Making the move from team member to management is a huge step up in your career ladder and one that many employees aspire towards. And, it is a big move that involves rethinking both your approach to work, and the people who you work with. Your first management or supervisory role will not only mean a promotion and an increase in salary, but also involves coming to terms with a new set of challenges in your role. Moving up from being responsible for your own work only, to taking on the responsibility of managing a team and being responsible for their work also can be difficult to adapt to. So, we’ve put together some top tips to help prepare new or aspiring managers for the demands that they will face.
#1. Invest in Training:
Taking the time to invest in training and learning more about what is expected from a management role will pay off once you have moved up in your career. Ask your own direct line manager if there are any training opportunities at work that you can take advantage of in order to prepare you for your upcoming management role, or speak about working closely with them for a few days or weeks to learn from them directly – most workplaces will offer this as standard to any team members moving up the ranks. You might also want to consider investing in your own education alongside your job; this can also be an excellent way to prepare yourself for upcoming promotions and get yourself recognized by bosses. You could take an organizational leadership degree online while working, for example, with several study options available that you can take from the comfort of your own home.
#2. Change Your Mindset:
Typically, it’s the people who are successful in their current roles who get promoted. However, no matter how successful you were in a previous role, you’re unlikely to be successful when you move up the ranks if you are unable to change your mindset. You will need to be ready and willing to adapt your approach to work to suit your new role. For example, the best salesperson in a company will be unable to succeed as a manager if they are unable to get out of the mindset of competing against the rest of the team and begin to support and help them instead.
#3. Have Clear Objectives:
Any good manager knows that they need to be certain about what they are aiming for and trying to accomplish, both in their own role and for the business. This means getting a clear understanding of what senior management expect from you in your role, and learning about how your role impacts the business both directly and indirectly, and what you can do in order to ensure that you are getting the best results for your employer. Once you have a definite idea of what’s expected from you and what you are capable of in your role, you can begin thinking about how you are going to approach your career goals and any resources that you will need to assist you with it.
#4. Trust Your Team:
Delegation is a key part of management, so it’s important that you are able to trust your team and know each individual well, so that you can choose the right tasks to delegate to each team member. Understanding the strengths of each individual is key to successful delegation and you will also need to be able to assist them when needed with any concerns or questions that they have. Provided that staff are capable of carrying out the work, getting the right results, and are clear on what needs to be done, the role of the manager is to oversee this while giving the team both the freedom and the resources necessary to complete tasks to the best of their abilities.
#5. Adjust Your Relationships:
Once you move up into a management role, you will need to expect your workplace relationships to change, particularly if you are remaining on the same team or department that you worked in as a team member, or if you work for a small business without a large number of staff. Unless you are able to establish an appropriate balance between business and friendships with your former teammates, it’s important to be aware that your promotion could cause tension. It can be difficult for both parties when somebody who used to work as part of the team on an equal basis suddenly moves up a role and has more authority, but there’s also no need to let this get between your workplace friendships.
#6. Develop Your Career:
Now you have been promoted to your first management role, it may have left you hungry for more and exploring just how far you can take your career. Or, being offered a management role may feel like the pinnacle of your career, but the truth is it’s only the beginning of a new stage for you. Don’t stop here – prove yourself as a reliable and trustworthy asset to the business in your first management role and you will be improving your chances of being promoted to even more senior roles in the future. Think of your promotion to management as the first step in your journey to senior management and even beyond.
#7. Improve Your Leadership Qualities:
Last but not least, many people mistakenly believe that being a manager just involves telling others what to do in work – this couldn’t be further from the truth. Developing your leadership qualities both before, during and after getting your promotion to management will massively assist you with doing well in the role, helping your team quickly warm to you, and gaining their respect. A good manager knows just how important it is to be a great leader, and working on improving your leadership qualities could be the key to getting yourself noticed in work as management material.
Stepping up from a team player into a management role can be daunting, but it’s the first step towards the rest of your career.
