It doesn’t matter if you are a new leader or have been in the position for a while. But it can be difficult to know where to begin your journey towards becoming a great leader. Although you may be able to perform the daily tasks necessary for promotion within your department, it is important that you have the ability to manage and lead people. There are many ways to train a manager for the first time. However, some methods always work better than others.
What is good leadership training?
Note that first time manager training and leadership are continuous processes. This is not something you can do in a single day. Studies show that 90% of learners forget what they have learned if the information isn’t reinforced.
Leaders and managers who are the best have a constant learning mindset. They strive to improve their knowledge and that of others. Continuous learning strengthens skills and ensures that managers retain the knowledge they have acquired over time. Information that’s not reinforced can be lost.
It’s important to keep in mind that great managers focus not only on the professional skills required to perform in the job but also the emotional skills necessary to be a great leader, such as self-awareness. This combination of personal and professional skills leads to the entire person’s development. This is exactly where doing and being come together.
Skills that first-time manager must receive training in
First-time managers should have a variety of professional skills, including the ability to use software and tools and a great understanding of company processes.
But they also need many emotional skills. Managers need to be able to communicate with their employees and understand their emotions. Here is a list of professional and emotional skills that first time managers need, regardless of their roles.
- How to serve as a supportive leader
- Being able to offer personalized support
- Being able to support in a holistic way
- Offer continuous and fast feedback
- Using the available time productively
- Setting clear expectations
- Building a welcoming aura around you
- Effective communication skills
- How to build a one-on-one relationship at work?
- How to make difficult decisions
- Making better decisions
- Combating indecisiveness
- Resolving workplace conflicts
- Creating repeatable processes
- Avoiding biases
- Understanding the costs of high turnover
- Hiring suitable candidates for various job roles
These skills are essential for leaders of any level, regardless of industry or title. These skills can also be useful for managing personal challenges that arise outside the offer. This allows managers to be more present in the workday.
Great managers are people who have a deep understanding of themselves and others. Meaning, they are not just able to improve themselves but also others.
Here are some tips for first-time managers
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There shouldn’t be an ending to your learning process
Leaders who are the most successful try to learn from every day and every experience. You can make learning a priority by reading regularly, taking advantage of your organization’s learning resources, and focusing on improving one skill at a time.
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Try to understand your team members
It is important to get to know your team members so that you can guide them in the right way. Empathy is key to understanding your team’s preferences and communication styles. Also, learn how to best get feedback from them. Understanding how your team thinks and works can help you avoid misunderstandings and build trust. As a manager, you should try to be one of them. Overseeing a project doesn’t mean seeing the project getting handled by other teams of my engineers from a distance. It means being involved in it and understanding it down to the tiniest detail so that even if you have to frame instructions, you frame them right. And this is one of the things good first time manager training solutions try to teach leaders.
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Understanding that it can be challenging to shift roles
It’s possible that your former colleagues will now report to you as a new manager. You need to think about how you interact with former colleagues as roles change. It can lead to feelings of favouritism or unrest among your colleagues if you spend too much time with former work friends. Be mindful of your work relationships and understand that your new role will bring new responsibilities. While it is not fun to put old work friends at a distance, it can be necessary for creating a fair workspace for all your team members.
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Finding a mentor is extremely important
Mentorships can lead to career and financial opportunities for mentors and mentees. They also increase the productivity and retention rates of organizations. Ask your company whether they offer internal mentorship opportunities. Find out who the leaders are in your company and ask them if they would mentor you.
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Receiving feedback
It takes time to settle into a new job. Ask your colleagues for feedback to see where you’ve made progress and where there are areas that you could improve. Being able to take positive and negative feedback and act on it is part of being a leader. This is a skill that will make you more successful. If your organization does not have the scalable tools necessary to facilitate this process, you can ask your peers for feedback.
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Set the right example
You can hold your team to the same high standards that you do yourself. Open communication is key. Participate in and show up at company events. Never stop learning and sharing the skills you have with your team. It’s crucial to show your employees that you are there to help them and the company as a leader.
So, whether you are confident or apprehensive, if you are a first-time manager, then dedicated training will help you a lot. A lot of companies these days have started to recognize the importance of first-time manager training and have begun incorporating it into their training program. As a result, their first-time leaders can offer great performance right from the word go.