The First-Time Manager summary

Introduction

The First-Time Manager by Loren B. Belker. New managers must build trust and adapt their style to lead effectively. What happens when a strong individual contributor suddenly gains authority and must earn trust from former peers?

The First-Time Manager shows how thoughtful leadership, clear communication, and adaptability can turn that transition into effective management.

build trust and adapt your management style

Build trust and adapt your management style. As a new manager, it might be tempting to wield your new authority. Some new managers feel like they need to play the part of the boss.

They make drastic departmental changes or issue extensive orders. In most cases, though, using this kind of authority isn't necessary. It shows your employees that your new power has simply gone to your head. That makes it difficult to gain their trust going forward.

However technical your job may be, successful management comes down to having good people skills. How others perceive you impacts their motivation to work for you. So it's especially important upfront to make a good impression. This impression builds confidence and trust in your abilities.

During your first week as a new manager, avoid making any major changes. Give your employees some time to get used to your presence. Then at some point over the next two months, schedule an initial conversation with every person on your team. This could be a casual meeting in your office, a lunch, or a coffee break.

But it's important that the conversation happens in person and it should not be rushed. This meeting isn't meant to assert your agenda. It's meant to open the lines of communication between you and your direct reports. So avoid doing all the talking.

Establishing this open communication is crucial. It helps your team gain trust and confidence in you. It also helps them see that you have trust and confidence in them. And to build confidence in your team, it's important to show them how much you appreciate their contributions.

Though most people like to feel appreciated for their performance. This doesn't mean you should constantly praise your employees. On the contrary, giving too much praise comes across as insincere. Rather, show appreciation only when you truly believe someone deserves it.

Be specific about the behavior you're recognizing. Describe how the impact of that performance benefits the company. You'll usually want to do this in private. That way, you don't accidentally make other employees feel undervalued or jealous.

Building confidence and trust doesn't happen overnight. But listen to your team's concerns and show genuine appreciation for their work. They'll come to see you as honest, decent, supportive, and ultimately trustworthy. Building trust is only the beginning.

You also need to adapt the way you manage different people and situations. Unfortunately, we still see the old-school autocrat in management. This autocratic manager wants complete control of everything and expects robot-like performances from his team. Autocrats believe that they should make every decision.

They also believe that a softer approach is a sign of weakness. On the other hand, diplomatic managers spend time explaining what should get done and why. Diplomats know that involving their team in decisions pays off in productivity. As a result, their teams feel like they're working with their boss rather than for their boss.

Though you might naturally lean toward one of these approaches, neither is sufficient. In reality, different people and situations require different management approaches. So it's important to cultivate an awareness approach when developing your management style. As a manager, your primary responsibility is to make sure your employees have what they need.

This allows them to do their best possible work. This requires a balance between control and encouragement. You exercise control when assigning work, explaining the work, and ensuring the work gets done. And you provide encouragement by motivating, listening, helping the team meet expectations, and running interference when needed.

Different employees will need different amounts of control and encouragement based on their circumstances. By adopting the awareness approach, you focus on each team member's motivation and competency. Then you customize the amount of control or encouragement you give them. So if someone is motivated but lacks knowledge, that person mostly needs control from you.

If they're skilled but not motivated, they mostly need encouragement. The amount of control or encouragement you give someone may change based on the situation. Say you have a staff member, Andy, who usually excels when working alone. After being put on a team project, you notice that he's struggling to work with others.

You also notice that his enthusiasm is waning. While Andy usually needs little encouragement or control, in this situation he requires substantially more of both. He needs them in order to transition into a teamwork environment. Similarly, you may need to adapt your overall management style in certain situations.

If you've been given an emergency project, you might consider taking a more authoritative approach. This can help you meet the quick turnaround, but you exercise this kind of power only occasionally. Your team will understand the shift as an exception rather than viewing you as a dictator.