Re: New Manager Needs Help!

Subject: Re: New Manager Needs Help!
From: "Martin, Chuck" <chuckm -at- EVOLVESOFTWARE -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 09:41:04 -0800

On Thursday, January 29, 1998 9:29 AM, Annette Schulz
[SMTP:Annette -at- DIGITAL-REN -dot- COM] wrote:
> > At 08:18 AM 1/29/98 -0500, JGREY wrote:
> > >
> > >This will get uglier unless you immediately set behavioral
> > expectations
> > >for her, communicate them clearly, and begin enforcing them. I
would
> > >begin with a private meeting with her. Tell her what you've been
> > >noticing in her behavior. Tell her what you expect in her behavior
> > >(framing it as appropriate behavior between an employee and her
> > >manager). Should she pull one of these games again, *immediately*
> > take
> > >her into a private office and explain to her that continued
behavior
> > >will result in disciplinary action. Document your meetings; send
her
> > >follow-up memos recording what you spoke about and keep a copy for
> > your
> > >files.
> > >
> >
> > I'd add one more suggestion. Let YOUR boss know what's going on. He
or
> > she selected you for the position and has a stake in your success
and
> > may be able to offer some advice. (First, tell him/her your plans
and
> > then ask for his/her opinion.) Also, you want to preempt the
> > subordinate going around you to higher management.
> >
> [My comments on the above...] I'd have to disagree. As a new
> manager you have to show that you are capable of handling any
situation
> arises. If you go to your superior at the first sign of
> trouble...well...then...you could compromise your newly appointed
> position of authority. Show your superiors, and your co-worker that
you
> can handle this. If you want my advice, just TALK to your co-worker.
> I've worked in situations where misunderstandings (both parties were
> equally to blame) could've been immediately cleared up if people would
> stop pulling their emotions and insecurities into their job and just
> confront the situation with an open mind. It's an intimidating thing
to
> get promoted. But you did. Obviously someone thought you could do the
> job...including the politics that come with the position. Don't let
> something minor degrade into an unpleasant team atmosphere.
>

I can't agree with the first part of the most recent comment. Becoming a
new manager doesn't mean that you know everything about management, nor
should the company expect that it does. But becoming a manager *does*
mean that the company thinks that you can make good decisions. Sometimes
that decision may be that you may not know all the answers on how to
handle a situation and need to ask for guidance from someone with more
experience.

Managers gain experience in how to manage not only by bulling their way
through situations without asking for help, but by using *all* the
resources available to them to solve problems. Sometimes that may mean
admitting to your manager that you don't have the solution. Getting
advice from others in no way "compromises" authority. In fact, that
probably increases the amount of respect you get.

Obviously, if needing to get advice happens too frequently, the company
may have made a wrong choice for promotion. But it may be a worse
decision to promote someone with the idea that they can do it all
without help.

--
"You don't look American."
"Everyone looks American, because Americans are from everywhere."

- Doonesbury
Chuck Martin, Technical Writer
Evolve Software | Personal
chuckm -at- evolvesoftware -dot- com | writer -at- best -dot- com
www.evolvesoftware.com | www.writeforyou.com




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