HOW TO MAKE YOUR FIRST DAY AS MANAGER A SUCCESS
Sooo you just got promoted or hired on as a brand new manager and you’re about to have jumped into your first day and you’re not sure what exactly to do and where to start.
Well my friend this video is for you!
Would you prefer to read rather than watch? Not to worry! You can read the blog post below.
But first, to really help you stand out in your new role I highly recommend downloading The Ultimate Guide to Being an Effective Team Leader. A free downloadable interactive guide to help you show up and stand out and take the right action steps.
Tip #1 – YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR THIS ROLE FOR A REASON
Ok so first things first – I need you to know and remember something really important. You, my friend, were chosen for this role for a reason.
Listen I know that right now you are probably feeling a wide range of emotions – excitement and maybe even some self doubt or imposter syndrome which is why you felt the need to search this topic.
But I want you to know going into the role that you are more than capable of doing this thing called leadership and management that I know for sure.
I like to remind the clients I work with that you being promoted wasn’t a mistake and the people that placed you in this position didn’t just put you in this position without thought.
And that’s because at the end of the day businesses are making decisions in the interest of their bottom line.
Now yes, I know we have some wonderful organizations out there that care about more than just their bottom line but every business has to care about their revenue.
All this to say, decisions are never made at random.
If a senior leader or executive made this decision to put you in the role of management it’s because they believe you are a good fit for the role and they want you to succeed at it.
In fact they have a vested interest in you succeeding. All you have to do now is believe that you are worthy of this position.
Tip #2 – PRE PLAN WITH YOUR MANAGER AHEAD OF TIME FOR THE TRANSITION
The things that we choose to pay attention to will have a better chance of turning out great than the things we let happen by accident.
If you haven’t had this conversation with your manager about how things are going to be announced and communicated to your new team then circle back to your manager to discuss a well laid out transition plan so that your first day isn’t a medley of disasters.
Here’s why this is so important: When coaching clients on the zones of change, I often show them this diagram which is a model of the four zones of change based on our emotional responses.
Zone 1 is the zone of status quo when things are plugging along.
Zone 2 is pattern disrupted, so that’s when change is introduced.
You are being promoted from within or coming in as the new manager takes the whole team and puts them in the zone of disruption.
If the zone of disruption is not handled properly it affects zone 3 which is adoption or acceptance and ultimately zone 4 which is performance.
All this to say if you don’t give care to the transition you are starting off on the wrong foot and you will always be trying to make up where you didn’t start correctly.
The communication around your promotion is going to be the most important thing that will set you up for success.
Tip #3 – WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE
From day one people are going to be watching very carefully what you do and what you say. I say that not to scare you but to share the reality of what it’s like in the seat of a manager.
You are in a position of authority now and with that comes great responsibility. Using terms like We instead of I and Me – can make all the difference in the way that you are perceived from the very beginning.
And you might think this is small but it makes a difference.
Think about the words in your vocabulary that you might be using right now that, if you continue to use, might give off the wrong impression or message to your new team and choose language that reflects your actual views and what you want to create.
Tip #4 – SET UP MEET AND GREETS
This would obviously be the informal chats that you spend listening to and getting to better know the people that you are about to spend a lot of time with.
It’s going to be a lot less awkward for you if you are a manager that is brand new to the team than if you are one that is being promoted from within.
But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done.
There should be no skipping this. Now you might not get to everyone on day one but every single person on your team should know they are on the schedule from day one.
Tip #5 – ACTIVELY LISTEN
Listen intently to what is being said around you.
Your first day is definitely a day that you want to be fully present and listen to what’s being said and not said around you because there is going to be so much that you can pick up from nuance that you’ll miss if you are not attuned to it.
