HowtoLearntoManagePeopleManagementisnothingmorethanmotivatingotherpeople. LeeIacocca Congratulations!Youfinallygotthatpromotionyouvebeenwantingandnow,youreamanagerperhapsforthefirsttimeinyourcareer.So,nowwhat?Ifthisisyourfirstforayintomanagement,youmightbeabitnervous.Thatfeelingisunderstandable,commonand,infact,quitewarranted.Thisisgoingtobevery,verydifferentfromwhatyouvedonebefore.Managementhasanentirelydifferentsetofgoals,rulesandadifferentskillsetisrequired.Veryoften,peoplethatarenewtomanagementdonotcompletelyunderstandwhatitmeanstobeamanagerhowtheirlifewillchange(yes,yourlifewilldefinitelychange).Thisisespeciallytrueifyouvemovedfromanhourlywagetoasalarymoreaboutthatlater. Thisarticlewillpresentyouwithasetofguidelinesyoucanusetohelpmakesomesenseoutofwhatisoftenaconfusingtransition.Thisisnotmeanttobeacompletesetofday-to-dayinstructions;thatconceptisprettymuchgoneforevernowthatyoureamanager.Itis,however,areasonableoutlinethatwillhelpyouthroughtheprocessofgoalsettingandmanagingstaff.Sotakeadeepbreathandletsgetstarted!StepsUnderstandwhatmanagementis:Whatsignificantlysetsmanagersapartisthemigrationawayfromaconceptknownasindividualcontribution.Managersarenot,primarily,individualcontributors.Thatmeansthatyouaregoingtoberesponsiblefortheworkofothers;yoursuccessdependsonhowwellyourteamperforms.Youarenowresponsibleforfar,farmoreworkthanyoucouldeverpossiblyproducebyyourself(seewarnings).Youcantfixalltheproblemsdonteventrythatsnotyourjobanymore. Prepareforthetransition:Thiswillbecomeconfusingandfrustrating.perhapsnotimmediately,butmanagersareoftenpulledinmultipledirections.Youmayhaveadifferentdresscodetofollow.Youwillhavenewrulestoobey(particularlyintheareaofHumanResources). Findamentor:Notyourimmediatemanager,butfindanothermanagerwithlotsofexperienceandaskthatpersontohelpyoutransition.Thisisaveryimportantandoftenoverlookedtool.Itwillalsogainyouconsiderableesteemintheeyesoftheupperlevelmanagementteam.Itshowsmaturity. Joinanetworkinggroup:Therearelotsofthese(Toastmastersforexample).Askothermanagersandexecutivesaboutlocalclubs.Takeadvantageofthenetworkingopportunitiesinyourarea. ContactHR:GototheHumanResourcesdepartmentandaskifthereareanyHRbooksortrainingcoursesyoucanusetohelpyou.Readabitaboutbeingamanager.Thereisamountainofliteratureonthesubject.Readsomeofthemorewell-knownbooks(TheOneMinuteManagerandTheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectivePeoplearemanagementstaples). Helpyourstaffcope:Itspossiblethepeopleyouwillmanageusedtobeyourpeersandthatwillbethecauseofenvy(possiblyresentment)andfriction.Youcantpreventitbutifyoukeepthelinesofcommunicationopenitwillreducetheissues.However,youmustrememberthatyouarenowmanagementandwhileyoudontwanttoflauntit,youcantletyourformerpeerstakeadvantageofyourpreviousrelationship.Eveniftheywerentyourpeers,gettinganewmanagerisalwaysdisconcerting.Addressthestaffandletthemknowyourplans.Establishthemanager/staffrelationshipearly.Evenifitseemsabitawkwardatfirstdonotbebashfulaboutit.justfollowthesteps,beyourself,anddontforgetwhereyoustarted. Dontneglectfamily:Yourhusband-wife-playmate-whateverandchildren,ifany,andfriendsstillneedyourattentionjustliketheydidbefore.Youwillhavealotmoreonyourmindnow-managementisahardtransition.Keepyourprioritiesincheck.Ifyouhearpeoplementioningthatyouredistant-takenote.Youdontwanttoletyourcareerruinyourfamilyrelationships(youwouldntbethefirst). Dontneglectyourhealth:OK,youvediscoveredthatthisisactuallyfun.Theworkisexciting,youreworkinglongerhours,maybeworkingmoreathome,stayingupalittlelater,gettingupalittleearlier,doingagreatjobhandlingthefamilyandkids.areyousleepingenough?Areyousure? Identifyyourgoals:What,specifically,areyourmeasuredgoals?Doyouhavehourly,dailyorweeklytargetsyourteammustmeet;whataboutyournewgoalssuchasreviewingproductivity?Writedowneverythingandpostitprominently(seetips).Thiswillbeyourchecklist.Awordofcautionhere,thislistwillchangeovertime;itisalivingdocument.Somethingsmaystaythesame(servicelevels,forexample)butotherthingsmaychangedependingonthestrategieshandeddowntoyoufromtheExecutiveManagementsuites.Reviewyourlistfrequently,withacriticaleye,andreviseitwhennece