To New Managers: Do Nothing
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Are you a new manager?
You’re in a new management role and you’re excited about all the wonderful things you’ll do with your new team in the next six months, right?
Not right.
Instead of jumping in with lots of new ideas and initiatives, the most important and valuable thing you can do right now is… nothing. That’s right. Nothing.
Yes, of course, you’ll keep current plans moving forward. But don’t plan anything new or try to wow senior management with great ideas until you’ve had your feet under the desk for a while. How long is “a while”? It depends on the type of company, e.g. start up or well established. It depends on what else is going on, initiatives they’ve just completed, or major challenge they’ve just faced down. It depends on whether you’re operational, admin, or marketing.
In any new job, it takes time to learn about the culture of the organization and the subtleties of how things get done. By observing and asking questions to gain understanding, you’ll gain more ground with stakeholders in the long-term than by going in gung-ho, no matter how good your idea is.
The reality is that new or inexperienced managers often have to work harder to gain trust and credibility. Give it time to establish a good track record and earn colleagues’ trust before attempting to influence stakeholders to implement a new initiative or prototype.
What else you can do if this is your situation
· Schedule “get acquainted” meetings with stakeholders to learn about their area of work, their challenges, and the specific problems they’re hoping to solve.
· You can practice pitching to your manager or a colleague with leadership experience before presenting to a broader group of stakeholders.
· If you have a mentor or coach, this is a great opportunity to explore ways to build trust.
Are you looking for a coach?
If you’re actively looking for a coach, schedule a free consult at https://calendly.com/ellia-harris/30min to explore whether Light Bulb Thinking™ coaching would be a good resource for you.