8 Challenges New Managers Encounter

I love working with new Leaders. Whether that’s partnering on a Leadership Development course, 1 to 1 mentoring or simply working on a project together. Naturally like any new role, especially stepping up to lead a group of people comes with its challenges. Today I want to explore some of the common challenges I see new Leaders struggle with and a few links to corrective action you can take if you’re struggling with this particular area.

8 Challenges:

1. Lack of Self Belief - whether it’s Imposter Syndrome kicking in or you just don’t believe in yourself. This is very common with new Managers who have taken on a new role and important responsibility of managing a team, but doubt themselves or don’t think they’re up to the task.How do I overcome this? HERE

2. Type of work - the things that made you successful as an individual contributor will not make you successful in your new leadership role. As an individual contributor, you were carrying out the tasks and focusing on your own work. In a leadership role, you have a lot more responsibilities and your focus is on supporting your team to do the tasks. If you spend too much time doing the work for your team then you’ll soon be struggling with the workload and actually being an effective leader. Focus on the Important work.How do I overcome this? HERE

3. Lack of Time Management - in your old role the work and what you needed to take care of were quite consistent. You had your day to day and workflow down. In a Leadership role, you need to make quick decisions and decide what’s important to prioritise. You’ll have a lot more autonomy and freedom but you need to have strong time management skills to ensure you’re focusing on the important work. How do I overcome this? HERE

4. Lack of Example - as the new Manager you need to behave like one. New Managers sometimes continue to behave how they behaved in their old roles. You are a Leader now. So you need to behave like one. This involves maintaining exceptional levels of integrity, exhibiting the company's core values and constantly being the master copy ready to be replicated everywhere. If you cannot do this then you should decide if Leadership is for you. How do I overcome this? HERE

5. Emotional Intelligence - is a massive one that new leaders struggle with. Most of the time it’s just awareness rather than something they cannot master. This is really the difference between being successful and not. If you cannot regulate your own moods, if you cannot empathise with your team, if you’re not aware of your own emotions, if you're not keen on fostering big relationships and if you don’t have intrinsic motivation to keep going then you should consider your options. How do I overcome this? HERE

6. Lack of Relationships - they don’t focus on relationships. Relationships should be a daily focus for you. You need to continue to nurture and contribute to BIG relationships with your partner, your team, your work colleagues, your customers and whoever else you work with. New Managers will fail to become effective if they don’t build relationships. No relationships = No Trust. How do I overcome this? HERE

7. Lack of Resilience - let’s be honest, you’re going to fail and make mistakes. This is the cost of entry and what it takes to become a great Leader. Failure and what you learn will help you grow. Some new Leaders don’t get that. They play it too safe and become ineffective. You have to make decisions, get stuff done and move forward. Always look to challenge yourself.How do I overcome this? HERE

8. Lack of Drive - when you win and get that promotion you become a beginner again. Enjoy the win, but whatever you do, don’t standstill. New Managers can sometimes spend too much time at the table of success and living off previous wins, there is a lack of drive and focus to go after the next goal or target. Successful leaders in my experience are always “up to something”, they have a goal, a target, something they want to improve and are looking to get to the next level.How do I overcome this? HERE

I would love to hear what challenges you are currently facing as a new Manager or what challenges you remember facing when you stepped up to lead a team for the first time. Short Survey HERE.

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• Book - Hello Stay Interviews by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans. This book is simple, it’s about having meaningful check-ins with your team to ensure they’re happy in their roles. As opposed to asking them how you could have provided a better experience during an exit interview when they’re already halfway out the door. “Hello Stay Interviews” should form part of your engagement and retention plans.

• YouTube - Evan Carmichael Confidence Series - Evan put together a series of daily confidence-building videos from celebrities to motivational speakers delivered via YouTube directly to your inbox everyday. 254 days to Unstoppable Confidence.

• Blog - Leaders vs Leaders of Leaders. Came across this blog that provided me with some value and great insight and I wanted to share. It uncovers the key differences in thinking and behaviour between a Leader leading individual contributors and a Leader leading other Leaders.

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