What is one tip you have for first-time managers?

Approach one-on-ones with your teams with strict intentions, questions, and notes. To make the most of your and your direct reports’ time, keep personalized notes, updates, and feedback with your teams. Keeping up with teams mindfully bolsters your interpersonal relationships and maximizes the effectiveness of one-on-one meetings. Managers inevitably have many of these meetings throughout their careers. It’s up to managers to set the best example and use their time efficiently for employees so that both parties get the most out of their time. The more managers approach meetings with a checklist of what to learn or provide feedback on, the more smoothly everything will run.

Learn what motivates each employee. For example, some employees feel motivated when they engage in check-ins with leadership – some like to be left alone, some like recognition, and some hate being in the spotlight. Each of your team members places a different value on what motivates them; find out what they appreciate individually to be the best leader to each person.

First time managers often think that they need to be the smartest, most experienced person in the room. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, empower your team to come up with solutions, too. You can do this by giving them credit for their own answers. This sounds silly, but it's true. Poor leaders will take credit for their team's work, without recognizing their contributions. Great leaders give their teams credit, and empower them to solve problems. When you do this, you will also build loyalty in your team. People won't feel the resentment associated with not being able to contribute to the overall strategy, or not getting credit for their work. Instead, they'll know that in you, they have a voice in the organization. It's in their interests to keep you as the manager, instead of someone else who may not give them the freedom and credit that they feel they deserve.

As the saying goes - you don't know what you don't know. Managing people for the first time comes with a lot of things you have never encountered before. It is not just about delegating work. You have to determine how you want to motivate individuals to do great work. You need to understand how to develop talent. You have to learn how to measure performance. You have to set the right culture. You have to communicate the right information and know what not to communicate. And so much more. The best way to stay on top of your new role is to have an open coaching relationship with your boss so s/he can provide you with proactive guidance and advice to help you be successful in this new role.

A good tip for first-time managers is to create team rituals and remain consistent with these practices. Workplace rituals can help develop trust, boost engagement, and give employees a strong sense of belonging. For instance, you can do “Throwback Thursday” and ask each employee to share pictures of how their week went the days before Thursday. You can also do the “Rose and Thorn,” where employees share a positive and negative experience they had over the weekend. https://teambuilding.com/blog/first-time-managers

Becoming the new manager will likely throw a bunch of logistical task onto your plate all at once. This will be especially true if you're joining a new job in a managerial position. It will pay to get some insights from past managers as to how the job runs, what to look out for any any particulars about the staff you'll be working with. Any information that can help your transition smoothly into your new role will be key. Also, be willing to listen to those who work under you and inquire on any situations they may have that play a role in their working day, for example, if someone leaves early to pick up children on certain days, that is something you want to be keenly aware of before it becomes an issues. You may not end up doing things in the same manner as a previous manager, but it still won't hurt to have some pertinent information before stepping in to fill the role.

Clear and consistent communication is essential for any successful team. As a manager, it's important to set the tone and ensure that everyone is on the same page with regard to goals and expectations. Make sure you keep your team members informed about project updates, changes in plans or deadlines, and successes. Additionally, provide feedback to team members regularly. This will help improve their performance, keep them motivated and ensure employees align with the company’s goals. Lastly, provide them guidance when needed — being communicative and responsive to team members' queries will create an environment of trust and open communication, which is essential for successful teams.

Learn how to put boundaries down. It is easy to get really close with your team, feel like 'family', be friends, etc., but you have to, to some extent, dissociate yourself emotionally from your team and put down boundaries. There will be disputes, and no one stays in the same company forever, and things shouldn't get personal where possible. It'll save you a lot of emotional exhaustion and will keep your decisions and management style unbiased. That being said, it is important to have good relations with your employees, just understand where to draw the line.

Create a culture of feedback from the get-go. First time managers should hold regular meetings with their team — group or one-on-one — to keep communications strong and open from the start. New managers often fall into the trap of waiting until reviews to have conversations with their team members, but this can work against you. When you have more frequent meetings, you'll have a better idea of whether you are setting reasonable and clear goals. Employees can also provide you with invaluable feedback to help you grow as a manager. Keep the lines of communication open from the beginning.

If I had one tip for first-time managers, I would tell them to focus on keeping things positive and optimistic. As a leader, you want to create a positive and comfortable workplace where your employees feel they can speak up and share their ideas. Especially early on as a leader, you want to create this type of environment in order to get the most out of employees and encourage positive vibes. You want your employees to be encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas to better the workplace and company. It’s important to stay open-minded and remember that everyone’s ideas are important! This will drive employees to push themselves and work hard to reach goals as well because everyone feels that they are contributing and have a purpose.

I'm in the engineering space, so as you can imagine it's not all fun and games, but I try to keep it fun. By allowing your team to blow off some steam it helps them to have passion and find joy in their jobs which increases retention. Everyone reaches a point where the money no longer matters. We want to be happy and fulfilled in our job. So, loosen up a little. Think of it like being the manager of a football team. If you have a team of the most talented athletes, you will likely not win the title because the egos will keep the locker room too serious. Instead, pick mid-range talent who can relate, give each other a hard time, laugh, and have fun. Then their passion will align, and you will reach the mountain top.

One tip I have for first-time managers is to be mindful of their own biases and to be aware of the ways they might be unintentionally undermining the work of their team. As a new manager, you are likely to be unconsciously assuming that everyone thinks the same way you do, and you may also be holding your team to standards that aren't appropriate for them (or for your company). It's important to realize how much power you have in this role and how much influence you can have over your employees' performance—both in terms of how they view themselves as professionals and how they feel about their work. It's important not just because it's a good business practice but also because it will help you build trust with your team, so they are more willing to share information and ideas with you.

Learn to use the Eisenhower Matrix! A mentor shared this graph with me and was so helpful. As a new manager, it's a great practice to run tasks through this matrix to determine if you'll do them yourself or delegate them to team members. Learning how to delegate tasks is one of the trickiest parts of making the transition to manager, and this is a great way to weight the importance and urgency of items.

Managers are responsible for leading a team and ensuring smooth operations. I would encourage first-time managers to establish open lines of communication from the very beginning. Let your team members know that they can approach you anytime and set up weekly meetings to ensure that everyone in the team is aligned.

Just because you are now a manager does not mean you have all the answers or are required to provide all answers. Many young managers make the mistake of believing that their position requires them to be able to explain or respond to everything. However, a new manager is likely to know less than many of their more experienced colleagues. “If you remain silent, people may believe you know nothing, or you can speak up and dispel all doubt” As a manager, there is nothing wrong with remaining silent and allowing others to speak. In fact, it is the distinguishing feature of a good manager.

Dress for success every single day. This is something my father used to tell me, and as a child I didn’t completely comprehend what he meant. As an adult, I realize that by taking pride in our appearance, we set ourselves up to feel as good as we look. Dressing nice is a wonderful way to command respect and begin each day on a good note. By doing this, you’ll continue to exude confidence until the day is over.

My top tip for first-time managers is to be open to learning and feedback. Make sure to set aside time each day, or week, to review your progress and reflect on what you could have done differently. As a first-time manager, it is important to listen to and take feedback from both your team members and supervisors. This will help you develop a better understanding of how to more effectively lead your team.

Managers need to be great listeners. A successful company consists of people who are engaged and productive, and that also goes for the CEO. How can a manager make this a better working environment for staff? What can they do to make workers' lives easier? Listening to their needs and molding the business around their responses will help tremendously in the long run. This focuses on the employee experience from the first day of the job.

Relationships are the foundation for cooperation and collaboration within teams and departments and shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought. Building relationships will make it easier for you to learn from others, get buy-in and support when needed, and have difficult conversations. It also helps your team members feel supported and motivated to do their best work. You can start by introducing yourself to those around you and get to know them better by showing a genuine interest in what they do. Ask them about their roles and challenges, and offer help when appropriate. Building relationships takes time, but it's one of the most important things you will do as a first-time manager.

Adopting a growth mindset right away is one best practice for first-time managers. A growth mindset encourages leaders to make every opportunity a learning moment to better serve their employees in the long run. By making their development a top priority, employees feel more valued, and will be more willing to learn from criticism, embrace challenges, and persist against any setback.