by Carmen Polvere

Created on: May 16, 2010

   Congratulations! Your are now the Manager. Reporting to you are a group of diverse individuals, all of whom believe strongly they know how to do their job better than you. Odds are, they are probably right. If you can agree with their assessment then you have passed your first test. Your primary assignment as the manager of a Team is to recognize talented Team Members and develop their skill set into a productive unit contributing to the continued growth and success of the company.

   As the new manager your are going to be working with a Team with whom you will spend more time than you do with friends and family. With advances made over the years in workforce diversity and the current economic realities your team will definitely consist of a varied background of race, gender and age. In some cases, your Team will include those with an alternative lifestyle. From the time your are introduced to the Team as their Manager unit you move on to another assignment, both your direct reports and upper management will evaluate you on a daily basis. Often, what your Team evaluates you on and what upper management evaluates you on are, well how wide is the Grand Canyon?

   With the introductions out of the way, your Director has given you the responsibility to improve the overall performance of your new Team. ASAP! Now what? There are dozens of management styles available to managers today. Each has value depending the industry and tasks at hand. The are some universal techniques which all management styles utilize in one way or another. Among these, engagement. Present the Team with the current challenges and ask for their input. At all times, make sure that each Team member’s input is listened to and encourage continued input. Ask the Team what tools do they need to successfully complete their assignments. From there, empower Team members to accept greater responsibility. Given the chance, there are always Team Members who will rise to accept greater responsibility. There are many managers who will argue to treat everyone the same. If everyone were the same, this would be an ideal philosophy. However, people are individuals and need to be treated such. Treat people how you want to be treated. With dignity and respect. In addition, listen and respond with empathy. By following these basic concepts you will be off to a great start. Best wishes and good luck!

Learn more about this author, Carmen Polvere.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.