All that hard work finally paid off: You’re a manager now. Congratulations! This is an exciting promotion, one that brings on many perks. However, it’s also a big adjustment and as such, it brings many challenges.

Being a manager means not only managing people but also being their leader. The fact that you’ve reached this point means that you have what it takes to get there. Today, you are allowed to manage a team on your own.

How will you do it? And, will you do it right?

As a new manager, it’s natural to feel scared. You need to lead people, communicate with them, and make them trust you. Most importantly, you need to be their boss and guide them for the good of the company.

According to Workplace Trust, 58% of people trust strangers more than they trust their bosses and managers. This is a shocking number, but with some effort and the right approach, you can be one of those bosses that people look up to.

Tips for Success for New Managers

Whether you are hired directly as a manager or promoted to this position, you have a lot to do. All the new responsibilities can make you overwhelmed. Thankfully, we have some great tricks that will help you hit the ground running.

1.   Work to improve performance

Some companies require performance reviews and some don’t. However, to do your job properly and guide people in the right direction, you need to know how well they perform at any point. Based on that, you need to create a plan, a strategy to boost their performance. If you truly want to make a change with your new role as a manager, you should take a look at the PerkBox’s performance improvement plan guide.

Checking the performance of your team will allow you to evaluate the situation and make the necessary changes. All responsible people within an organization, including managers, must always think of ways to measure success. Metrics and timelines allow you to keep track of and hold your team accountable.

According to PerkBox, your job is to learn about the issues and help your team recognize them to improve. A Performance Improvement Plan or review is a formal document that outlines the existing issues in performance. Based on those, managers outline goals that serve to tackle such issues.

After all, you cannot expect people to follow your lead if you have no idea where you’re leading them, can you?

2.   Communicate clearly

The Center for Creative Leadership explains communication as a critical leadership function. They further say that this is a key characteristic of great leaders.

Instead of locking yourself in an office sending emails to people telling them about their next tasks, communicate. Effective communication is the basis of good leadership. People need you to be there for them, listen, and share your ideas. They need explanations about their tasks, the goals of the company, as well as the issues that need to be resolved.

A great manager must be able to communicate the position of the company, its expectations, as well as directions for the team. They must do this clearly to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes.

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If you want people to work hard to reach the leadership’s goal, you need to help them envision the success you’re looking forward to. They won’t be as productive if you guide them into it blindly without sharing any information and without guidance.

Your communication should be on a team and individual level. A great manager knows their team but they are still established as the boss. They organize many meetings to discuss progress on initiatives, people success, and performance indicators. Even more importantly, they give people a voice – an opportunity to share their issues, thoughts, and ideas.

3.   Hire well

Adept managers take recruiting as a very serious matter. You shouldn’t hire people out of the blue without doing background checks, get the first applicant because you cannot find time in your schedule for interviewing, or skip the training because you’re in a rush.

If you want to succeed as a manager, you need to help your organization succeed. For this, you need the right talent. Since it is your job now to build a talented team, you need to take this very seriously.

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Did you know that 82% of hires have a skills mismatch for the job they take?

Unless you want your team to include people with mismatched skills, you need to take your sweet time picking its members. Do some background research, actually call those numbers listed as references, and have a thorough conversation with your interviewees.

When you’re hiring someone, be very clear about their role and responsibilities. Many people get the wrong job because they are unsure about what’s asked of them. You’d be amazed how many people will turn your offer away if they realize that they aren’t up to the task.

4.   Learn to delegate

This is the point where you need to learn the most important trait of a great manager – delegating. You aren’t just a doer now, but also a leader. At this point, getting others to do something is not asking a favor. It is your job.

It’s easy to think: ”I’ll do it myself” hoping that your job will be better than that of others. Even if you’ve done that job many times and the person that works for you hasn’t, it is your job to be their mentor and their leader.

You will hardly have the time to do everything on your own. The sooner you start delegating your tasks to the team, the faster they’ll learn how to complete them. By delegating, you make your people feel valued and boost their skills. It is your job as a manager to boost the team’s engagement level.

5.   Ask questions – and listen

Communicating as a manager goes both ways. Your job isn’t just to set meetings and present things to the team, share information, or delegate tasks. Listening is as important, and it is something that many managers fail to do.

Being someone’s boss can make you feel all-powerful and you are – you should still establish yourself as their boss. However, if you want people to respect you and be motivated to work for the company’s goals, you need to gather feedback and build rapport.

Great managers always have their doors open for employees. They listen to their concerns and questions, consider their demands, and attempt to get to know every member.

With that in mind, you should know that some people won’t simply come knocking on your door to share their insight. They might not have had good managers in the past or they might not be comfortable with doing that.

This is why you need to also ask questions. During those meetings, give people a chance to express their opinions. You’d be amazed about how often different perspectives can give you a way out of a difficult situation, or tell you how to better manage your team.

Your employees have something you do not at this point – they have direct access to customers, work conditions, teamwork communication, etc. If you want to guide them the best way you can, you need to be part of all this. This can only be achieved if you give people their voice – but also listen.

6.   Keep a clear head at all times

Leadership comes at a price. Don’t think that building a relationship with your team means that you’ll be one of them. You can be a great listener and leader but before it all, you are their boss. It is your neck on the line when they make a mistake. This is why you need to always be prepared and keep a clear head.

What does this mean? This means that you cannot take things personally like you did when you were an employee. You cannot publicize your views or push them on to employees. And even though you need to listen to people and lead them, you cannot be their best friend.

Before it all, you need to be a manager. This means that you need to be ready to make tough decisions, have difficult meetings, and even disappoint your team every now and then. Despite your personal feelings, you need to remain level headed at all times and make crucial decisions that no one else is required to do.

Why? This is because you’re the manager!

Final thoughts

When most of us get leadership positions, we start with this great pride and hope. From the first day, we wish to do amazing work and get instant changes. We expect people to listen to what we say and do everything without a flaw. But, great management takes time and a lot of effort. Do your best to succeed, but also give yourself some time to grow into the management job. Even more importantly, remember to enjoy the ride. You deserve it!