Making the Transition:
Changing your role:
Balancing the line between manager and friend can be a difficult task. Most companies encourage you to avoid establishing relationships outside of work that may compromise your judgment during work. For those relationships that have already been created, adjustments need to be made. You will not want to become a bully; however, you cannot let the temptation to be friends undermine your role as a leader.
A manager must always remember that you are always on duty. Sometimes you may forget that you are the boss, like during parties, or social events, however, your employees never will. They will interpret what you say and do. Your words and behavior send a more powerful message than you may realize. It is extremely important to set a good creidible working example of yourself, before you can expect it from your subordinates.
Do not become an emotional dumpsite: Listen to your employee s sympathetically, when it relates to worker's conflicts or personal problems if they relate work, but don't fall into the trap of becoming a "Confessor". It's emotionally draining and can reduce everyone's productivity.
Do not Gossip: Telling stories about fellow employees may make you feel like one of the gang, but it can be harmful to your department's solidity and ethics.
Avoid personal subjects and protect confidences: Do not discuss private matters- marital problems, for example, with your employees, unless the discussion related to works place performance. Keep any personal, non-work related information that you may learn, strictly confidential. As a manager, you will be privy to operational information prior to the general staff. Ask upper management if you are unsure if and when something should be discussed, usually, this is already laid out in general meetings.
Keep relationships with friend separate and private. If you do find yourself supervising a friend, you both should distinguish between your workplace relationship and your personal one. Sit down with him/her and advise them that business is business, and not to look for favors right from the start. This will lesson confusion, confrontations, and other employees will not feel that any favoritism is being made on the basis of your relationship.
Get Organized:
In order to prioritize your daily activities, you need to have a clear understanding of your responsibilities, duties, and expectations. The first thing you need to do is review your job description, and seek clarifications on anything that is not fully understood. Try to finsish one task before you start on another. There are times when you have projects that may be considered "urgent"; therefore, sometimes you may have to stop a project to accomplish this one. Always ask upper management if you are not sure which is the most important and how far you've reached on your other assignments. It is important that you finish a project by it's deadline. There may be something that can be delegated to someone else who is more than capable of lending you a hand. Learn your operational menu on the computer, you will have access to information that you did not previously. You will need to know where to go, how to get there, and what to do when you reach that point..
Research your staff: Review their employee files and training history. It is your responsibility to make sure that your staff is up to part, regardless as to who was in charge before, you are now, and therefore, if you see that an employee needs additional training in an area, it is your job to make sure that he or she gets it. If you are assigned a new employee; prior to your own interviewing. Take the time to look over their work experience, qualifications, and work experience. The more you know about your staff, the easier it will be to manage them. Speak with each employee separately and in a group, find out what their goals are, where they are headed, and advise them of your expectations, goals, and where you want the department to be. An open-door policy is good things at times; however, make your staff aware that you expect them to go through the chain of command first. Get a planner or organizer, if you have something like outlook on your computer, this will be very helpful. Most cell phones also have a calendar feature with an alarm, I find this very useful since people usually have their cell phones with them wherever they go. When setting appointments, make sure that you allow the alarm to go off at least an hour ahead or even a day ahead for that matter. You do not want to be late for a meeting or evaluations, etc.
Assess yourself:
Creating your management style
Directing You will be instructing people how to do tasks, supervising their performance, making decisions and problem solving. This is appropriate for people who are new to a task, or who are weak performers, or if you are in the middle of a crisis and do not have time to consult with them. However, don't use this style in every respect, otherwise, you will be considered a micromanager. A micromanager, in my book is someone who is scared of his or her own shadow. These people feel that they must look over everyone's shoulders constantly to see that the task they delegated is being performed correctly. This will not only hinder the person given the task, but it will also hinder you as a manager. Spending all of your time checking behind someone else will delay your own work.
Coaching: Managers must continue to provide direction, involve employees in problem solving and decision-making. Coaching is accomplished by asking for people's opinions, answering questions, and showing a personal interest in them as individuals. This is a necessity when people are no longer beginners but are still not fully skilled or confident in their ability to do a task. It is very important to consistently steer people in a positive direction. As a manager yourself, you will need coaching, throughout your career.
Supporting: Supporting your staff is a key part of being a manager, they look up to you, and it is your job to be their for them in order to foster an environment that will not only have them respect you, but want to do their job duties. Sometimes employees are capable of performing a task but are lacking in confidence. In this role, you are often a sounding board as they voice their concerns or discuss problems. However, rather than solve these problems for them, you offer support or engage them in a dialogue that allows them to solve the problems themselves. Doing so fosters independence and self-confidence in employees, this will enable them to do a better job.
Delegating: When delegating a task to employees, be sure that they are both skilled and confident in their ability to do a job. In many respects, employees at this stage, manage themselves and only come to you for new goals or projects or if they need assistance. However, keep in mind that if you use this style before employees are ready, they may feel that you have abandoned them as a boss, or are just throwing your extra workload on them.
Develop Leaders: As a manager, you must help people to grow; in doing this, you must be able to listen carefully, criticize constructively, be understanding of errors, correct mistakes and cross train in order to gather deputies. (This does not mean favorites) While trying to develop your own potentials, you should also be helping others to develop theirs.
References
Malone, Patrick- Seven Secrets of Successful Managers
Heller, Robert- Achieving Excellence
Certo, Samual C- Modern Management 9th Edition
Citing Internet Sources
http://www.dorothyleeds.com/workshops/smartq_managers.html. http://www.procompass-ms.com/pdfs/skills_for_new_m
