Learning how to be a good manager is a combination of effort, understanding your role as a manager, the role of your team, and a little practice. Whether you’re getting a new promotion to your first managerial position or you simply want to become a better manager, the following is for you.
Improve your skills
Just as you are now responsible for ensuring your team is trained to do their jobs, you need to strengthen your own skills and continue to grow. Management skills are a good place to start, as this is a new role. So don’t hesitate to seek out training that will give you all the knowledge you need to be a better manager.
You’ll also want to continue developing the skills your team needs to be able to achieve its goals. This could mean learning a new software program or reading a book about a new technique or theory in your field. Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to share this new knowledge with your team.
Set an example
The adage of leading by example is very important for a manager. When a manager can’t follow the simple rules of an employee handbook or can’t do his or her job, his or her team may notice and start wondering why they should. To avoid this type of problem, you need to model the behaviors you want to develop in your team.
It can be as small as having a better dress code, always being 5 minutes early to work, and much more. Now that you are a manager, your performance and behavior will be reviewed by your superiors and your team. So keep this in mind before you decide to, for example, stop for coffee and arrive 20 minutes late.
Ask for feedback from other managers
Fortunately, you are not the first manager to exist, even if you are the first manager of your company. Think of your loved ones or people who have been managers for a long time and ask for their advice.
So educate yourself on what to do and what not to do, and so on. Don’t hesitate to invite them to take part in your team meeting and give you their opinion. Even if you are now a manager, you most certainly need a mentor. In addition, it will also allow you to grow.
Set achievable goals
These are goals that you and your team will need to achieve. Every individual needs to know what they are working towards and, ideally, why. So setting goals for your team, whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, is an important part of being a better manager. Once you have set your goals for each individual and the team, consider setting goals for yourself as a new manager.
Better yet, share these goals with your team members and let them grade you at the end of the deadline. This may seem difficult at first, but it’s the best way for a manager to improve.
Use your time wisely
As a manager, you now have to balance your time in a new way. You need to schedule time for training, meetings, and general communication with your team. The same goes for the regular work that needs to be done. So remember to organize your time and stick to the team meetings you have set. This also applies to the one-on-one meetings you have set with your team members.
