Skills for New Managers
Question: You’ve been talking a great deal about challenges and responsibilities for new managers. What are one or two skills that a new manager needs to develop quickly, and how can they go about doing this?
Response: One of the things that is particularly hard for a new manager to do is give up favorite tasks and projects—those things they were good at doing. To be an effective manager, however, you can’t keep doing everyone else’s jobs. Delegation is the number one management skill, and not learning how to delegate can derail your career.
As you get comfortable letting go of your pet projects, you may have to teach a staff member how to do it. But if you do that right, you’ll likely have to do it only once. You may be surprised. They may do it better than you.
You may be thinking, that’s easy to say. Here are some pointers that might help:
Think carefully about which staff member is right for each task or assignment, focusing on skills, strengths and weaknesses. It’s a good exercise in staff assessment.
Once you’ve chosen someone, describe the task, the timeline and the expected outcome. Check for clarity and stress they can come to you at any time for answers or guidance
Be clear about how success will be measured, making sure you and your staff member agree that it’s attainable and realistic. Don’t forget to provide context—the why as well as the how.
Delegating frees up your time to work on strategic items and develops your employees’ skills.
Time management is another challenge, and here are some techniques to help:
Keep track of how you spend your time so you can assess how you are best using it.
Create a to-do list, keep it visible and cross off tasks as you complete them. It will give you a sense of accomplishment.
Prioritize the tasks so you know you are spending your time on the important ones, like tending to your clients and employees.
Keep your workspace neat and tidy so you don’t waste time looking for things.
Try setting up a schedule or a routine, such as a set time for answering the majority of your emails or returning calls.
Manage distractions and interruptions. Not every email, call, or drop by requires your immediate attention. Don’t all your time to be hijacked by others.
Don’t put things off or procrastinate. If you have a large project, put aside some time each day to work on it incrementally rather than all at once.
Don’t take on too much and learn to say no, even to your boss. As you offer an explanation to your boss and others, and consider alternatives, such as sending someone to attend a meeting in your place.
Guarding your time and making the best use of it is the best thing you can do as a manager and a leader.
The Manager’s Answer Book contains more information about building management skills. A good companion is The Decisive Manager, Even though Boss’s Day has past, you may still want to check out these resources.