

If you have a contrary opinion to a business decision and you are unable to sell it to your team, don’t disparage it as that often is what the team will pick on.

Finally,

As a manager,?you have many hats to wear with leadership being the most important. If you fail to exercise the right management approach with your people, that’ll cascade into big issues.

Let me know if you found this article helpful.

What advice would you give to new managers?

Chinwe Ugo-Onyegbula is a versatile and highly motivated HR practitioner with over 15 years of broad progressive experience and in-depth understanding of multiple facets of Human Resource management encompassing Industrial and Employee relations, Business Partnering, Organizational development and Effectiveness, Training and development, Recruitment and selection, Conflict resolution, Change management and People management.

For over a decade, she has served in various leadership roles alongside senior management in a large complex organization and climbed through the ranks, leveraging her expertise in Talent management, strategy and policy development, business governance and psychology, which helped improve employee engagement level, achieve organizational and regional business objectiveness distinguished by commended performance and proven results.

She loves seeing people succeed and empowered and thrives on accountability and agility.