10 tips to avoid being a terrible first time manager
ABC of being a decent first time manager from someone who’s had great and terrible managers
There’s a hierarchy of how everyone perceives each role at their organisation. C-Levels and Execs have a specific status. They are the big hires. The big guns. The ones that get spotlight from the beginning and the ones you know (or expect!) will make the difference. On the other hand, rockstar individual contributors have a (legitimate!) stage of their own where they are naturally involved, naturally looked out for and have their own, individual scope of work where everyone knows (or hopes!) they will have impact. Other contributors (the non-individual rockstars?) are part of larger teams where their role is very relevant in a narrower way but crucial for the wider picture.
These contributors lead me to the “middle” managers. The ones who manage them. Basically everyone who has at least a full time employee reporting to them and who are not a C or Exec level. [I actually hate the name “middle managers” but it’s widely used and applied so I’m just going to roll with it for now].
These managers are the ones that make the engine run. They’re the ones that unite employees towards the same objective and make the organisation core move. Many hidden heroes are amongst this group of managers that does omelettes with very few eggs. However, more often than not, these are the people who get less attention from the organisation. It all starts with how you become a manager. Very common scenarios of becoming a manager (from startups to corporates) include:
1 - person gets promoted because they are technically the best at what they do
2 - person gets promoted because there is no one else obvious to do the job
This is often paired with little more than a “Congrats, you’re a manager!”. No management training, no shadowing, no proper expectations, no ground rules, no briefing and, many times, not even proper understanding about if this person has the will, profile or ambition to become one. Given this, first time managers usually take on the role by mirroring their previous managers — the ones they liked being managed by the most and the ones that they critically perceive as being the best managers. This is good, given the context, but not enough to generate top tier managers that will sustainably lead the people they manage to their best possible performance, motivation and, ultimately, impact. More importantly, it’s definitely not enough to build effective layers of management that adds to company culture and values.
“The output of a manager is the output of the organisational units under his or her supervision or influence.” — Andy Grove in High Output Management
With all this in mind and between being managed and being a first time manager myself, I started to design my own personal “Management 101” compilation of principles, self-tips and reflections.
#1 Adjust. If you have more than one reportee, adjust behaviour and how you deal with them. Everyone ticks in a different way and has different incentives. One size fits all approach will lead to mid-term frustration.
#2 Exercise Radical Candor. Probably the hardest and most important part of becoming a manager is providing adequate, frequent, consistent and actionable feedback. Build a relationship with your reportees where you care and respect them enough to be radical.
#3 Be consistent. If you’re a micro-manager, then assume it. If you’re laissez-faire, then do that. Don’t vary between super controlling to super autonomy every day. Your reportee needs to understand what to expect from you.
#4 Don’t you be the limit. People often deliver what is expected of them. Expect less, receive less. Expect more, receive more. Don’t limit your team’s performance and growth by your own expectations. People will surprise you. If they don’t, its typically related to how you’re managing them.
#5 Don’t do their job for them. Your team will sometimes screw up. Your job is not do their screwed up job for them. It’s to work with them so that they don’t screw up again. Sit next to them and do it together. Or teach them and they do it on their own. Or whatever works. Never do it for them as this disempowers, demotivates and breaks their accountability. And remember, on the outside you’re a shield for your team — it comes with the job to protect them when needed.
#6 Managing is part of the job. As a manager, you’ll also have your own individual tasks and projects. Never forget that managing your team is also part of your “tasks” and it’s one you should prioritise over most other tasks. Never make your team members feel time with them is less relevant than everything else. The better they are, the more impact you will bring. Keep the communication flow and be straightforward when you do need to de-prioritise time with them.
#7 One on Ones. Are 1:1s the only time you should allocate to your reportees? Obviously not. You will interact with your team frequently, on a daily basis to deal with operational stuff. Don’t mistake hours of operational interaction with time of guidance and management. I recommend having a weekly slot of time blocked, either on Friday morning or Monday afternoon (this depends on your week dynamic). Even if its only 15–20 minutes, every team member should get this weekly slot of ‘protected’ time to talk to you. No distractions. No operational tasks.
#8 Learn to Hire. Whether you’re hiring your first reportee or hiring to increase your team, this is one of the most relevant skills to grow as a manager. Partner with HR recruiters but understand that you run the process and you are the one accountable for getting the best possible team within a timeframe that is relevant for your objectives.
#9 Manage up. Its usually a forgotten skill that is seldomly spoken about. This refers to the ability of managing your manager. Their expectations related to you, your targets, your team and your team members. A lot can be said (i will write a post just on this) but the rule of thumb would be “Be clear, direct and pushy. Ask for help and demand support.”
#10 Write a User-Guide. That’s right! Take tips #1 → #9 and build your own user guide where you are the user. When you get your team, hand them an instruction manual on how you operate. What makes you tick. What will make you react positively. What will piss you off. What will make them get fired. How they can help you be a better manager so that the team and the company, as a whole, grow.
Good luck and reach out on joao.figcosta@gmail.com if you think i can help!
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