Posted: Nov. 23, 2023, 8:13 a.m.
I've been a manager now for almost 30 years, but I still remember that first time – when I went from being a good cook and bartender to being a manager. I went from knowing exactly what to do and when to do it, to being completely out of my comfort zone.
Moving from an individual contributor to a manager of individual contributors comes with specific challenges, and I’m going to teach you how to overcome them.
1. Let go of your individual contributor identity
First, you need to let go of your identity as an individual contributor.
Our identity – our core sense of self – is often associated with those things that we're good at. You need to embrace your new role and avoid doing the things that make you comfortable.
A big part of who I was and how I described myself was as a great cook and bartender. It's how I defined success and was one of the key ways I gained respect from those around me.
When I moved up, I had to work to create a new identity for myself. And as a new manager, you have to find your new identity too.
So lean into the new identity and visibility associated with being a manager. Accept your leadership role, step up and manage the processes and people, and begin building new relationships
Finally, you need to recognize that your new role is to help the team succeed.
You are no longer getting paid to put the duck in the oven — you have a trained, motivated staff to do that. You are responsible for managing the process and the people so they can succeed.
It’s time to stop saying, “I am a great engineer,” “I am a great salesperson,” or “I am a great whatever,” and instead focus on saying, “I am a great manager of engineers, of salespeople, of whatever.”
Your new identity should be associated with developing your team and others being great contributors.
2. Find the middle ground between softball and hardball
Over the last 30 years as a manager, I’ve promoted innumerable people into their first role as supervisor, and many times they end up supervising the people they’d been friends and coworkers with just days before.
Too often new supervisors go to extremes in their struggles to manage the shift in these relationships.
Sometimes they feel the need to make sure everyone knows they’re the boss, not a friend. They play hardball, become rigid and unemotional, and follow all the rules exactly as written.
Some play softball and worry more about maintaining their friendships than organizational rules and goals.
You don't have to play either game—there's a middle ground.
The easiest way to help you and your team navigate these new relationships is to explicitly set expectations and boundaries.
You have to be able to be both honest and kind. Tell them how you’re going to manage and why. That will establish the foundation for your new working relationship.
Make it clear when you’re speaking as their boss and when you’re being their friend. Of course, when you’re at work, more often than not you’ll be speaking as their boss.
The final piece that will help you navigate this is to recognize that not everybody's going to get it.
To be honest, you may lose some friends (or people that you thought were friends), and that stinks. But at the end of the day, those people who are truly your friends are going to understand, and they're going to support you. Those that don’t will have to navigate the new situation.
You cannot make them see you differently — you can only manage yourself and your behavior in ways that build trust.
Now it's your turn. Think about your team. Who do you need to talk to about the expectations they have of your relationship? Where are you needing to find a balance between hardball and softball?
When you find the sweet spot that works for you, you’ll be more respected by your team and be a more effective manager.
3. Balance the boundary spanner role of team support and leadership representative
As a supervisor you are by definition a boundary spanner; you are the link between your team and management. You’re both part of the team and part of management, and that can cause tension.
Let me explain and then make some suggestions on how to handle those situations.
There will be times when organizational needs and goals don't fully align with team needs and goals. On one side, you need to be a champion for your team.
When your team has needs, it’s your job to represent those requests to upper management. And sometimes you may have to fight for your team’s needs.
The best way to handle this is to build your case before approaching your manager. You must clearly articulate the need, build data to support that claim and present your case in terms of benefit to the organization.
On the other side, you need to support and implement upper management’s vision even when the team’s not thrilled.
The best advice I can give you here is to remember that you are now part of organizational leadership, and need to present management decisions in ways that support the organization and encourage team participation.
If it is a decision that runs counter to the team or your desires, get the team involved. Ask them, “How can we make this work?”
Then there are those times when you have to do a little of both, represent the team and support the organization.
In these situations be open and honest with your team before going in. Let them know you are going to do the best you can, but that you need to support the other departments as well. You need to go in with that broader perspective in mind and be prepared to compromise.
I want you to think about how your role in your company aligns with that boundary-spanner role and look for ways that you can make sure you're supporting your team and your organization.
When you recognize these differences between your old and new role, you will begin to better lead your new team.
Ready to make some changes and grow as a new manager? Contact Effectiveness Consultants to learn more about our workshops and training programs.