In our last blog, we identified five common mistakes made by first time managers. These mistakes included:

1. Failing to set and communicate expectations
2. Failing to revisit, re-communicate, and reinforce expectations
3. Failing to address people issues quickly before they become significant challenges
4. Overlooking your role as a coach
5. Underestimating the power of words

In addition to these mistakes, there are five additional common errors made by first time managers.

1. Taking everything personally
   Most people take an incredible amount of pride in their work. However, as one makes the transition from the role of individual contributor to a people manager position, he/she must understand that not every problem or challenge that arises is a direct result of his/her actions. Managers, especially frontline managers, are the face of the organization to their employees. Therefore, situations will arise where employees will feel and express opinions about their current situation even when you have very little involvement or direct responsibility. When these situations arise, remember to listen and ask how you can offer assistance within your sphere of influence. However, be careful not to take everything personally because there will always be situations outside of your control.
2. Taking accountability for actions
   As stated above, not every challenge is a direct result of your actions. However, there will be situations where your actions will have a direct impact on someone or something. As you transition to a management role, it is critical to understand this and quickly take accountability for your actions. In fact, the fastest way to lose the trust of your employees, peers, and boss is to fail to do so. As you transition into your first time management role, be sure to assess situations and challenges honestly and evaluate how your actions directly or indirectly contribute to them. Then, take immediate action.
3. Using a one-size fits all approach for handling situations
   People and organizations are inherently complex. In order to effectively manage these complexities, it is vital to acknowledge that using a one-size fits all approach to handling people and situations places one at a severe disadvantage. Although every person has a natural preference for handing situations, not every situation requires the proverbial “hammer.” As you transition into your new management role, take some time to assess how you naturally respond to situations, and then seek out additional resources that can help you adapt when you’re outside of your comfort zone.
4. Not asking for help
   As a manager, there will be times where you will feel clueless! Working with people and managing teams of people can be challenging for even the most experienced manager. In order to excel, you must ask for help. As you transition into your new role, seek out people who have experience, books and resources that can provide information, and colleagues who can offer advice and support when needed. You do not have to handle everything on your own; take advantage of the resources available to you!
5. Forgetting to realize it’s not about you anymore
   One of the toughest challenges first time managers face is moving from a position of individual contributor with direct responsibilities to a management role with direct responsibility for a team’s performance. Each of these roles is critical to an organization’s success, but ultimately each has its own set of unique responsibilities and expectations. The most effective people managers understand this and respond in such a way that places the success of their team at a higher priority than their own personal success.

If you have stumbled across this blog posting and are in the process of transitioning into your first management role, Congratulations! Your organization obviously acknowledges your competence and strong people skills, or else you wouldn’t be in this position. Switching roles isn’t easy, but if you enter your first time management position armed with the knowledge of what could happen, you set yourself up for success. Learn from the common challenges identified above, and let us know how it goes!

Tags: Focused and Aligned Leaders, Frontline managers, Skilled and Motivated Workforce

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 1:57 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.