You’ve been promoted to manager and you probably enjoy greater powers. But at the same time you should not forget that you also have more responsibility and also that most unsuccessful newly promoted managers fail because they repeat the same leadership mistakes. Which ones are they?
They make enemies on their own team
You have to learn how to help others, not just yourself. As soon as your people see that you put your own interests first, they will view you as an enemy.
They think the same way as they did before the promotion
Leaders must focus on activities with high value added for attaining business results through their team. They can no longer afford to think non-strategically, as they were used to up until the promotion.
They don’t know how to ask for help
Don’t think that you must know everything. Your team will not stop respecting you if you reveal that you don’t know something. It’s much more important to know whom to turn to and to not be afraid to ask.
They make all the decisions themselves
If you do not want to become a dictator, try to involve your team members in the decision making process as much as possible so that you support the sense of community and democracy.
They do not realize that the change does not affect only them
Newly promoted managers should understand that their new role is a change not only for them, but for their entire team as well. It is therefore necessary to actively work on how to make this change as easy as possible for the team.
They are too theoretical
Everything you’ve read in books about people management is a good foundation. But the real world is about practice, and there you cannot rely on theory alone.
-kk-