First-time manager: Start by learning
When you start your first job as a manager, don’t rush in and begin changing everything. Instead, get in learning mode, writes Dorothy Tannahill-Moran.
Category: Supervising
Learn to delegate more effectively
It can be hard to give up control of a project and trust that your team members will get the work done and do a great job. But you can’t do it all, and if you try, you probably won’t do very well and will likely alienate your people in the process. Tips to delegate effectively:
Motivate with the right phrase
Your word choice influences whether people warm up to you, put up a fight or ignore you. Notice the difference between the following lively phrases and their uninspiring counterparts.
Follow this Rx to ease the trauma
When you have to deliver bad news to someone, follow this protocol that medical doctors use to tell patients about dire prognoses:
Everybody learns every way
Forget the theory about “learning styles.” Instead, mix things up when you teach or coach.
The power of just 3 words: “Let’s go see!”
From time to time, people who report to you will bring you problems created by a decision that you made. They may appear exasperated by the pickle you put them in. Your response, in all cases, should be a good-natured invitation for the two of you to go have a look. Use these exact words: “Let’s go see!”
Say it again, and again
Should you really have to say something twice to get someone to follow through? The most effective managers repeat themselves at least once, according to Harvard researchers. Some even send three or four redundant communications.
Just got promoted? Don’t blow it
Does it ever seem like your newly promoted manager is blindly muddling through the job? Well, she probably is. A recent poll revealed that only one in 10 recently promoted individuals received any leadership training or coaching. If you find yourself promoted—without feeling prepared—here’s a crash course in managing others:
Can you be a boss and a friend?
Question: “I’m not sure how to handle my new supervisory position. Before being promoted, I was friends with my former co-workers, so I’m finding it difficult to tell them what to do … I know I have to demonstrate leadership, but I’m afraid this will turn me into an unlikeable person. After all, does anyone really like their boss?” — Nice Guy
Challenged as a new supervisor?
Linda recently wrote on our Admin Pro Forum, “I recently took a job where I supervise three administrative assistants. I work directly on a daily basis with one admin … but I don’t have daily contact with the other two admins, because they are in different parts of the building. How do I supervise the other two and complete their performance evaluations?”