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3 Mistakes New Managers Make and How To Avoid Them
You’ve demonstrated your potential, done some great work so far and as a result you have been promoted to a management role.
Initially you feel excited and highly motivated.
Hopefully this continues for quite a while but all too often you hit a dip.
This might be triggered by how you handled a situation or some feedback you received.
Now let’s be really clear.
You are always going to be making mistakes as a manager.
Of course there are some mistakes that are avoidable but easy for new and inexperienced managers to make.
So what are they and how can you avoid them.
Mistake 1: Carry On Doing
Before you got promoted into a management role, chances are you were pretty busy.
You may even have stayed late or come in early to get everything done.
Now you are in a management job with additional responsibilities and somehow believe you are going to magic additional time out of thin air.
Solution
Drop any idea that you will ever be successful at this.
Ultimately to create time for managing you are going to have to stop doing some of the things that you did previously.
Mistake 2: Wanting Everyone To Be On Your Side
There are going to be people who are your supporters or even raving fans.
There are going to be others who will object to anything you suggest.
And there will be those who will sometimes be on your side and sometimes not be on board with what you are proposing.
Solution
Stop holding on to the desire to have everyone on side all of the time.
Instead focus on getting enough people on side to move things forward.
Mistake 3: Wanting To Have The Final Say On Everything
As the manager the buck stops with you.
So naturally you might feel that it is only fair that you have the final word on every decision.
The problem is that instead of moving things forward you become a block in the process.
Solution
Don’t get involved in everything. Trust people to do the right thing because they will most of the time.
And if things don’t quite work out as planned, focus attention on the learning and what can be done differently in the future.
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.