What does a young manager have to cope with?

When we are promoted we feel joyful, fulfilled and happy. A moment later, our ambition turns on. Somebody has appreciated our efforts, now we can not stop! If we have been recruited as a manager, we have many similar feelings. In a nutshell, the time has come for us to face challenges and show our best side. That’s exactly how the professional path of many managers looks.

Time passes, and our view of the work itself, our co-workers, our duties, and even our skills takes on a completely new dimension. Enthusiasm and confidence weaken, and we begin to lose the ground beneath our feet. As a result, anger, frustration and increasing stress appear, and the time dedicated to work takes up increasingly more of our private time.

Why is this so?

There are a few automatically changing factors that influence this. It is possible to state that there is a certain pattern. See how many changes there are:

This may seem obvious, but young people are very often unaware of which position they now work in.

When someone becomes a manager by being promoted, it is difficult to transfer to a different style. Just a while ago, Pete from IT was his friend from work, but now is part of his team. The team that he manages! This is a huge difference and subconscious internal conflicts appear. It is not easy to suddenly begin to manage and treat everyone in a different way to previously. The environment in a given organisation may not necessarily want to treat you differently than before.

Another obstacle is experience and confidence in your knowledge. Being the best salesperson in the department, we know “how to do it” and we feel confident. When we jump up to a higher level, suddenly there is a need to use skills in management, planning, organising, understanding, noticing problems, often mediation, as well as to be demanding, helpful and firm. This is a completely different range of skills than you needed in your previous position. Our imagination is confronted by reality. We learn things again. And how we deal with all of this depends only on us.

Due to our experience as a specialist, we sometimes begin to look at new work through the perspective of our previous results and style of work. If we were previously excellent salespeople, we have a wealth of knowledge about how to effectively sell, what techniques to use, and how to speak with others etc. And this is where a problem appears, because it is common for “fresh” managers to want to impose their own style of action. After all, that’s why they have just been promoted or recruited.

Of course, this is a good thing, however, at this stage there should be a certain type of verification. You have become a leader, and something totally different is expected from a leader! You should give your team support, designate the path to follow, set goals, inspire, show options and give the team all the resources necessary for them to develop together beside you. You are one of them, only in a slightly different role. Your favourite word is now “road sign”. You ensure that everyone feels secure, and that is very valuable in each type of work.

You appreciate people who react calmly during challenges and look for the best solutions. They are also able to understand and point out mistakes, at the same time showing what is worth changing in order to achieve given goals. We often turn to such people with difficult questions. They become an authority for us. We are not afraid of evaluations, we only feel a desire to improve. We receive support.

Be such a person. Become a leader who you would like to work with yourself. Don’t focus on what you have done earlier, but on how to obtain the best from each individual co-worker.

Managers use specific actions. They set goals, plan and analyse. They demand. Despite appearances, co-workers like such people. They know exactly what you expect from them and what they should do. They also become responsible for their own work and more motivated.

Your task is to modify the path to the goal. If you see that there should be a turn to the right and not to the left, or there should be a u-turn, then react. Precisely define all tasks and set the terms. Appraise. Thanks to this you will avoid the transfer of responsibility, chaos and ineffective work.

Realise tasks through your team. This is the best way to reach the finish line, regardless of how far away it is. Remember one very important thing: the success of your team is your victory and, simultaneously, the greatest reward. Become a mentor.

Good luck!