Leadership Management Training Workshop Series

Managing: New Managers Are Too Hard On Themselves

Moving from staff into management for the first time is excitingbut it can also be scarey.

Theres so much you dont know. Somehow managing looked so easy from the outside, but now you actually have to do it, you realize its more complicated than you thought. Before, you had certain tasks to accomplish and you knew you had the skills to do them. You still have responsibility for those tasks, but now you have to see that the work is done effectively by other people. Thats a whole new task in itself, and youre not sure youre up to the job.

You also find that its hard to concentrate on the planning that is such an important part of managing, because emergencies large and small seem to arise all the time and people keep running to you to resolve them. The expression When youre up to your neck in alligators, its hard to remember you were trying to drain the swamp might have been written for new managers!

In these early days, you must learn not to be too hard on yourself. Management skills are not built into our human DNAwe have to learn them as we go. Promise yourself youll learn at least one management lesson every day. Set aside a few moments at the end of each day to think about that days lesson and how youll use it to improve your management skills. Sometimes these lessons will be hard, but each one will give you something to build on if you are willing to learn.

Each day will bring you new challenges, new experiencesand new successes. Its easy to forget the successes and focus on all the things that didnt go so well, so I recommend you keep a diary of all your new experiences. Then, on those days when you think becoming a manager was all a horrible mistake, you can read over your diary and remind yourself just how far youve come.

Becoming a manager is a journey. Like any journey, it offers both good and bad experiences, enjoyable and not-so-enjoyable aspects, positive and negative events. Just take it one stage at a time, learn from each experiencegood or badand youll gradually find yourself becoming more and more comfortable in your management role.

About the Author: Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, trainer, consultant

and author who has worked with hundreds of newly appointed managers and understands their special challenges. Visit http://www.TheManagersJourney.com and sign up for her series of free management skills teleseminars.

Source: www.isnare.com

Managing: New Managers Are Too Hard On Themselves

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