As a new manager, you may find the whole task daunting. In your old job, you could excel by mastering a specialty. You showed up every day, carved out an area of expertise, and thrived by performing at a level that impressed higher-ups at your organization.
The best managers embrace the challenge with gusto. They build trust with each employee one day at a time, learning how to woo even the most difficult types of workers to push harder, think differently, and stage experiments that help them produce better result. They set high standards and "walk the talk". When problems arise, they mediate them with poise and fairness.
1. You'll develop a model of the successful manager. This becomes your template for what follows. Once you know what kind of traits, skills, and behaviors will make you manage more effectively, you can mold yourself to excel.
2. Pieces some of the most prevalent myths of people management. If you're guided by mistaken notions of what it takes to lead employees, then your faulty assumptions can interfere with your better judgment and sabotage your ability to manage.
3. The purpose of ch.3 is to help you hit the ground running. You first month as a new manager will be traumatic enough without having to confront needless crises. By establishing momentum and taking preventive steps to stamp out problems before they arise, you can gain confidence and impress others with your take-charge leadership.
4. Work together to give you pointers to polish your communication skills. We begin with the all-important art of listening, a vastly overlooked skill that every strong manager must possess. You may bring great technical ability and plenty of enthusiasm to your new job, but if you hog the spotlight and interrupt constanly, you doom yourself to mediocrity.
5. We move from listening to talking. You'll need to say what's on your mind to employees and to your managers. You'll also need to be able to ask intelligent questions and organize your thoughts in a tight, appealing package. Persuasion flows from preparation. When you think before you speak, you can win over almost anyone and turn adversaries into allies.
6. Examines the mysteries of motivation. Many new managers stumble in their efforts to rally the troops. They assume rah-rah theatrics work best, when in fact the best way to motivate in to observe others and identify what matters most to them.
7. Guide you through two of the toughest aspects of management: giving criticism and doling out discipline. You plobably dread both of these tasks. But if you learn to do them well, you can proceed with the knowledge that you're a fair-minded, respected manager.
8. The key to criticizing employees is helping them realize for themselves how their performance can improve. By steering clear of harsh generalization and instead describing a specific activity in neutral terms, you remove personality from the equation and increase the odds your criticism will pay off.
When you have to discipline an employee, you need to understand when and how to do this. Discipline, after all, is about helping people who, either by intention or misunderstanding of the rules, disrupt the operations of your group. When you do this well, you bring people back into line and help make them better employees.
9. Gives you the tools to organize yourself. Many new managers trip themselves up by losing track of time and getting buried in minutiae. By tracking your work and avoiding time-killing tasks, you can boost your productivity and squeeze the most out of every hour.
10. Every manager must delegate. It's easy to bark orders and await results. But your style of giving directions will largely determine whether your employees comply or rebel.
11. Focuses on managing your manager rather than your workers. Keeping higher-ups apprised of your progress and maintaining open lines of communication can eliminate misunderstanding and ensure that you get the credit you deserve for your efforts.
12. You'll learn how to capitalize on your new role as manager to climb the ladder. That involves networking. The wider your web of contacts both inside and outside your organization, the faster you can nab promotions or pounce on career opportunities.