Starting a new managerial role is a significant career milestone—but while this phase of your career can be exciting, it can also be an extremely stressful time.
According to Forbes magazine, to be able to fully enjoy the advantages of this new role, you need to transition into it well. And to do so, you need to hone the skills you already have and develop the right new ones.
In this article, we will dive into the ten skills that every first-time manager must acquire to succeed. Let’s get started.
Effective Communication
Good management starts with effective communication. Without this skill, you may struggle to communicate both verbally and in writing with your team, superiors, and other departments.
Active listening is an extremely important aspect of this. First-time managers should learn how to pay attention to what their team is saying, taking into account their problems or suggestions. Using effective communication and creating a transparent workplace environment where all voices count should be one of your primary goals.
Time Management
One of the most important skills you should master is time management. Even experienced managers may struggle to find a work-life balance. But before you can even start tackling that, you need to face an even greater challenge: You need to complete your own tasks while overseeing everything that your team does.
By learning how to prioritize assignments, delegate tasks, and establish realistic deadlines for yourself and your team, you can plan your time more effectively. Additionally, online calendars, project management apps, digital to-do lists, and other tools can help you better organize your schedule and keep track of what needs to be done.
Delegation
Letting go of the reins and fully trusting your team to take over, rather than doing the work yourself, can be difficult. But that’s exactly what delegation is all about.
It involves understanding each team member’s strengths and weaknesses—and allows you to assign tasks that align with each person’s skills, make sure that work is completed efficiently, and further develop your team’s capabilities.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is undoubtedly one of the most difficult tasks for any manager, even seasoned ones.
In a setting where collaboration is the order of the day, you will have to bring together different people with their own unique personalities, opinions, and working styles. Unfortunately, this can lead to conflict. And the most common causes? Poor communication, stressful situations, and simple disagreements.
According to Lattice, a platform that promises to turn managers into leaders, one of the best ways to resolve conflict is by finding the root cause. How? You can start by remaining calm, listening to all sides of the story, and then finding a solution to help you de-escalate the situation.
Emotional Intelligence
One of the most important skills a first-time manager should master is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)—which starts with understanding your own emotions and triggers, to gain greater insight into what others may be feeling.
Developing this capability will grant you the empathy you need to better lead your team members, help them feel valued, and keep them motivated even in high-pressure situations.
Decision-making
Managers have to make decisions that impact their teams and organizations. Doing so effectively involves critical thinking, analytical skills, and weighing all the pros and cons.
You will need to find ways to gather relevant information, take different points of view into consideration, and make an educated choice. More importantly, you should also remain firm in your convictions and maintain confidence even in uncertain situations. That being said, you should also be ready to receive negative feedback that could change present beliefs and influence decisions.
Good Leadership Skills
According to the University of Salford, one of the major differences between managers and leaders is that the former focuses on planning and organizing things effectively, while the latter prioritize inspiring others.
By developing good leadership skills, you will be able to empower your team members and encourage them to work together effectively to reach their goals and targets. Interpersonal skills, negotiation, and self-respect are just a few good leadership skills new managers should acquire.
Flexibility
Flexibility and adaptability are important for most workers, but they might prove vital for first-time managers. Firstly, it is extremely important to learn to adapt to your new leadership role, a position that often requires new skills and adjustments.
Furthermore, the rise of remote work during the pandemic has demonstrated that most employees favor flexible working hours. To support your team’s preferences, flexible management is increasingly important nowadays. In fact, according to Officely, open-minded managers are able to create environments that can increase job satisfaction and boost productivity.
Interpersonal skills
While effective communication is vital, interpersonal skills take it a step further. By closely interacting and working with the members of your team both as individuals and as a group, you can create the ideal working environment. Interpersonal skills can also help managers become better listeners and more assertive leaders. This, in turn, will probably make your team more likely to follow your lead.
Creative Management
When you are in direct control of a team, inspiring them and keeping them motivated is a key part of your responsibilities.
However, drawing inspiration from others might prove equally important for first-time managers. When starting out, you can quickly improve your strategies by looking at what others have done, and then adapting their approach to fit your own needs. When faced with difficult situations at work, you can find creative ideas by exploring the journeys of leaders such as Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, and Tim Cook, the Apple CEO.
Lessons for New Managers
Being a first-time manager is never easy, but this new position also comes with many benefits and opportunities to grow.
While you will need to acquire new skills quickly, you are also able to develop your career faster than most employees. Mastering the ten skills listed above will help you adapt to your exciting new role with ease and, moreover, become better at it as time passes.
Furthermore, these new abilities can also help you lay a solid foundation and, ultimately, achieve success in the long run.
