So you want to be a People Manager
Over the years, I have had many conversations with folks that considered the option of moving into people management. Â For the purposes of this blog post, I am going to assume that as a new manager, you will be a team lead with people reporting directly to you.
Put others first
This is a big one and one that does not come easily. Â Are you prepared to put the welfare of others ahead of your own? Â e.g. When someone on the team messes something up and causes an issue, will you point them out and throw them under the bus? Â Or will you take the heat and work with them to improve? Â Are you prepared to wait for the team to succeed even if your boss wants you to deliver the project today? Â Are you willing to work someone on improving their skills even if you can perform the task quickly and accurately in a fraction of the time it will take them?
Communication
Are you able to communicate what you need done in a manner that they understand and want to deliver? Â This is critical because if you are not able to communicate what needs to be delivered in a clear and understandable manner, the team will not know what needs to be delivered.
Patience
Do you have the patience to let them make mistakes and learn? Â Or even more difficult, do you have the patience for them to take twice as long to complete a task than you could do it yourself?
Tough Love
I used the term “Tough Love” here on purpose because I do not mean firing someone. Â If you want to fire or tell people what to do, then you just failed on #1 because you are putting your wishes above those of others. Â What I am referring to here, Â is the ability, and willingness, to have difficult conversations that are beneficial to the person. A great example of this is appropriate dress code when meeting with customers.