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New Manager Struggles and Solutions

Problems from Day 1

Most new managers occupy their current positions as a result of good performance in the role that is performed by their direct reports.  That is a common source of new management talent because past performance is clearly the best indicator of future performance.  What is also common is to provide new managers with absolutely no training when they begin.

Unfortunately being good at a particular job does not automatically assure managerial excellence.  To make matters worse, new managers usually lack a way to recognize what managerial approaches work best.  The reason for this is that most of the freshly appointed leaders end up using a very broad approach in handling management issues that is also very broadly defined.  Thus when success or failure results during the day to day functions the new manager has no way to identify the cause.

This process is a time consuming and inefficient way for managers to discover how best to interact and direct the actions of their teams.  While this trial and error takes place it usually ends up with fractured teams and confused managers – at least in the interim.  The lasting effect is wasted time and loss of money.

What Can Be Done

New managers should determine the viability of their approaches based on simple cause and effect.  But using such a basic system of analysis still requires at least some degree of organization and process definition.  Otherwise the manager’s assessment of what caused a particular outcome still comes down to a best guess.

This organization should include a comprehensive definition of each of the manager’s roles.  This process is essential because it allows the manager to create a plan of action.  With a well defined plan of action the manager can then easily identify the approaches that they are planning, what approaches have been used and the impact of each of those efforts.  Using simple strategies like this can make a substantial difference in not only the performance of the manager but the overall satisfaction that he/she has with the job.  Continuing to use similar steps will help increase and enhance the overall ability of the manager.

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