Tips for a new Manager?

J

jalla

Registered User
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Folks,

Any tips for my younger brother who takes up his first senior management role next week !!!

Dos and Don't s
Tips and Hints etc

Thanks,

J
 
Re: Tips for a new Manager !!

Listen and observe, and be very cautious of the 1st people to slap him on the back on the 1st day!

Never rush in to making decisions - he will repent at his leisure.

Ask himself "is this how I'd like my boss to treat me"

If he follows the above he won't go far wrong.

Roy
 
Re: Tips for a new Manager !!

These are all wonderful tips but never let him forget one thing - the person that pays his bonus and promotes him further is his boss not his staff - if your staff love you but the boss thinks you're a bs artist you're bunched.

Onekeano's advice on listening was excellent - everyone should listen more and talk less.
 
Re: Tips for a new Manager !!

Is is new to the company or has he been promoted?
I would imagine coming in as a manager would be easier than suddenly becoming the boss of your once co-workers.
If he is new then it is easier to stand back and observe the office politcs for a while before making decisons on staff and office practices.
However if he is just being promoted then the staff will already know his form so he cannot change personality overnight.
Respect and empathy are important and also realising he may not always be popular in his decisons.....
 
Re: Tips for a new Manager !!

Dont guilt trip your employees - if theres a mess up then make sure its understood what went wrong and how and why it wont happen again, but resist any temptation to grind their nose in it or expect them prostrate themselves in agony & guilt. S*it happens, learn & move on.

If coming in new then maintain some appropriate "distance" from employees - if you are over pally, there are over familiar and you encourage nit picking arguments. Dont suppress dissent but you dont want a big debate over every simple thing.

Be clear what you want them to do (once you've figured it out yourself). If they dont know where you want them to go they'll be unlikely to get there & fairly peeved should you pull them up on not getting there. I think its a cop out to say "they should know" - if is so obvious to the manager it should be no problem to the manager to spell it out.

There are some good management guides out there - not huge academic tomes. Short & practical.
 
Re: Tips for a new Manager !!

Excellent tips so far, mosty along the lines of what I told him myself !!!

BTW, he is moving to a new company as well.
 
Tell him to remember :
That he's not entering a popularity contest.
Don't talk down to his staff.
Be fair.
Stand up to his boss for his staff when they are in the right.

Above all - You can delegate authority but not responsibility.
 
BillK said:
That he's not entering a popularity contest.
Click to expand...
It depends - If he is joining a multinational where his success will be directly measured by the feedback from his direct reports, then he is entering a popularity contest.
 
Theres a two part documentary series called The Office on DVD that you should get, the model of the perfect manager.
 
As I'm sure you are aware, Rainyday, my meaning is that he should do what is right for the company rather than something which will make him popular with his staff.
 
Know what's important & what's not, and give your staff a bit of leeway

Important - Getting the job done
Not Important - staff being late every so often, or taking 5 or 10 mins. extra at teabreak/lunch, occasional dossing.

Of course, if staff aren't getting the job done, then you can give them a warning for all the the dossing !
 
Read How To Win Freinds And Influence People
Some Good Tips Pretty Much Cop On But Just Re Irrates The Basics.
 
BillK said:
As I'm sure you are aware, Rainyday, my meaning is that he should do what is right for the company rather than something which will make him popular with his staff.
Click to expand...
Yep - I get your meaning. My meaning is that if his success is measured based on the morale of his staff, he really is entering a popularity contest.
 
Hmm, would a company prefer a happy staff or a fat profit? Bit of a no-brainer I think.

Seriously though, if both objectives can be achieved then graet.
 
Observe for the first couple of weeks or so. Take a step back and look at how the team do their job normally and how they interact with one another.
Baby steps - make small changes initially, larger changes later. Most people resist change, large changes up front (apart from a new manager) will not help their attitude towards you.
A manager is only as good as their team.
Get to know each team member's roles and how they carry out their tasks. It will give you a greater understanding of how the cogs turn the wheel.
Don't be afraid to cut the fat - if you have a bad team member keeping them on may do you and your team more damage than good.
Invest in your team - provide training and direction where necessary.
Be clear about your ground rules that you will not compromise on - then your team will have boundaries to work within (and test).
HTH
 
Can across a book today in bookshop called "The Rules of Management" - its the spawn of "The Rules of Work" I gather. €15.

Just looking through the contents of them both there seems to be plenty of decent tips & advice. I'm a bit sceptical about such books in general and would view them as food for thought more than anything else i.e. I wouldnt swear by them.
 
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