Here are some more indications that you haven’t mastered this skill:

1. You look upon questions from your people as “interruptions.”
2. Instead of teaching your direct reports to work properly, you fix their mistakes.
3. You don’t take the ownership of the success of your direct reports.
4. You keep away from their challenges and failures.

As a first level manager, you need to change your mental paradigm

You are no more an individual contributor. In order to help your direct reports, you have to pay close attention to what is getting done and how is it getting done. You have to ask questions to find out what’s getting in the way of completing daily tasks.

Don’t just take notes

The information gleaned out of these questions should be translated into a balanced feedback. Give a pat on the back frequently.

The simplest skill is – just being available

As an individual contributor you never valued this skill. Being available is more of an attitude rather than just keeping your door open. People can sense when you are approachable just by looking at your body language. Make yourself available physically and emotionally.

Follow these tips and you will be able to unclog your First Level Leadership skills.

Nevertheless the two roles are linked together

As an evaluator, you measure the performance of your direct reports. As a coach you look for areas of development. This combination is not only difficult for you but also for those you coach.

It is like a Catch-22

Your employees may be hesitant to bring their mistakes to your attention for fear of affecting their performance appraisals. If you don’t come to know about their shortcomings, you will never have a clear picture of what’s going on. This will adversely affect your ability to manage your group.

So what is the key to managing the dual roles?

The key to managing is creating an atmosphere of trust. Research has shown that employees learn best from managers who display sincere interest in their long-term career development. It has also been seen that employees learn best from those managers who provide both support and autonomy. Employees open up to those managers they trust.

Therefore, act as an evaluator and a coach at the same time by building trust. This will reduce the tension between the two roles and make you a more effective manager.

Technical knowledge and past record will make you successful in the future.

However,

A reasonable amount of success depends on your ability to speak well. Effective leaders are powerful speakers.

If you are not paying any attention to your communication style,

You are doing a big disservice to your career. Can you express yourself in the fewest possible words?

People will find it easy to ignore you,

If you are incoherent, jejune and unable to state your position clearly.

Therefore, as a manager set a goal for becoming an effective communicator

When you talk, make sure that others listen. Even if you’re an introvert, you HAVE to learn to speak in bold unambiguous terms. Don’t drop faint hints if the situation warrants you to speak up clearly. If your speech is simple and direct, people are more likely to follow you.

Here is one way to speak with power:

If you want to get things done, the finest eloquence is to use action words. I mean use action verbs in your speech.

Examples of action verbs – analyze, arrange, assign, evaluate, illustrate, negotiate… and the list goes on. Take a pause before and after using an action word. Since action brings out the meaning, do not rush out while using action verbs.

If you want to become effective in your managerial role, realize the power of speech – say more with a few words.

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Then chances are that you talk too much. There is also a possibility that you repeat yourself many times and give rambling stories. If you are a new manager, out of nervousness and uncertainty you tend to talk too much.

There is another danger of over talking

You could bore your listeners.

Whenever you feel the urge to talk,

Ask yourself, can you wait?

It’s time you appreciate the power of silence

Treat your words as a precious resource. It is difficult to practice silence.  By keeping silent, you often communicate loud and clear.

Apply the 80- 20 rule to harness the power of silence

When you’re doing one-on-one conversation make sure that you are:

Listening – 80% of the time and

Speaking – 20% of the time

If you want to follow this rule successfully, you have to learn to ask good questions. Good questions help people to open up.

Don’t fall into the trap of speaking right after asking a question

Give them time to think, observe their expressions and wait for an answer. If you don’t get an immediate response, don’t rush to answer your own question. Observe their facial expressions once again.  If you see their eyes are rolling, that means they’re thinking… your questions are working.

Don’t get awkward with the silence,

You will be amazed at the responses you will get. Let the silence work for you and reap the benefits of asking good questions.

Speak only when you have something to say. Do not ignore the power of silence. Being quiet, listening well and expressing your points in few words can help you to gain a persuasive edge.

I haven’t!

However, I’m sure, like me, you have often heard the remark, “He talks too much.”

You must be thinking, “What is the relevance for me?”

When you are an individual contributor, you end up listening a lot to high-ranking folks, right?

You are the manager now,

You might be thinking it’s my turn to do the talking. Please don’t make the same mistake which your managers made.

Now, listening becomes even more important for you

Your success depends on your ability to listen to your employees and bosses alike. Tuning out can prove expensive.

Here are some useful tips, which can put you on the fast track, only if you remember to practice them

• If you’re on the phone make sure to take notes. Instead of writing sentences just write one keyword that represents the main point. This keyword will help you to remember the topic.
• Differentiate between 911 and 411 calls. It is a common practice for your employees to make their work look more urgent than any other work. You can only recognize the seriousness of the issue by listening well.
• Try to listen for understanding rather than for agreement. Don’t shut down mentally if someone disagrees with you.
• Irrespective of the conversation, attempt to get at least one new insight from every speaker. If you can’t, you’re wasting your time.

Place a reminder on your desk

Listening is a hard job – talking is far easier than listening. You cannot afford to fall into the trap of listening to your own voice.

Have you ever heard someone saying, “He listens too much”?

May be it’s YOU!

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Most new managers who aren’t used to having meetings run off- the-cuff meetings. With time, they realize that such meetings turn out to be counter productive and a waste of time. They may put back too much on the attendees and lose control.

What can do you do to prevent it?

You have to focus on three areas – Before, During and After

Before the meeting

• Narrow the scope.
• Have an agenda that defines a specific problem and how the group can address it.
• Do not overload the meeting with too many issues. Usually three is a good number-stick to a maximum of three agenda items.

What can you do during the meeting?

• Greet people at the door rather than sitting in your chair.
• Start with an overview and highlight key agenda items.
• If you are looking for decisions fast – remove chairs so that everyone stands.
• Distribute the agenda in advance so that people have enough time to deliberate on the topic. By this way, you will save time by not engaging in information sharing session.

If you really want to remain focused

Write the objective of the meeting on a flip chart.  I have personally found it to be useful. The writing on the wall / flip chart can act as a subtle reminder to everyone to stay on track.

What else you can do during the meeting?

Encourage and welcome questions. If the questions are off-track, you can always say that you could address them later if necessary. It is your meeting and you are responsible for its outcome, therefore,  keep a tab on the time.

End the meeting with action items, that is, who will do what by what date.

After the Meeting

Don’t forget to send a follow-up memo summarizing everyone’s action points.

Remember: Effective meetings are short meetings!

Practice these simple tips and you will transform wasted efforts into productive outcomes.

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For most new managers, the transition into a new role can be like a safari into the unknown territory. Today, I want to make you think about leadership and management.

My aim is to

Help you reflect upon your understanding of this subject and motivate you to take charge of your learning.

However, before we move any further, it is a good idea to give you a quick primer on leadership and management.

Leadership versus Management

1.      Leadership and Management are two disparate skill sets.

2.      You manage things; you lead people.

3.      As a manager you have a job title and a position of authority. As leader,  you may not have a  specific job title or a position.

4.      As a leader, you focus on developing your ability to influence and inspire.

5.      A good manager is also a leader.

Now that your memory is refreshed with the basic differences between Leadership and Management, try to answer the following questions in your head. There are no right or wrong answers. Nevertheless, these questions will act as triggers to create new neural pathways in your mind.

Set 1

1.      Do you think leadership can be learned?

2.      Identify some ways that you would like to inspire people.

3.      What kinds of influence do you have?

Set 2

1.      Why do you think it is important for you to develop leadership skills to complement your management skills?

2.      How do you feel your leadership skills will enhance your effectiveness as a manager?

Set 3

1.      Have you ever worked for a manager who was not a leader?

2.      Describe how your manager’s lack of leadership skills affected your work and job satisfaction.

Succeeding in your new role often involves carefully answering a few key questions. When you answer honestly, you will identify the gaps in your skill sets. Learn to take charge of your learning because “the buck stops here.”

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How wide is your “Say-Do” Gap?

The difference between what you say and what you actually do is your “Say-Do” gap. The width of this gap decides your success or failure in the roles and responsibilities you fill.

Do you make commitments?

When you make promises, no matter how small, and follow through, you build credibility.

There is a link between credibility and influence–

Credibility builds trust and greater trust leads to influence.  Credibility, trust and influence, are directly proportional to your “Say-Do” gap – the greater the difference, the less credible you are as a leader.

Be vigilant

It does not require a special talent to narrow the gap; you just have to be vigilant of your behavior. If you are not vigilant, you can easily slip into the habit of making promises without follow through. It happens gradually, gradually and then suddenly.

By consistently demonstrating this leadership style:

1.      You will inspire others around you to develop the same characteristics.

2.      You will be able to seek more out of your leadership role.

3.      You will be in a position to influence and inspire others, who rely on your leadership.

Try it and see the difference in your leadership style!

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They do not get enough feedback from their bosses.

Why?

• New Managers fear that employees will perceive their well-intentioned feedback as personal criticism.
• New managers try hard to be liked by their troops.

Moreover, we all know that

All good managers give feedback

But effective managers

Give feedback every day ranging from praise to neutral observations to serious concerns.

Here is a quick advice for you, if you are new to the position:

1.      Look for opportunities to give feedback to your employees.

2.      Do not ration your praise and DO set the stage before giving constructive feedback.

3.      As a rule of thumb, positive input should exceed negative feedback.

4.      By giving regular feedback to your employees, you will eventually overcome your fear and gain confidence.

Through regular goal oriented talks with your employees, you will remain well informed and consolidate your position.

I know you must be thinking – it is good advice, but HOW to give feedback!

1. Invite people to assess their performance. Even if they overrate their performance, at least it gives you a baseline to respond.

2. Then use open-ended probing questions to follow up. Encourage them to share details and examples. A good question to ask is “What else?”

3. Then align your analysis with their self-appraisal. Always begin by thanking them for explaining their point of view regarding performance. Add the feedback that they have missed along with some new praise to finish on a high note.

Please note you can follow this quick procedure in sequence at any time.

It will take you only few minutes, if you do it regularly. However, it will save you tons of botheration at the end of the day.

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I don’t think so…

If that is the case, then what should be the strategy, so that group members accept your directions and influence?

It sounds simple

but you must learn exactly what your group members need. The members of the group will only accept your direction if you help them to fulfill their needs.

This fair exchange is the key to your leadership

They can then decide what to do to satisfy those needs in exchange for performing certain duties for you.

Therefore, as a leader, you have a wide range of incentives to offer to the group

You must satisfy more than simply the financial needs of your people. You earn your position of leadership by doing things that give them hope – that their needs will be satisfied.

The understanding of the implications of these needs should be of great importance to you

I urge you to investigate the works of the psychologist, Abraham Maslow who created a five-tiered pyramid that represents the relative importance of five different levels of human needs. Combine your investigation with Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor motivation theory, and it will provide you with a greater insight into the needs of group members.

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