If you’re at the stage in your career where you might be going for a promotion, or have already got one (congratulations!) it can be daunting to make the step up. That’s why developing your professional skills and behaviours is so important. Even if you’re nowhere near ready to become a manager, it’s important to invest in developing the skills needed to do so in the future. This article was written for us by our Community Member Acas to help you brush up your leadership skills.
As a new manager, making the transition from team member to team leader, can sometimes feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time. You may be thinking, how do I encourage engagement and motivation in my team? Will I be a good manager, role model and mentor? How do I establish trust and respect from my team and colleagues across the business? Will I still be able to work as flexibly now I need to ‘keep an eye’ on my staff?
Acas has recently published new guidance on managing people and there is an interactive online learning module which explores some of the common issues that managers face, including; making the transition from team member to line manager; understanding the role of a manager; motivating a team; giving feedback and handling those sometimes tricky conversations. A few tips are listed below:
Tips to help a manager build good team-working relationships include:
- Be as open as possible with team members and trust them to do what is expected of them
- Get to know each team member and take the time to listen to their concerns and ideas
- Understand employment rights
- Deal with concerns and potential disciplinary matters promptly
- Set objectives with clear outcomes
- Communicate clearly and honestly, and hold regular team meetings
- Listen to the ideas of team members on how best to achieve goals
- Treat all team members as you would want to be treated yourself
- Promote training and development opportunities to keep team members interested and motivated
- Give credit where due and highlight successes
Build your leadership skills further by reading this article by David Schindler
