Leadership is no easy task. When you’re trying to guide a whole team of professionals to a successful finish, you need to believe in yourself, and those that are working for you. For brand-new managers, the pressure of this situation can feel insurmountable. However, with the right guidance, you can become a highly polished and precise manager. If you want to excel, here are seven leadership tips for brand-new managers to assist you:
1. Team Feedback is Key
Without quality feedback, both from customers and the team that you’re managing, pushing your leadership capabilities to new heights becomes nearly impossible. With that in mind, you must always listen to the feedback that you’re given. As you do so, you can take the valuable nuggets of information within that feedback, and turn it into a more optimized managerial output. When listening to feedback, always consider what the “bottom line” of what you’re hearing truly is.
2. Use Top-Tier Leadership Software
In today’s business landscape, there are tons of amazing managers and leadership tools for you to take advantage of. With the right set of software and leadership tools, you’ll do a great job as a brand-new manager. Whether you’re looking for software that can help you handle scheduling tasks, leadership coach tools, or something more specialized, you’ll benefit from building up your arsenal of leadership software.
3. Stay Patient with Yourself (and Others)
Having patience is essential if you want to be a great leader. When you’re first starting as a manager, it can be easy to become flustered or overwhelmed by how often people look to you for answers. Even so, you must have the patience needed to work through any problem that arises in a professional and precise fashion. As you remain patient with customers and team members, never forget to stay patient with yourself as well. Doing so will ensure you handle problems in a reasonable, effective manner. Managers who are handling brand-new businesses will need to take this tip to heart.
4. Remain Decisive (When Appropriate)
While not all problems have an immediate answer, many do. Being able to make decisive choices can ensure that your team stays on task and that they do not feel lost. When you fail to remain decisive (when appropriate), you introduce an extra layer of chaos to an already hectic work environment. Additionally, it’s important to remember that some questions and problems do not have a single solution. Being decisive does not mean demanding that you get “your way or the highway,” after all.
5. Seek Out Positive Recognition
As a new manager, it’s easy to feel as though you’re dealing with tasks and issues that are way out of your league. When you’re feeling this way, you must remember that these types of feelings are natural for anyone who has taken a step up in their professional life. If you can find ways to receive positive recognition from your employees, and customers, you’ll feel more self-assured that you have what it takes to be a successful manager. If you receive awards for your efforts, then you’ll feel even more confident.
6. Provide a Fantastic Professional Example
As a team leader, you need to set the ultimate example of what your team leaders should be on a professional level. If you’re slacking off, employees underneath you will begin to slack off as well, after all. Think of ways in which you can go above and beyond, and you’ll set a positive, inspiring example for the rest of your team. That being said, be sure not to overexert yourself, as this can lead to professional burnout that will poorly affect both your ability to do work and the ability of your team members to function effectively.
7. Have a Hunger for Learning
If you want to be a successful manager, you need to dedicate yourself to continuous learning. Especially as a new manager, you have yet to master many of the skills that will allow you to successfully manage your team. The more hunger you bring to tasks that can teach you about your new responsibilities, the better you’ll be at leading team members in the future. If you had a particularly inspiring or helpful mentor in the past, you should consider reaching out to them for advice. Doing so can help you feel more confident that you’re learning the right skills to become an impressive manager.
Communication is Everything
If you want to excel at being a brand-new manager, you need to perfect your communication skills. Without stellar communication skills, your ability to implement the seven tips we’ve discussed above will be significantly lessened.