5 Things New Managers Usually Screw Up

New managers screw up. It’s part of the job. Honestly, I have screwed up much more than five things. Hell, even since starting this article, I’ve made mistakes. Making mistakes is important, but even more important is to recognize that and aspire to improve. In that spirit, consider these five common errors that new managers make.

1 - Being “friends” with their directs

You are not friends. Friendly is not the same thing as being friends. Professional. You are a manager, and one of the core responsibilities of a manager is that you may have to terminate employment of your direct. Friends don’t fire friends. That reality should always be front of mind. You shouldn’t obsess about termination, obviously, but it’s a reality of the job that new managers struggle with.

2 - Skipped defining expectations of the manager

You have a job. Your direct has a job. You may have set expectations for your direct, but don’t skip the step where you outline what your direct should expect from you. Establishing boundaries and modes of working are critical so that both sides understand expectations and can operate against that.

• “I will give you feedback. It may be critical at times, but it’s important to me that you have a clear picture of how I and the organization is understanding your performance. If you are not getting it from me as often as you would like, or the content is unclear or not helpful, you need to let me know”
• “I expect us to use our 1-1s well. I am investing time into your success, so please share anything that is not maximizing your performance and overall job satisfaction. Ultimately I want you to get shit done and enjoy it.”

Once you’ve set it, don’t forget it. Continually reinforcing the expectations through regular 1-1s and feedback will set you up well.

3 - Exerted role power

“Because I said so” is rough. When you were growing up, you likely hated hearing that phrase from your parents. A curt reminder that you don’t hold all the authority over your life.

Sometimes, you’ll have to utilize your role authority in certain circumstances, but it should be rare. You should rely on your relationship with your direct, built up over weeks of investment in feedback and 1-1s and enact change through a dialogue.

4 - Don’t take good notes

If you are not producing an outline’s worth of content per week per person on your team, you are shooting yourself in the foot. You may think it unnecessary now, but in the future, you will really really wish you had them. Here are just a few reasons why:

You will think more efficiently.

Better, more creative thinking in less time. Taking notes and reviewing them is how you think best. It has been backed by study after study. The more you write down and review, the higher the chances you will unlock new insights and creative problem solutions.

Preventing termination amid a layoff

Layoffs happen, more than you realize before becoming a manager; small or large-scale terminations to make budgets line up are a reality of organizations. The folks responsible for the budget will seek recommendations of what folks can be removed. If you are caught flat-footed without a ready-to-go recommendation backed up with evidence and thoughtfulness you are a lot more likely to be handed orders to terminate someone without your input.

Review writing

Experienced managers do not fret about review writing season as much as new managers. Why? After doing them a couple times, you know what to expect, and you better prepare by spreading the work out over the year, instead of concentrating it in a “crunch week” of cramming in review writing. It is easy to convert solid notes that cover six or twelve months rather than writing them from scratch.

Defending your promotion recommendation

If you are a new manager, you might not have a solid understanding of the dynamics of promotion and merit increases. Promotions typically require a defense or calibration, usually with your boss and/or boss’s boss. Using a “because they deserve it” without an extensive log and paper trail is insufficient. Bring receipts, write good notes.

Inquiry from HR / your boss. “How’s Roger doing?”

Folks at your company aren’t blind. Your directs will interact with other people as much if not more than you. They will make mistakes. Word will make it to you.

“Roger is prickly in the weekly meeting”.

Without a backlog of notes to reference to understand why that might be, you could can be caught flat-footed. Instead, with good notes, you’ll feel more in control and on top of things.

“Yes, he’s going through some personal matters, I’ll take it up with him and see if we can address it.”

5 - Prioritize own work over the management job

Management is a different job than being a contributor / technician. A lot of new managers make the mistake of doing their managerial responsibilities in the margins of the work they were doing prior to promotion. Typically you will still do some “hands-on” work, and that’s a good thing! It keeps you grounded and connected with the work. After all, you are mentoring and coaching your team and it will land better if you have your hands dirty. But doing it too much can cause harm to your team through lack of attention to management tasks like regular and consistent feedback and 1:1s.

It’s understandable. Management is a function of time. Relationships built over months and years provide invaluable insights and collaboration with talented people. Achieving results with your team will feel all the more rewarding if you can embrace your opportunity to be a force multiplier.

I love the job of management, but it is a job. Many managers are promoted in-flight of their career, so it can feel like a reset. Learning, ropes embrace the experience, stockpile wisdom.