The First Leadership Role: Get It Right from the Start

Getting promoted into management is exciting, yet as many of us learned the hard way, being great at your current job doesn't automatically prepare you to lead people. Some of us had the good fortune to receive training, while others had to figure it out on their own.

When I reflect on my first supervisor role, I expected my new team to follow me and do great work, just because that is what you do. There was no training planned for me in this new role. Little did I know that I had some hard work ahead of me. I had to learn fast to make the shift from me to team. Overnight, I went from being responsible for my performance to being responsible for the performance, motivation, and growth of an entire team.

New managers must learn quickly how to communicate with clarity, delegate effectively, coach employees, address problems early, and build trust, all while establishing their credibility as a new leader.

Equipping new managers for success with supervisory training programs is critical in today’s workplace. According to Gallup, 23% of supervisors have never taken part in any leadership training, and only 45% had received training within the previous year. This matters because managers who have received training in the past year are 79% more likely to be engaged and 19% less likely to experience burnout.

First-time managers are expected to:

• Communicate like a leader
• Lead a team and sometimes former peers
• Delegate instead of doing everything themselves
• Provide feedback and have difficult conversations
• Navigate conflict and challenging personalities
• Set expectations
• Hold people accountable
• Coach and motivate their employees

Do you want to leave this to trial and error in your company? Many times, companies provide management training after problems appear, when a new manager is overwhelmed, frustrated, and feeling hopeless.

CEA believes in training new leaders early and providing them with valuable tools to lead with confidence. This is why we have created the First-Time Managers Bootcamp. We know effective training can accelerate experience rather than forcing new managers to learn everything through the sink-or-swim approach.

Because getting a manager role isn’t simply a promotion, it is a change in our professional identity, and we are being watched by our people all of the time. New managers' behaviors demonstrate to their team the level of professionalism and respect needed in the workplace.

New managers will also benefit from ongoing support, which includes practice, feedforward, coaching, peer connection, and reinforcement from their leaders.

Get your new leaders off to a strong start. Join us for First-Time Manager Bootcamp on October 27. This five-class series is designed specifically for new managers in their first 6 -12 months on the job. This bootcamp will assist new leaders in developing core leadership skills they will use in the months ahead. Participants will receive practical tools they can use right away to foster positive team dynamics, strengthen employee relationships, and lead with clarity and credibility.