5 Mistakes To Avoid When Transitioning Employees To Management
It is the dream of many employees to transition to management. Equally, companies can reap generous benefits from keeping knowledge inside the organisational walls. However, transitioning from employee to manager is often a culture shock. The reasons for this usually stem from the fact that management requires a skillset that takes time, patience, and energy to learn. As well as supporting your employees by investing in avenues such as an ILM Level 3 apprenticeship, here are five ways that you can help this transition to management.
Poor Communication
Communication is usually at the heart of every organisational issue. This can make the transition to management very complicated, as managers need a different communication style from their colleagues. It is crucial that new managers understand how to provide clear, concise, and accurate instructions in a tone that balances both authority and gentleness. Equally, managers need to be able to instruct and listen without letting their emotions confuse the situation. Helping new managers understand their best communication style is something that training workshops can help with.
Failing On Training
There is often an assumption that star employees will fit naturally into a managerial role. These types of people are often excellent problem-solvers, solution-driven, and natural leaders. They are often promoted because everyone around them respects their work and listens to what they say. As such, it is very easy to forget that management requires very specific skills that only training can provide. For instance, without the correct support, new managers can find that delegation is difficult, conflict resolution is overwhelming, and the burden of legislative responsibilities is daunting. To ease this part of the journey, training programmes can be very beneficial.
Expressing Expectations
If you have ever been promoted into management, you will probably know the feeling of sitting at your new desk, alone, wondering what on earth you are supposed to be doing. The inbox starts to ping with emails that you are suddenly being cc’d into, the phone rings with questions that you have no answer to, and you have a team of faces bright with expectancy waiting for you to tell them what to do. This situation can unravel a newly promoted manager before they have time to find their feet. As such, you can provide a lot of help by having clear and regular discussions with your employees transitioning to managers about what expectations are, what their responsibilities are, and your performance expectations.
Dissolving The Dynamics
When an employee is promoted to management, it is always going to create ripples in team dynamics. There may be very complex emotions, such as envy, anger, and disappointment, to grapple with. Equally, new managers may find it hard to shift roles among a group that they have worked with for years. This can cause a multitude of headaches, such as problems with delegation and gaining necessary managerial respect. It is crucial to both expect and manage these changes and seek professional support if the team is having issues.
Forgetting The Feedback
All managers need to be able to give and receive feedback. This can become a hazardous territory of misinterpretation. Without the correct training, personal emotions can affect both the manager and their colleague, potentially leading to unresolvable rifts. Equally, without feedback, the team may find themselves stumbling over simple roadblocks. It is always helpful to address the feedback issue with the whole team so that this critical line of communication remains both open and professional.
What Next?
At Penguin Learning, we are dedicated to helping managers and leaders thrive. If you have been recently promoted to management or if you are wondering how to transition an employee to a new manager, we offer cutting-edge solutions that make a real and lasting difference. To learn more, please get in touch.
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