Seven Surprises for New Managers Video

Becoming a new manager can be full of unexpected surprises!

Welcome to Mind Tools' Video Learning Series.

Things change when you're a new manager, whether you’re managing a small team, a new department or even heading up an organization.

But, just as in life, your new role will likely be full of unexpected surprises that you hadn't even thought of.

In this video, we'll look at some of the common surprises that can trip up new managers and how you can plan for them.

Even if you want to, it won't be possible for you to be involved in every project or have a direct influence on everything that happens.

This can be hard to acknowledge. Instead of trying to get everything done by yourself, you'll need to put your trust in other people to get things done for you.

Delegate more often, and give people the guidance and resources they need to get the job done themselves.

Also, remember that you don't need to attend every meeting. It's enough to simply be informed of outcomes and actions.

Telling people what to do all of the time can result in them becoming overly reliant on you. Instead, you need to be able to trust others to make the right decisions.

Do this by empowering them and building up their confidence. Set up training and mentoring programs, create systems and structures so that they understand what needs to be done and why, and reassure them that mistakes are part of the learning process.

As a manager, news might be kept from you, or even embellished.

This can lead to nasty surprises, so make sure the information you're getting is reliable by checking in with people from across the organization. This will help you to learn what's going on first hand.

Also, talk to your customers, suppliers, and any other stakeholders regularly, so you know what they're thinking, too.

Now that you're a manager, your words and actions carry more weight. Sometimes, however, this can lead to speculation and gossip about why you said or did something.

This means you need to be more aware of the messages you send and how they might be interpreted.

Communicate simply and clearly, and allow people to ask questions. Also, think about your body language – use it to convey the right message!

Even if you're the CEO of your own company, you'll still be accountable to someone else – whether that be your customers, employees or shareholders.

Work hard to gain the trust and support of these people. Do this by developing collaborative relationships with senior leaders in your organization. And share information and resources with them and their teams regularly.

Shareholders or other stakeholders in your business can often have a short-term view of things which tend to revolve around profit.

While growth is obviously important, you also need to ensure the company's long-term success. This means safeguarding employees, as well as your company culture and its reputation.

Take time to understand your personal values, and those of your organization. And develop a clear strategy that is aligned with these values, as well as your company's main mission.

Finally, remember that you're still only human. Yes, you may be heading up a new department or even a new organization – but you'll still make the occasional mistake and other people will still have opinions that differ from yours.

Be humble and thankful, and reward people who perform well. Stay accountable to yourself, no matter your position, by sticking to your values.

And keep yourself grounded by connecting with your colleagues, friends and family.

To learn more, see our article, Seven Surprises for New Managers.