Moving on Up! Successfully Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Manager
Congratulations! You’ve recently been promoted to a manager role from an individual contributor role. What a great opportunity for you to advance your career!
And beware! There are challenges you will face during this transition. Being prepared to navigate through them will set you on a better path to success.
And for those managers who have already made the transition? Well, this blog is for you, too!
Your role is now to make the transitions as easy as possible for those recently promoted.
Moving Away from the Day-to-Day
One of the most surprising things that occur for new managers is the realization that you will not likely be the one doing the everyday tasks that you were so good at performing in your individual contributor role. Wow! You were promoted because you were really good at performing the technical aspects of your role every day. But now, you are leading others to do those tasks. Your job now is to oversee the progress and help navigate any roadblocks.
If you are feeling a bit sad, don’t worry it’s normal. It’s a grieving process – you’re letting go of something you love.
And be careful of following into a thinking pattern that you don’t matter anymore. Many get their sense of identity when they feel they are performing and getting recognized for a job well done. You’re learning new skills and are bound to hit some bumps along the way. And you do matter. And so will how you manage others.
Boundaries
As a manager, you need to set boundaries with your team members. This can be a challenge when you used to be a member of the team. You might be friends with those people, but now you’re their boss. New expectations need to be communicated to ensure a healthy manager-employee relationship.
Tips for Successfully Transitioning
Not all hope is lost! Here are a few tips for successfully transitioning to your new management role.
Define Your Personal Leadership Legacy
Before you progress too much down your road of leadership, take the time to envision what you want your leadership legacy to be. Too many folks in management never take the time to consider the impact they want to have on the people they lead, the teams they oversee, and the organizations in which they manage. And that has a significant influence on how you will lead throughout your career. Envision yourself at your retirement dinner with all your guests toasting and praising you for all the ways that you have impacted them. What would you hope they’d be saying? What would they be feeling? What would you be feeling?
Find Your Own Mentor
You are going to need someone to be your confidant and mentor.
Someone that can answer questions, support you, and help you navigate your new role. Your mentor will offer advice and help you watch out for the hidden “rocks in the road.” Your best mentor will be that individual who is well respected and trusted by others in your organization, can influence others, and has gone through a similar transition as you.
Foster Relationships Within the Team
It’s important to create a relationship with each member of your team. Nothing significantly positive happens during your leadership tenure than building trusted relationships with your team members. Schedule regular 1:1’s with each member and get to know them personally. Not only the unique skills they bring to the team but also on a personal basis. Get to know what’s important to them outside of the work environment. Conduct regular team meetings so that the team members get to know each other, particularly if they are interdependent upon each other to get work done.
Start Slow
It may feel overwhelming, but you don’t need to learn everything all at once. Learn one skill at a time, so you can dedicate your time to learning that skill well. Your team members will appreciate your commitment to your new role.
Successfully transitioning from individual contributor to manager can be difficult, but there are proven ways to navigate the change, become successful and create an impactful legacy.
About Transformation Strategies
Founded by Tricia Steege in 2001, Transformation Strategies is a trusted consulting firm that assists our clients to realize their desired futures by partnering with them to create comprehensive change strategies and implementation plans that accomplish real results. We specialize in shifting whole systems at one time by helping our clients think the way the whole system thinks. Contact us today to get started.
