Tips for new managers

Managing people is one of the toughest jobs around. Often, those who become managers are selected because they excel as individual contributors, even though they might not have the skills or interests necessary to succeed at management. If this description fits you, consider following these tips to improve your management potential.

1. Focus on outcome, not process.

2. Evaluate yourself and others on results, not effort.

3. Delegate unimportant tasks.

4. Manage up.

5. Keep learning.

1. Tell people the result you want, not how to accomplish it. Employees will be more responsive and less defensive if you provide a clear vision of the outcome, not step-by-step instructions. They’ll display more initiative, work more innovatively, and feel more ownership over time. This approach turns management into mentoring.

2. It's not how hard you work, it's what you get done. Anybody can work hard, and many people do. Successful people focus on accomplishing results--not on expending effort. Review your own accomplishments in this light, and make sure your employees understand this is how they’ll be evaluated.

3. Delegate unimportant tasks. Don’t waste your time on urgent but unnecessary tasks. Stephen Covey explains the difference between important, urgent, unimportant, and non-urgent tasks. Devoting yourself to the right problems is a hallmark of effective managers (and employees).

4. Manage up. Be as thoughtful about your communications with your supervisor as you are with your employees. Tell your boss about you and your team’s achievements, not just the problems. Read this article about getting your point across: http://management.about.com/library/weekly/aa072802.htm?terms=communication

5. Continue to educate yourself. Learn more about management, your business, yourself, and more. Consider getting an MBA or other advanced degree.

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About the writer: M. N. Charget is a long-time manager and management consultant.

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