KEY POINTS:
Rising up through the ranks to the first rung of the management ladder can be a daunting step.
And for many it means the rules of the game change overnight.
Management trainer George Gerrard says if someone gets promoted because they make good widgets then they need to understand they will no longer be measured against those criteria. Instead they will be measured against how well their team performs.
"New managers have a completely different criteria to be judged against," says Gerrard, the project manager, learning and events, at the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA). "It will be something a new manager is unfamiliar with and be something that has not applied to them before.
"Some people take a while to get the hang of it - some never do."
He says managers have to make the transition from doing all the things that make them brilliant at what they did as an operator to suddenly becoming accountable for the output and results of their team.
"And it is a very different game - that's the first thing they have to learn," he says.
Gerrard became training manager at the EMA in 1991 and says being a manager of people is different for every person and is quite subjective.
"Few managers even agree on the best way to manage and motivate people," he says.
His advice to a new manager or supervisor is to find things to do that won't compete with their team while they find their feet and build up their confidence. Sit back and take stock while at the same time building a reputation with superiors and increase their confidence in your ability.
No one said the transition is easy.
"In time the new manager will discover ways of reorganising their team so it becomes more productive."But changing things can lead to uncomfortable situations.
A lack of self-confidence can often thwart the best ideas as former work colleagues are faced with changes from a former workmate who may also be thought of as a friend.
"Having self-confidence is tremendously important and that can be helped by having a good senior manager behind you, supporting you," says Gerrard. "They should tell you about your successes even if you don't tell yourself about them.
"But transition issues are things that senior managers know will arise and most basic management courses will cover that."
He says what often happens is the new manager will ask their team not to do things they did themselves.
"Work buddies will give the new boss - their former workmate - a difficult time by playing the loyalty card and saying things such as 'you did this when you were with us - don't give us a hard time now'.
"So the manager has to make some tough decisions. They either do the job and take the money or let someone else do it. They've got to hang tough."
He says new managers should get their workmates together and explain what's going to happen, discuss the changes, their new role, shake hands and move forward.
"The manager may have to go into discipline mode to avoid being accused of looking after their old buddies," says Gerrard. "Managers facing a lack of self-confidence have to remind themselves that they are good at certain things, they know what's what - that's why they got promoted."
And he says too many managers fall into the trap of stepping into do everything themselves instead of training staff to do the work or delegating responsibility down.
"It often happens that when something goes wrong the new manager - using their experience and knowledge - jumps in like Superman. Whenever there's a problem they leap into the box, change into their super-hero outfit and come roaring out, ready to show people how it really ought to be done.
"The only problem with that is that the poor sucker who's just coming into the job, or just joined the team and is still learning, doesn't have a chance to improve themselves or learn."
Gerrard says team members should be motivated to try new things and be supported by their manager.
"Management is all about planning, organisation, leading and controlling. And leadership is the big word at the moment and a good leader should motivate their team to a point whereby they are keen to get to work in the morning and are happy to stay late if they have to.
"A manager who can engender that quality in their team will by and large have a bunch of happy busy bees."
Contact Steve Hart at www.stevehart.co.nz
