How to Support First-Time Managers

Many ambitious employees, year after year, seek a career path within their organization. Once they have successfully climbed the ladder, the learning curve monster comes out to play. First-time managers switch from being graded on day-today skills like project management, event planning, sales, analytics to being graded on a different set of skills such as communication, key performance indicators, relationship building, motivation. Additionally, upper-level management must display a “lead by example” professionalism and impeccable communication style. Does your organization have a policy that helps energize and support first-time managers better? If not, here is a bit of guidance.

Setting up your team for success is the role of a director. Providing a positive, productive, and cooperative standard for those who report to you and those around you should be top of mind daily. Additionally, we all work for someone. So, you must also be accountable for your direct reports. When asked questions or being challenged, you can in no way become defensive in nature, for if you do, your team will believe that defensive behavior is acceptable.

Take appropriate steps to learn and understand how and why your team works the way they do based on personal characteristics. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and usually, mindset and background create an individual’s skill set. Therefore, understanding how and why a person performs tasks in a particular order or at what step a person can pick up a new skill is essential to better function as a team and issue responsibilities. This understanding will enable you to provide your team with what they need to succeed appropriately. Having the empathy to seek out and understand these individual skill sets is necessary.

You do not always have to immediately answer every conflict or question your team members approach you with, particularly if you are managing a large team.

If a team member approaches you and they are upset over a particular scenario, whether you are expecting the occurrence or not, respond with the following statement or something similar: ”That’s curious. Allow me to think about it for a bit and get back to you.”

Provide the employee with an empathetic takeaway and the comfort that you will act. Doing so is an entirely appropriate response and allows you to analyze the situation from several angles, seek advice, and provide the team member with a professional approach moving forward. Being thorough and considerate will show your team your ability to be effective.

Speaking of skills, as a manager of talent, providing your employees with helpful feedback is a skill every leader must master.

Doing so never comes easy initially, and it takes repetition to appropriately inform people of the need for improved work performance without offending them. But it is vital to use the opportunity as a teachable moment to improve. Many first-time managers may think their new title will result in respect from employees. It does not. Employees will respond to leaders that have a combination of empathy and confidence. Your team needs to witness your commitment to the organization’s success, your willingness to provide them with the tools they need and know that your constructive criticism comes from a good place.

A cornerstone of each budget process should be the inclusion of an investment in the growth of its personnel. Training and continuing education can revitalize your managers if done correctly and without becoming a burden.

Solid leadership will result in scalable success quarter over quarter, year over year. Therefore, each organization should prioritize providing managers, especially first-time managers, a path toward the overall vision and how to get there based on departmental responsibilities. This should include goal setting, new hire onboarding, the development of workflows and planning, and ongoing performance reviews. Also, vital to the success of every sports tourism effort is training on how they should properly communicate with their direct reports.

Thus, if you are a first-time manager, embrace the task of proactively seeking responses to these topics and questions, both internally and externally. Seek out colleagues, maybe someone that has recently been promoted. Ask them to grab a cup of coffee or meet for happy hour and ask them about their experiences and what methods have worked. Read up on management trends from publications, journals, blogs, and newsletters. Take charge by investing in yourself so that you, and your team, can become successful.