Becoming a manager is a great step for your career. With added or different responsibilities, a bigger salary and the chance to progress in your workplace, there are many positives to becoming a manager.
However, when you lack confidence or have an introverted personality – management can be difficult. You want to succeed in your job, but you also have to battle your personal insecurities to achieve it. Want to become a more confident manager? Take a look at the following tips for new managers.
Get a mentor
A mentor is a great idea for helping you to learn the ropes of becoming a manager. A mentor can be someone who works at your company, or an external mentor – someone who works in your industry and can give you some helpful advice. There are different ways to find a mentor, and you could find yourself growing with confidence under the guidance of someone else.
Attend a management course
Some of the lack of confidence you’re feeling about being a manager could be because you’re not too sure of what’s involved. Some management skills training could benefit you by improving your knowledge and teaching you the skills you need to become a successful manager. Your employer might offer you this training as part of their development program, but an external course could benefit you further to help you boost your confidence away from the workplace.
Create a routine
Having a routine and a set of processes could help you to ease into the responsibilities of being a manager. Setting up regular one-to-ones with your direct reports, reviews and scheduling regular duties into your calendar could help you to get used to your new role. Prioritize your tasks accordingly to help ease some of the pressure caused by stepping up to a new role.
Trust your instincts
It’s easy to question yourself and have self-doubt in your career. If you find it difficult to make decisions at work, but there are some techniques you can try to make things easier and develop your assertiveness skills. Sometimes you just need to trust your instincts to help you make the best decision for you and your team. You can always talk through your decisions with other colleagues, write pros and cons lists and seek more expert advice to help you come to an appropriate solution.
Don’t be hard on yourself
Adjusting to a new role is difficult, but you can learn to excel when your confidence is low. Work pressures can be stressful, so it’s important that you take some time to relax and unwind. Make sure that you get regular exercise to help you de-stress and relieve some tension, and learn to switch off once you leave the office. You’re probably doing a much better job than you think you are, so don’t be so hard on yourself.
Confidence is something you can work on, so even if you lack the strengths of a good manager at the moment – with some help and training you can learn to manage with confidence. Take it one step at a time and you’ll soon find your feet.
