Challenges faced in transitioning to a managerial role & 6 ways to prepare better
Assuming management responsibilities is a rewarding but challenging transition for an employee in any organisation. Unsurprisingly, nearly 44% of first-time managers feel unprepared for their new role. The most difficult part of a manager’s job includes dealing with employees’ issues. Managers must also motivate the workforce towards doing their best and successfully achieving the business objectives. This article aims to highlight the challenges that new managers face and how enrolling oneself in a business management program can help ease the transition process into a managerial role.
Why managerial responsibilities are tough to assume
While being promoted to a managerial position is a career milestone, assuming responsibilities for the role is no cakewalk. This is because managers are required to walk a tightrope between balancing the interests of the company and the employees. Managers are responsible for explaining and assigning tasks to their subordinates as per their talent and strengths, which can get daunting at times. They must also regularly take tough business decisions based on limited information and be accountable for their own and the business’ performance.
For a successful stint as a manager, individuals should fulfil their managerial responsibilities to the best of their ability, without neglecting the small issues that might mushroom into bigger problems. People can also take the help of formal education programs like the IIM management courses that offer valuable insights into handling the roles and responsibilities of a manager.
New Managers and the key challenges they face
Many employees perform great in their individual capacity. However, management roles entail handling large projects and teams, which requires skills beyond technical competence only, thus posing the biggest problem for individual employees transitioning to management. Herein, we discuss the various challenges that are faced by new managers:
1)Trying to do everything on your own
New managers may tend to think they know everything about their organisation and business function. They may also assume they were promoted for being better than other employees. As a result, new managers may not trust others with important tasks and decisions. They would avoid delegating tasks to other employees, thus taking all the work pressure upon themselves and risking burnout. In addition, their misplaced sense of superiority might lead to poor decision-making.
Instead of trying to do everything themselves, new managers should simply be honest and understand they might not have all the answers and consult experts for resolving the company’s problems. They can also reach out to mentors who have managerial expertise when making important organizational decisions.
Making the transition from being a colleague to a superior is quite challenging. Retaining the respect of their team members and maintaining positive relationships with them is an uphill task for new managers. However, to brave through this tough situation, they should develop new skills to manage and influence their team and encourage coordination among them.
3) Managing the performance and accountability of others
First-time managers are often not comfortable giving feedback to their subordinates on their poor performance. This calls for new managers to develop the requisite skills for ensuring accountability among their subordinates. Managers need to learn to appropriately deal with employees who do not have the experience, knowledge, or ability to perform a given task. Continuing education programs like the IIM certificate programs in management can help new managers learn these skills within a short time.
4)Lack of interpersonal skills
New managers also have the arduous task of communicating effectively with their team members having different personalities. To overcome this challenge, managers must sharpen their verbal, listening, and writing skills, which may encourage the employees to come to you with their problems.
6 Ways to prepare better for your transition to management roles
Every individual employee would take some time to transition to a management role. Nevertheless, here are some ways to make a smooth transition to management roles:
1)Establish your boundaries
To get the best from company employees, managers should strike the right balance when it comes to overseeing their work. This means they must neither get overly involved in an employee’s work nor adopt a hands-off approach.
Managers must offer their guidance only as and when required, encouraging employees to work independently as much as possible.
2)Seek advice from your seniors
First-time managers tend to feel burdened with the pressure of having all the answers. Nonetheless, they must know that all managers pass through a phase where they seem to be at crossroads. However, all they have to do is reach out to a mentor for guidance when they are confused about the next course of action.
Managers must be at the forefront during crisis situations in organisations. Keeping calm and being patient while advising others to do the same until the tide passes over is the best approach for managers to adopt. People look to their leaders to help them during crises, which necessitates managers to remain level-headed during such situations.
4) Work on your interpersonal skills
By honing their communication skills, managers can communicate effectively with their teams and support them in attaining the organizational goals.
To overcome any communication problems, managers can conduct personality tests to know the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. As a result, they know how to communicate with a particular employee and bring out the best in them. These techniques can also be learned by enrolling in executive education programs like the IIM certificate programs.
Delegating tasks is another important duty of a manager. By doing so, they empower other employees and make them feel responsible. However, managers must always delegate tasks to employees as per their skill sets and talents to ensure higher productivity for the business organisation.
6) Invest in continuing education
New managers must seek opportunities to enhance their leadership skills from time to time. These might be in the form of workshops, seminars, or formal courses offered by educational institutions, such as the IIM management courses. By participating in a continuing education program, new managers can better understand the strategies required to become capable leaders that can drive organisational success. With easy accessibility and wide availability of flexible business management programs, upskilling on the job has become common for young first-time managers.
To know more: https://executive.timespro.com/blog-detail/challenges-faced-in-transitioning-to-a-managerial-role-6-ways-to-prepare-better/
