What new managers need to be successful (and what you can do to help)

At Bravely, we’ve found that our Pros can be especially helpful to new managers as they assume newer and bigger responsibilities. The truth is that it’s often hard for people to ask for support once they’ve been promoted to a managerial role — the last thing they want is to look like they’re not up for the job, and showing vulnerability can seem like admitting failure.

Here are some of the major ways that our Pros help support new managers as they hone their leadership skills and build strong relationships with their direct reports

Guidance on giving feedback

Time and again, we hear that giving feedback — especially when that feedback is critical — is one of the hardest skills for new managers to master. For one, they don’t want their direct reports to dislike them. But, perhaps more importantly, they don’t actually know how to evaluate their performance. What does it mean to “exceed expectations”?

Our Pros can share actionable tactics and tips for giving this feedback, and even help them practice delivering it through a “mock conversation” (also known as role playing). They’ll learn things like:

• How to listen “actively” instead of “passively”
• How to tell their reports “what to do” instead of “how to do” (and why it matters)
• How to set clear expectations and help their reports establish goals using the S.M.A.R.T. method (Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Based)
• How to encourage their reports to share feedback with them (so important!)

Guidance on building relationships

The relationships that managers cultivate with their direct reports are incredibly important — and when they go south, tension can ripple throughout entire teams. Our Pros can help them understand how to establish a relationship that’s built on trust and respect, and encourage their reports to be open and honest with them. They’ll learn things like:

• How to address conflicts with their direct reports and move past them
• How to manage people that are older than they are (or who used to be their peers)
• How to set boundaries with their direct reports (and more importantly, keep them)
• How to make sure that they’re treating people fairly and equitably

Guidance on career development

It can be difficult for managers to balance supporting their direct reports with finding time to focus on their own skill-building and goal-setting. There are only so many hours in the day! Our Pros can help them as they develop their own management style and map out their career trajectory.

• How to develop a management style that’s unique to them (and why it’s okay if that changes over time)
• How to understand what their your company expects from them as a manager and create a plan to get there
• How to get comfortable talking about what they don’t know (managers need to learn, too)
• How to stay grounded during company transitions and help their reports stay positive

These are just a few of the ways that Bravely can help support new managers. To learn more about how Bravely can help build strong leaders in your organization, you can request a demo here.

This piece was originally posted on Medium