How to excel in your first management position
You are no longer a doer of tasks. Now you are a caretaker of business needs. You got this promotion because somebody believes that you can do more than just deliver packets of work. They think you can “manage” and “lead people”. Here’s how to do it.
Understand business needs. Why does your team exist? Where do you fit in the bigger picture? Why did they pick you to lead it? What do they need most?
Make measurable deliverables. What exactly are you responsible for achieving? How will those objectives be measured? What are the acceptable boundaries for those metrics? How will you know when you are finished? Don’t let it drag out forever; have a plan to finish or to hand of the project to the “run team”or “operations team”. If you can’t hand it off, just establish new metrics for ongoing performance.
Determine a reporting rhythm. How frequently does the big boss need to know your progress? Should you go to them if the metrics drop below a certain point? If you beat your metrics, you should definitely report it. Will you need their sign-off at certain milestones or decision points?
Lead the team. If you have done the above, then you are in a position to lead. You know things that other people don’t. That’s why you are in charge. Now use all your people skills to actually make it happen. Fundamentally, your job as the manager is to make sure everyone’s efforts go towards the deliverables that you have defined. You cannot do this automatically and you cannot do it by force. Your job is not to micromanage and give orders. Your job is to coach, encourage, and constantly remind people why their efforts are worthwhile. Your job is to recognize top performers and reward them accordingly, with both recognition and money. And sometimes your job is to roll up your sleeves and contribute. Be friends with your team, but do not sacrifice your authority. Somebody has to be in charge. If that makes you uncomfortable, then you may be in the wrong position.
Once you’ve got these basics down, you’ll be on your way. There’s a lot more to management than this, but these are the fundamentals. There are tons of management books to learn the finer points, but I recommend starting with the Project Management Body of Knowledge. This is where I got my start. You can even get PMI certified after you read it.
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November 30th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Great tips! I would say though, that when you need to lead a project without a dedicated team, you need to you influencing skills and help others to prioritize so your project gets done.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Is that a clever pun in the title, or has Microsoft gotten inside your brain?
December 1st, 2007 at 10:51 am
No pun intended, but that’s funny now that you point it out.
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