They’re here!

Hot off the presses, I’ve received the first box of my new book, The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make: How To Avoid Them and Thrive. Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing highlights from my book.

This week, I’m sharing mistake #1, doing instead of leading, the challenge new managers face of letting go of their individual contributor mindset to accepting that they add value now through others.

If the responsibilities of an individual contributor were compared with typical manager capabilities, one would quickly observe that some, but certainly not most, of the responsibilities and the skills needed to accomplish them are quite different. Yet, organizations across the world promote individuals into manager roles because they are successful individual contributors.

Individual contributors:

•      Understand goals and priorities;

•      Use time and resources effectively to solve assigned tasks;

•      Solve problems related to their work;

•      Deliver results; and

•      Expand their contribution by learning and growing professionally.

Managers, on the other hand, work through others. They:

•      Set expectations for others;

•      Manage team relationships;

•      Deploy resources;

•      Make decisions;

•      Communicate progress and issues;

•      Deliver on time; and

•      Develop others.

Employees frequently view promotions to a managerial position as a positive career experience. However, many new managers find this transition to be more challenging than they had expected. Individuals in professional, scientific, or technical positions develop a professional identity that is highly associated with their expertise and educational background. Individuals are often promoted to manager positions because of their high level of technical skills and performance. Work and the value placed on outstanding performance are often key to professional and personal identity. Transitioning to a new and unfamiliar role of a manager, regardless of how ready we believe we are, can be challenging emotionally. In addition, new managers need to make a shift in how they measure their personal success and how they derive personal satisfaction.

Developing a mindset of working through others is a critical first step.

Ask yourself:

•      How do I achieve success without doing the work?

•      How do I engage others to complete the work when they may not be as motivated as I am?

•      How do I tap into other’s creativity and great ideas when others don’t proactively share their insights?