独家优惠奖金 100% 高达 1 BTC + 180 免费旋转

The Biggest Legal Mistakes Rookie Managers Make and How to Avoid Them

Steve is an amazing engineer, so he got promoted to be a manager because of his technical skills. He was a rockstar performer as an individual contributor. No one wondered at the company why he was bolstered to get that fancy position.

What an exciting future is waiting for him!

A few months later Steve was drowning. He was a mess at work, struggled with every task, putting out fires all day long, even when he knew this is not the solution to his headaches.

He wasn’t even liked by his team or trusted. Steve was miserable.
He made a lot of mistakes, but who doesn’t? But Steve was smart. He got over the failures, implemented a few changes and his career skyrocketed.

Want to know about Steve?

Let’s start right away, unfold the mistakes and find the pain points of a rookie manager and how to treat them.

Being a good leader has nothing to do with personal accomplishments — it’s about empowering your team.

What happened?

Steve failed to understand that his role had changed. He was no longer a rockstar engineer. He was about to prepare the band for the Carnegie Hall and the required skills are not the same.

That’s how Steve got into trouble, he set foot on unexplored territory. As his frustration started to materialize, he was focusing more on himself. This made him less capable to empower his team. The spirit and productivity went into freefall.

Leadership skills are not instinctual, they won’t come with the position. You will need help.

With the support of his executives, Steve became a spectacular leader, but his „close to fucking up big time” experiences are no strange for us.

Most of the companies think, that great employees, like Steve, will learn leadership skills by breathing air.

Every new leader needs the support of their bosses. It’s pretty obvious.
In the other hand, it would be crazy to think that each CEO would spend hours to train their rookies each week.

That’s why, YOU have to know what challenges are about to come, catch the problems early and eliminate them immediately. Sometimes you can do that all by yourself, you will be so proud. But most of the time, you will need help.

The skill poor Steve failed to realize was delegating.

He was under massive pressure to produce results, and he wanted to do it all by himself. Just like he used to do before the promotion.

It makes sense. His competence got him to be promoted in the first place. He feared losing control while facing massive responsibilities, meanwhile, he was ashamed to load others with heavy burdens.

But truly, the real shame was coming from the ineffective use of his team, hijack the opportunities to improve them with the advanced tasks.

Steve could have noticed the signs when he was,

It doesn’t matter what is the source of the problem, it’s not hard to tell if you are struggling with delegation.

Treatment?

Leading the team means you grow your team together, or they will grow apart. Trust and treat everyone equally, including yourself. Small tasks will win small successes and build confidence. If something is too big to be deal with, break it down into small, manageable actions with clear milestones, take the backseat and let them shine.

If you don’t have the guts to give your team responsibilities, you don’t deserve to lead them.

With clear guidance, you will realize your team’s top priorities. Treat them well, that will set a good tone for your future. It is hard to figure this out all by yourself that is why you need to get support from above.

Afraid to look weak, Steve didn’t ask for help. If you look yourself as a servant of your superiors, you will struggle. Just like Steve did.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

The wrong mindset will prevent you to get the support you desperately need. If you can’t get the help for yourself, you won’t be able to help your team either.

Signs you may in trouble:

Trying to do everything alone, Steve was hurting the whole team.

There is a massive risk to walk this path alone for the first time. Steve didn’t use to consult with his boss, so he wrestled the obstacles alone.

This is the point when things can go from bad to worse. Imagine if Steve gives up, leaving the team behind with tons of busy days.

Treatment?

Open communication with all direction (team, peers, boss) is a first step to avoid huge mistakes. For sure, you will make some, but don’t try to cover them up.

Talk openly about your failures, and learn from them. Let others learn from it. As Ray Dalio said Pain + Reflection = Progress.

If you are in doubt prepare a meeting with specific agenda about the topic. Get used to organize and present your thoughts. With practice, you will get used to it, and this will help you to boost your confidence.

Steve was in great need of the ability to sparkle confidence. He battled inside to look self-assured on the surface, but he radiated insecurity, and that didn’t inspire anyone from the team.

Steve’s frantic efforts made him look miserable and he didn’t have a clue about the image he projected. That led to massive stress, cheap tricks, pointless attempts to cure his reputation. This way the company seniors couldn’t see him as a competent leader.

Visual signs of Steve’s sheer madness:

Feeling insecure is normal, covering it with arrogance is not a good idea. It will create only alienation amongst the people. It could lead to becoming a speaking-tube of senior management which will bury your authority six feet under.

How to avoid this?

You must be honest with your team and yourself. Asking for feedbacks will remove the blind spots of your communication skills. A monthly review chat will do tons of good. Honest feedback is the best way to avoid arrogant douchery — and set your pace into safe haven. Honesty will build trust, building trust is the foundational base for teams to create a positive change.

Observe yourself, your behavior, the way you think and the way you speak. Observe your feelings, if you feel something went wrong, ask immediate feedback from someone you trust. These might be tough conversations, but they are crucial for your development.

Small steps for a higher purpose. Even in darkest times, Steve was managed to focus on the big picture.

Steve was never letting immediate tasks to shroud his long-term plans. Fighting fires often feels more productive. They are quick successes, deceptive and highly addictive.

Don’t try to jump in the front lines immediately if something goes wrong, because it will drain all your energy, it’s exhilarating. Think about the cause of the problems and find a strategy to avoid them in the future. (Pain + Reflection = Progress)

When you’re losing focus you might,

If you are too busy dealing with urgent problems and nervous about scheduling strategic planning, that’s a warning sign. Steve’s team was expected to increase their productivity for the next year, and he knew they have to do some planning to make that happen.

What to do to avoid the busy trap?

Discuss the issues stopping your team to achieve the big goals. Focus the big picture, explain the strategy behind and plan for it. Putting measurable goals on paper will guide you and your team as a blueprint.

Soft skill developments are largely undervalued, make them part of the plan, so you can keep an eye on your personal evolution as well.

Steve was finally managed to survive against the odds, but it was a hard lesson learned.

Here’s the take away in five steps for apprentice leaders,

Most of us think that these skills are natural, and yet we fail to realize their importance.

These skills are vital, not just for rookies, but for all managers and leaders. Steve realized that soon enough. Steve is smart. Be like Steve and be the competitive advantage any company desires!

Thank you for reading it, if you liked, share it with your friends and loved ones!

I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments!

Stay tuned for more!

Add a comment

What is your view?

Send

Related posts:

Leaving the Comfort Zone

Taking Ministry Outside of Our Comfort Zones