As a new manger you must figure out your own management style.
The main tasks required to manage people:
Starting on a new report
Starting a new reporting relationship off in a right way means to get to know the person quickly so you can manage him best.
- build trust and rapport – ask questions intended to help you get to know the aspects of the person that impact your ability to manage him well (how he likes to be praised, preferred method of communication, how you can tell if he is a bad/good mood, any clear career goals, any manager behaviour he might hate)
- create a 30/60/90 – day plan – have a clear set of expected goals and create realistic milestones
- encourage updating on-boarding documentation – reinforce the editing of the documentation by the new hire to reflect processes and tools that have changed since the last time
- communicate your style and expectations – the team needs to understand your expectations and your style (how often you want to meet with them, how to share information)
- get feedback – get as much feedback as you can. Don’t encourage people in this period to criticise the established processes in a way the team might feel attacked
Communicating with the team
- have regular 1-1s – they are crucial. There are many styles of 1-1s:
- the to-do list meeting – list of objectives to cover in order of importance
- the catch-up – listen to anything your direct reports want to discuss but don’t turn it into a complaining session or therapy
- the feedback meeting –
- the progress report – when you have someone who is off on a side project that you are not personally overseeing
- getting to know you – get the know the person reporting you as a human being in a sense of you want to show them you care about them as individiuals
- scheduling 1-1s -respect the schedule
- adjusting 1-1s – adjust time and questions for each person
Micromanager vs. Delegator
Micromanagement
- junior positions and projects that go off the rails sometimes needs micromanagement
- too much control; trust and autonomy are affected
Delegation
- delegation does not mean abdication – when you delegate you are still expected to be involved as much as is necessary
- being a good leader means being good at delegating
Continuous feedback
Continuous feedback means a commitment to a regular share of positive and corrective feedback:
- basic understanding of the individuals on the team
- observe
- provide regular feedback
- provide coaching
Performance review
360 model – a performance review that includes feedback from the manager, teammates, everyone who reports and coworkers, self-review
Cultivate careers
You need to make a case for someone promotion. Every company has its own promotion process. In general, people are moved forward by the process. The evidence: projects completed independently, participation and support, engagement in team meetings and team planning.