5 key tips for new managers

A highly effective management team is one of the most important tools an organization can have. If you’re stepping into a leadership role for the first time, be sure to remember that few of us are born with managerial skills that wow at the outset.

Want to become an amazing leader? Here are five things every new manager should keep in mind.

Establish clear boundaries

As a manager, it’s incredibly important to build personal relationships with your employees. Why? People give more – in terms of productivity, honesty and loyalty – to leaders they respect and connect with. However, you must also be sure to establish clear boundaries. Don’t confuse being friendly with being friends. You can be approachable and personable – those are good things! – but friendship is not a leadership goal. You hold the power to hire, fire, promote and give raises; that automatically puts your relationship with an employee on uneven footing. And friendship can prevent you from doing your job effectively. When it comes time to make tough decisions or deliver constructive criticism, you don’t want an overly close personal relationship standing in the way of your professional duties as a manager.

Hold one-on-one meetings

One-on-one meetings are excellent opportunities to catch up with employees and get to know them on a more personal level. If you can schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with your employees, you’ll be able to stay current on projects and place your people in a position to succeed. Shoot for an open, candid discussion each time. Make sure employees know they can ask you tough questions and you’ll answer frankly. Be ready to deliver praise – and share constructive feedback – when it’s warranted. Ask what obstacles your employee encounters in doing his or her job and see what you can assist with. If you can’t schedule weekly meetings, try once every two weeks or even once per month. One-on-one meetings are simply too important to brush aside.

Set clear expectations

As an employee, there are few things more frustrating than not understanding your role on a project or even in the company as a whole. Take the time to clarify your expectations for each individual employee, and always field questions whenever they arise. Your first priority as a manager is to position your team for success, so be sure to take advantage of any opportunity to make things easier for your employees. If you’ve verbally conveyed expectations to employees, send a quick follow-up note to summarize. It’s a helpful reference to you both and serves as a record, which can sometimes be useful.

Respect and appreciate diversity of experience

Many new managers make the mistake of implementing one-size-fits-all policies, overlooking the fact that employees hail from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. Differing perspectives often strengthen an approach to a problem, issue or objective. Employees should feel like valued members of the team, because of – not despite – the companies they’ve worked for, the life experiences they’ve had, and their unique skill sets. The most effective managers are the ones who can channel many diverse experiences and focus them on a common goal.

Have your team’s back

When push comes to shove, you are the single biggest advocate for your team. A good manager always sticks up for her team and never throws employees under the bus. If a team member fails to meet expectations, you should hold that person accountable one on one but always ask yourself how you could have done better as a manager. There’s a reason Truman’s legendary quote – “The buck stops here” – persists. By taking responsibility for your team’s shortcomings, you will earn the respect of both your team and your superiors.

What was the biggest lesson you learned as a new leader?

This article is published in collaboration with LinkedIn. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum. 

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Author: Michael Fertik is the CEO at Reputation.com and Owner of Reputation.com.

Image: A worker arrives at his office in the Canary Wharf business district in London February 26, 2014. REUTERS.