Making it easier
Here are a few things you can do to make it easier on you.
Relax a little
New managers feel an extra pressure to show results and to prove themselves in a new role. In most cases, this pressure is self-generated. In fact, a new manager may have a little bit of a honeymoon period, since the senior managers understand that there's a learning curve involved. The extra attention you may be getting could also be because people want to help you and not just scrutinize you.
Different people respond to pressure in different ways. Some may respond aggressively and try to do too much and others may become too circumspect and try to do too little. Either way may not be the best way forward.
Let's look at some scenarios and responses from different viewpoints:
Understanding the information needs of your organization
A large part of any job today is to deal with information. However, every organization has its own way of dealing with the information, and every individual has his/her own way of working with, and requiring, information.
As a new manager, you would deal with a lot more information than you did as an individual contributor. You will also generate information for others to consume, like the status of your team to be sent to your manager or any important project-related decisions to be shared with your team.
While sending out information, consider the following:
- Urgency of the information
- Is this information time critical
- Level of detail required for the information being provided
- Does the context need to be set for the recipients?
- Is there a culture of sharing information voluntarily or sharing only when required
- How formal should the information be?
- How to share confidential information
- Preferred means of information sharing, such as written information, e-mail, wiki, or Word documents
Besides learning how to process information for your organization and for your immediate manager, you will also need to identify the key channels of data. For example:
- Let your team know what to report and the level of detail required, that is, let them know of your information needs
- Which meetings are key to attend
- Communication from key people and important broadcasts, which need to be read and should not get lost in the sea of e-mail
- View only channels, where you just want to be connected and don't have to respond, such as a support mailing list for related products.
- Informal channels to be connected to the grapevine
Finally, learn how to archive information so you can find it later. A lot of stuff goes around only to come back, and having the past references can make a big difference.
Know your success measures
Many problems arise because it's not clear what is considered a success. It is extremely demotivating when you don't see recognition despite doing everything right.
Every organization has a certain set of criteria to be met before something qualifies for success. For example, in a software project, you may complete the functionality in time and with good testing done as such. However, if you did not create automation tests, the management may still see it as incomplete and consider the quality questionable.
Take some extra time when defining the project to list down the key criteria to be met besides the core deliverable. Similarly, work with your manager to define the key aspects of the job, and what is considered as success at the organizational level. Also, some of the success measures for you may be different for your peers, since you work in different areas.
Learn to say NO
This is a difficult one, especially for new managers. It is indeed true that nobody likes to hear a NO, after all, if someone expected a no, why would they ask?
While it is perfectly all right to take on more, and say YES, it's always better if you say that willingly.
Many a request will come to you, and many will add work for you and for your team. Most of this work may be unexpected and may lead to an overstretch of your resources. As a manager, you are supposed to utilize and nurture your resources. An overstretch may not be in the best interests of the team.
It is an art to say no to people and an integral part of business communication. Here are some tips:
- Understand that it's well within your right to say no. Don't be guilty about it.
- Be firm and understanding of the other person's needs and expect the same from them.
- Or, defer the decision till you have all the facts, including looking at the calendar or discussing with other team members before you commit.
- Don't be upset that somebody is asking you to do more. Be polite and express your inability.
- "I don't know if I can take that one", or a more direct one, "I wish I could, but I really can't".
- Offer some alternatives.
- If you are unable to do the above, sign up for some soft skills courses on assertiveness.
The art of saying NO without leaving a bad aftertaste will serve you well, not just in your career, but also in your personal life.
Get organized
Planning and preparation are absolutely necessary to manage a larger scope, especially when most of the things are not in your control. The level of planning that worked at the individual contributor level will not be sufficient for a managerial role, and the nature of preparation needed is very different as well. We'll look at some tips for this now.
Just like financial management starts with knowing where you spend your money, time management starts with knowing where you spend your time.
Spend 10 minutes at the end of the day to quickly look through how time was spent that day.
For some strange reason, individual contributors don't like to use the calendar. It is not a daily routine for ICs to look at the calendar; instead, most ICs rely on a to-do list.
A to-do list is a great way to know what needs to be done; however, it's NOT a plan.
Every task and activity is not at the same level of urgency or importance. Urgent is stuff that cannot wait, and will take precedence over many other things to be done. Important are the activities which are crucial and must be done in order to accomplish your goals with quality and consistency.
For example, attending to a hot customer problem is urgent and cannot wait. While a quality review of your deliverable is an important activity, which must be done, it doesn't have to be done right now.
(Reference: First things First, by Dr Stephan Covey, is a recommended read and explains this concept in great detail.)
Start the day by looking at the calendar and planning out how you are going to spend the day. Knowing what is coming in the day and in the week helps you set your expectations and avoids the panic and uncertainty. It's ok if you can only accomplish part of your plan due to other reasons. Over time, it can only get better.
Find someone to talk to
It's human nature to talk and find solutions through discussion. However, it may not be easy to find the right person to talk to. If you can, find a mentor. Somebody who has seen more than you and can help you charter the waters. A mentor can provide you with an outside perspective and bring about some validation when you need one.
If you can't find a mentor, have a peer support group where you can learn from the experiences of other managers.
One word of caution, a mentor or support group is not your therapist. Don't go there to only get advice or empty out your frustrations; instead, go there to share and learn. Also, this does not shift your responsibility; you still need to make your own decisions whatever else follows. While you share, be discreet.
Having some validation for decisions or more information will help you go into a decision with more confidence and may help you see better as you navigate through your career.
Sign up for formal training and education
The need for managerial training is well recognized by most organizations, and if you are lucky, your organization may have several different short-term courses. Unfortunately, many people do not spend enough time and effort in leveraging this training. Since you are reading this book, it's likely that you do believe there's more to learn. Some suggestions to consider are as follows:
- Time management
- Assertive communication
- Project planning
- Performance appraisal
- Self improvement training such as the Seven Habits© Franklin Covey programs
If you find the time and support, talk to your management about a more involved program that may be run by an external agency like IIM or any other institution of repute.