Becoming a manager for the first time is more than a title change. It is a groundbreaking change in every person’s career. It’s like stepping into uncharted territory where the landscape is no longer just about mastering your personal skills but navigating the intricate terrain of leadership.
As you shift from an individual contributor to a leader, it’s akin to trading your solo act for the conductor’s baton. The challenge lies in juggling the responsibility of guiding your team while meeting the expectations of upper management and achieving business objectives.
Apart from learning new soft skills, like decision-making and communication, this transformation represents a significant mental shift that doesn’t happen overnight. To assist in this transformative process, specialized new manager training programs serve as a guiding light, helping you navigate the managerial terrain and ensuring you’re well-equipped to lead your team.
Where to start?
Before you take a deep dive into first time manager training, you need to consider a few things that will help you understand your role and decide what type of leader you aspire to be.
Self-reflection
Analyzing your personality, strengths, and weaknesses should be the first step toward becoming a manager. Remember that leaders vary, and there’s no need to copy others. Instead, leverage your unique combination of traits and adopt a management style that aligns with your personality. To achieve that, you can, for example, take a Gallup test that identifies your talents or seek guidance from a coach.
Inspiration
Look for managers you admire and aspire to learn from their examples. Follow their online presence and publications, noting what resonates with you. Drawing inspiration from others is a valuable tool on the journey to becoming a great manager yourself.
Focus on others
Building relationships is an excellent part of managerial work. You need to get to know your team members individually to achieve that. Take time to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations to be able to guide them as a leader.
Can you learn how to be a manager for the first time?
No one is born a manager. Many skills associated with effective management can be developed through training, mentorship, self-learning, and practical experience. It’s essential to acknowledge that acquiring these skills may, and probably will, take time.
Moreover, remember that managerial skills are not static but require continuous improvement. Therefore, you must consistently seek opportunities for learning and growth.
Managerial skills to master
Taking part in managerial courses, you can acquire the following skills:
Leadership
Training for first time managers involves techniques used to motivate and inspire your team, communicate a clear vision, and assign tasks and responsibilities.
Strategy
Strategic thinking is about gaining a big-picture perspective. A manager has to be skillful at considering long-term goals and always taking into account broader organizational good. You will also learn how to develop effective plans and strategies during a training course.
Decision-making
As a manager, you will encounter numerous decisions involving projects, teams, budgets, and the organization’s overall strategic direction. Developing proficiency in this realm requires learning to analyze situations wisely, assess alternatives, and solve problems. First-time supervisor training should also encompass various risk management techniques.
Time management
A first-time leadership course should instruct you on prioritizing tasks based on importance and deadlines and managing multiple responsibilities. It will also help you avoid micromanagement, a common cause of demotivation.
Communication
You must learn how to articulate your ideas clearly and ensure that messages are understood. It involves active listening and providing constructive feedback. Great managers are frequently exceptional communicators.
Conflict management
Conflicts are unavoidable in every team because they consist of individuals with different goals, needs, and work styles. Learning how to detect these conflicts as early as possible and address them effectively is crucial. Therefore, good training programs involve negotiation techniques to find win-win solutions and enhance persuasion skills.
Interpersonal skills
Emotional intelligence is something we develop throughout our lives. However, undoubtedly, you can enhance your interpersonal skills. Given the broad scope, these skills are often covered in separate courses. A crucial aspect is team building, which fosters collaboration and cultivates positive relationships, and empathy, enabling you to recognize and understand emotions within your team and yourself.
Tips for first time supervisors
The most common approach to leadership nowadays states that a manager doesn’t have to possess technical proficiency and be skilled at what their teammates do. However, before assuming the role, you have to gain extensive industry knowledge, including trends, advancements, and your clients’ pain points. It is essential to guide your team and make informed decisions as a leader later on.
A common mistake of first-time managers is, as mentioned earlier, micromanagement. They lean towards micromanagement, feeling it is the only way to control work and projects. However, it has a detrimental effect on productivity and morale. Micromanagers are often so engrossed in details that they have no time left for true leadership and can’t see the big picture. As a leader, you must learn to trust others early on.
Last but not least, remember that not everyone has to become a manager. Although it might seem like a natural career path, the most important thing is whether you enjoy that role. Give yourself time and don’t pressure yourself, but remember that some people are more suited to becoming better and better specialists. And that’s completely fine. 🙂
