There are various difficulties that new managers must overcome. Maybe they find it difficult to effectively communicate with team members or delegate tasks. Perhaps they are unable to think like a leader or struggle to be superior to their previous colleagues. These are typical difficulties for new leaders, and overcoming them is essential to the success of their team and company as well as their own. The three difficulties that many people have while taking on their first leadership position can, fortunately, be overcome.
The majority of people who are promoted as first-time managers did well as individual contributors. However, only because a worker was a high-performing individual contributor doesn't imply that he or she possesses the necessary leadership qualities. This change can therefore be upsetting. According to AchieveForum senior consultant Ellen Foley, "They are brimming with confidence in their role one moment and the star of the show the next. Next, they must coach, engage, have uncomfortable dialogues, and inspire others while frequently working under pressure and continual change."Manager training programs should start with the fundamentals to aid new managers in developing a mentality of a leader. For instance, according to Dave Fogleman, chief learning officer at SkillPath, the company's "How to Successfully Manage the Transition to Supervisor" training focuses on the "basic elements of leadership" like hiring, performance management, and creating high-performing teams.
Sam Shriver, executive vice president of the Center for Leadership Studies, notes that many new leaders now supervise former coworkers, some of whom they may have faced off against when applying for their new management post (CLS). "Your first promotion sets up all of these conflict-filled possibilities," he continues. New managers must strike a "very hazardous balance" between being sociable and exercising a "degree of power" over former coworkers, according to Miller.According to Shriver, one way learning and development specialists (L&D) may assist in preparing managers for these circumstances is by putting aspiring managers through a "series of simulated activities" that address management dynamics. He continues, "It's almost like you [can] let them dip their feet in the pool of what it would be like to genuinely manage people" by instructing aspiring managers on standard management practices, such as managing former coworkers.
According to Shriver, in order to hone their leadership abilities, individuals must first possess the emotional intelligence to identify their natural leadership traits and the managerial responsibilities they tend to "shy away from."New managers frequently come to their positions with a strong technical skill set from their time as high-performing individual contributors. Shriver argues that rather than technical talents, leaders will be assessed and graded on their "human skills." Manager training needs to place a strong emphasis on soft skills, or, as Miller prefers to call them, "life skills," including empathy, vulnerability, and self-awareness, to aid in the development of this skill set.Manager training can assist new managers in achieving their maximum potential by assisting them in acquiring a mentality of a leader, learning how to manage previous coworkers successfully, and identifying and bridging their own leadership skill gaps. They can then encourage the rest of their team to follow suit. To gain practicle skills in this field, check our Leadership training courses