From First Line Manager to Managing Managers – acquiring the skills to succeed
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I recently ran a Drive Your Development programme, which sets people up for the very start of their leadership journey – and it is a journey, with twists and turns along the way.
Each significant turning point requires additional skills and insights from the aspiring leader. Knowing what these are and how you might develop them should be an important part of your development plan.
From Team member to your first Line Manager role
Successful team members use their technical and professional skills to ensure they complete their work to a high standard – whether working alone or on a team-wide initiative or project. As team members, we are primarily responsible for ourselves; meeting organisational standards and expectations.
In our first management role, we become responsible for the way others perform. The focus will include organisation of work, ensuring jobs are well designed and structured across the team, that good quality staff are recruited who add to the current team’s strengths and that everyone knows what the team’s objectives are and works towards achieving them.
Achieving results through others is key from this point on in your career and, if done well, both you and they will benefit from team successes. You will need to be visible, behave with integrity and build trust and respect across the team. You will also be expected to implement and adhere to company policies, procedures and values, whether or not you agree with them (concerns must always be voiced in private to your senior manager).
You’ll probably have a local budget and headcount to manage and be expected to develop improvements and changes to how work is undertaken to take advantage of new methods and technologies. You will also be implementing strategic plans made by more senior managers.
At this stage, you will need to develop:
Moving up the Management Ladder
As a manager of managers, your role broadens considerably along with your budget and headcount. You are unlikely to be involved in the technical detail of your division. Instead, your role will be far more strategic. You will need to focus on the bigger picture, looking ahead to ensure teams are well integrated, mutually supportive, communicating clearly with each other and boundaries are minimised. Silo working at this level will impede progress – both for the organisation and your career. The ability to be incisive, to ask the right questions and implement effective, efficient working practices will be key.
You will also need to develop your external awareness; of the competition, of new technologies and new ways of working that might impact your own business, market share and profitability. You will need to use these insights to develop a clear vision and strategy and engage other managers in helping you to deliver it, holding them accountable for results.
Consequently, at this stage you need to develop:
How will you acquire skills?
There’s a wealth of information available via TED talks, management magazines and books, and business management websites. Formal management training programmes also have their place yet there are also numerous day-to-day opportunities we often overlook:
TAKE AWAY
Finding out what new skills we require for the next step change in our career journey is always time well spent. Realising the opportunities we have to hand to gain those skills, even in part, will ensure we look prepared and considered at interview and give us a healthy start in any new role. Good luck!
From Team member to your first Line Manager role
Successful team members use their technical and professional skills to ensure they complete their work to a high standard – whether working alone or on a team-wide initiative or project. As team members, we are primarily responsible for ourselves; meeting organisational standards and expectations.
In our first management role, we become responsible for the way others perform. The focus will include organisation of work, ensuring jobs are well designed and structured across the team, that good quality staff are recruited who add to the current team’s strengths and that everyone knows what the team’s objectives are and works towards achieving them.
Achieving results through others is key from this point on in your career and, if done well, both you and they will benefit from team successes. You will need to be visible, behave with integrity and build trust and respect across the team. You will also be expected to implement and adhere to company policies, procedures and values, whether or not you agree with them (concerns must always be voiced in private to your senior manager).
You’ll probably have a local budget and headcount to manage and be expected to develop improvements and changes to how work is undertaken to take advantage of new methods and technologies. You will also be implementing strategic plans made by more senior managers.
At this stage, you will need to develop:
- People management skills including recruitment and selection, coaching, delegation, performance management and conflict resolution
- Good interpersonal skills to help you build effective relationships in and across teams
- Good problem-solving skills
- Influencing skills to support you in making changes and developing opportunities to improve the way the team operates
Moving up the Management Ladder
As a manager of managers, your role broadens considerably along with your budget and headcount. You are unlikely to be involved in the technical detail of your division. Instead, your role will be far more strategic. You will need to focus on the bigger picture, looking ahead to ensure teams are well integrated, mutually supportive, communicating clearly with each other and boundaries are minimised. Silo working at this level will impede progress – both for the organisation and your career. The ability to be incisive, to ask the right questions and implement effective, efficient working practices will be key.
You will also need to develop your external awareness; of the competition, of new technologies and new ways of working that might impact your own business, market share and profitability. You will need to use these insights to develop a clear vision and strategy and engage other managers in helping you to deliver it, holding them accountable for results.
Consequently, at this stage you need to develop:
- Strategic thinking skills
- A value driven network that supports your internal and external awareness
- Excellent communication skills that engage and enthuse those around you
- A deeper understanding of how to manage others, especially around motivation and engagement
- Stakeholder management skills as your reach in the organisation grows
How will you acquire skills?
There’s a wealth of information available via TED talks, management magazines and books, and business management websites. Formal management training programmes also have their place yet there are also numerous day-to-day opportunities we often overlook:
- Do you have a mentor(s) at work – someone who can help you prepare for the next major career step?
- Have you asked your manager if you can assist them with work which will stretch and develop you and relieve them of something which is routine and easy to delegate?
- Are their short-term secondments you can take to practise new skills and gain management experience?
- Can you lead a new project or initiative that will allow you some informal experience of managing and influencing others, building your network, or stakeholder management?
- Is there a new business initiative you can propose and drive that will demonstrate your strategic thinking and delivery skills?
TAKE AWAY
Finding out what new skills we require for the next step change in our career journey is always time well spent. Realising the opportunities we have to hand to gain those skills, even in part, will ensure we look prepared and considered at interview and give us a healthy start in any new role. Good luck!