Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom 8 Bad Mistakes New Managers Make

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom 8 Bad Mistakes New Managers Make Many new leaders are thrust into supervisory positions quickly, with no real management training to speak of. So as you would expect, they make lots of mistakes. Here are a few of the most common. Hopefully, just being aware of them will help you and your colleagues do things differently! Mistake #1: Trying to be everyone’s best friend While fostering strong one-on-one relationships with your team members is important to promote trust, your first priority should be developing your team as a cohesive whole. Also, you must make it clear that you are not your direct reports’ friend but their supervisor, since blurring the lines too much will lead to confusion and decreased productivity. Mistake #2: Assuming your title is a magic wand Things will not magically get done because you are the manager and you said so. Instead of simply issuing orders, you must inspire your team members to work with you and for you. Authority does not automatically confer respect. It must be earned. Mistake #3: Making promises you can’t keep In your eagerness to remedy all of the wrongs on your team, it’s tempting to guarantee solutions that you can’t necessarily deliver. Recognize that it’s better to keep promised actions more modest than to risk disappointing and frustrating your team members by failing to keep your word. Mistake #4: Changing everything Many new managers make the mistake of trying to overhaul the whole organization in their first few months. Things are usually done a certain way for a reason, and that reason may not be incorrect. Introduce your new ideas one at a time, soliciting buy-in and support gradually. For more where this came from, have a look at the full post on Intuits Fast Track blog.