Subject: Being a first time Manager

I agree about there being little support offered.  When I was appointed to a management post, I asked my Manager if there was any training going to be provided.  My request was met with some surprise!   The view seemed to be that because I was good at my "old" job, the assumption was being made that I would also be good at this one.    I was managing people for the first time and basically had to learn on my feet!

When I first started being a manager I was left to find my own way. My team was restructured and I inherited two members of staff. I asked my boss if there was any training or reading I should do and she said that there was a five-day course but not for a couple of months. Great! It was quite daunting as I am not a natural leader, don't feel terribly comfortable telling people what to do. My job was stressful enough trying to get everything done without keeping an eye on two other people (one who worked in a different office 200 miles away).

In the end I had to just play it by ear.  There was a difficult situation around performance and sickness of one of the people which I could have handled differently. Generally though I think I did ok. My main focus was to be supportive, work with them to find solutions to their problems and have regular one-to-one meetings with each of them to catch up on their projects. I also created projects that we all worked on together as a way of making us work more like a team.

My tip for new managers would be to think about how you are managed and use this to understand your own style. Follow your instincts and get support from other managers including your own. HR issues can be difficult to deal with so find someone that you can talk these through with.