Most new bosses and managers are thrust into their leadership roles without any training. These bosses know little about the intricacies of managing people. Some enter their new roles eager to stir things up. They implement new programs, assign employees to new duties or rearrange their staffers’ desks.
Often, these quick moves result in angry employees, decreased morale and defections. Others go the opposite route, tip-toeing around the office so as not to upset anyone. Their employees, sensing a weak boss, manipulate them. These bosses become pushovers, bending to the whims of their staffers.
“Most people in this society are not trained to be bosses,” said Stephen Petranek, editor-in-chief of Discover Magazine, which recently printed an essay on what makes certain people good leaders and others bad ones. “Management is not taught anywhere. . . .Look at companies and you’ll find an awful lot of people in management with no managing experience at all. They’re using television shows as a model for how to be a manager.”
Fortunately, there are some basic rules of management that will help new bosses get off to a good start:
1. Don’t come on too strong.
New bosses want to set the world on fire, but they’re wiser to cool the flames. Coming into a company and making big changes without first talking to employees is a good way to get off on the wrong foot.
“Some bosses immediately come in and make changes. That’s a faux pas,” said Thomas Ferrara, president and chief executive officer of New York City-based CareerEngine, an online recruiting and career search network. “That really destroys morale. You have to take the time to understand the situation before making big changes.” Pamela Harper, owner of Business Advancement Inc., a New Jersey consulting service, knows the dangers of the king syndrome. She worked with one new boss who immediately abolished the company’s policy of providing employees with free coffee. The move saved the company a few dollars, but also alienated its employees.
“That free coffee was dear to the employees’ hearts,” Harper said. “The new boss ran in and took quick, but inappropriate, action and it really caused problems.”
2. Learn as much as you can about your employees.
Some people thrive on constructive criticism. Others break into tears if they’re not given regular doses of positive feedback. Some excel with little supervision. Others struggle without a list of well-defined tasks.
New bosses need to find out which of their employees fit into which categories. “Many people never tailor their managing style to the needs of different employees,” Harper said. “It may be fine for some employees to work under a manager who is hands-off. But others want more direction.”
A new boss also must learn to distinguish which employees are doing a good job and which aren’t. Those that aren’t might have to be fired, and this is the toughest job a boss will ever have. But the best bosses aren’t afraid to make the tough decisions.
“Being a good boss and being nice are two different things,” said Jay Goltz, the boss and owner at Chicago’s Artist’s Frame Service. “If you’re being nice to an employee who isn’t getting the job done, you’re not being nice to those workers that have to pick up his slack.”
3. Do your homework.
Being in charge usually comes with a healthy raise, but it also comes with new pressures.
Petranek, from Discover Magazine, recommends that new bosses find as many books on management as they can. Those in large corporations should go to their human-resources divisions and ask about managerial training programs.
New bosses might even want to hire a job coach who can help them form a management strategy, Petranek said.
4. Don’t rush into hiring employees.
Good bosses can’t turn bad employees into good workers. But Good bosses hire those who are already good workers.
“I talk to people and they tell me that they never check references when they’re hiring people,” Goltz said. “I can’t believe it. But people generally take the path of least resistance.”
5. Use common sense.
Many problems can be easily avoided.
For example, don’t hold meetings near the end of the day on Friday, when employees’ minds are understandably elsewhere. Don’t scream at late employees in front of their co-workers. And don’t mock the former boss or manager in front of employees; those employees might have respected their former leader.
