If you’re a first-time manager, don’t be too quick to dismiss your instincts just because you’re inexperienced.
You may not have years of management practice or a bank of leadership frameworks to draw on yet, but sometimes that lack of experience prompts you to ask exactly the right question:
“What do you need from me?”
It sounds simple, but it is one of the most instinctively sound things a manager can ask.
In education, people are frequently promoted because of their subject expertise, experience or organisational knowledge, rather than because they have been formally taught how to manage people. New managers are often learning the role in real time, and without a framework to fall back on, they may do something surprisingly effective: ask rather than assume.
That matters because motivation is personal. One team member might value recognition, another autonomy, while someone else simply needs greater clarity about what is expected of them. Asking what people need removes the guesswork and helps managers understand the individuals in their team.
Explore how people prefer to work, what meaningful recognition looks like to them, and revisit those conversations as their needs change. Most importantly, act on what you hear.
Over time, however, good instincts can be replaced by assumptions. This is where management development matters. Training shouldn’t replace instinct; it should give managers a framework for building on it, so the good habits formed in the first few months become confident, consistent leadership skills.
If you’re noticing good instincts in your first-time managers and want to make sure they turn into lasting management skills, take a look at Lead With Impact, our 12-week virtual development programme designed to help aspiring and current middle leaders lead with greater confidence, clarity and impact.
https://themanagerstrainingcompany.co.uk/lead-with-impact
Categories: Sector News
