NEW MANAGER

PLAYBOOK
First off, from all of us at BizLibrary, congratulations on your new role!

Whether you’re a first-time manager or a seasoned management veteran, we’re here to offer
both an introduction to principles of powerful management and in-depth guides on those
principles, so you can accomplish your professional goals in your new role.

Let’s get started.

Mental Preparedness: Create the mindset for your new role

One of the greatest ways you can prepare for success when you are taking on a new role with elevated responsibilities is to
develop the right mindset. Having the right mindset can be the difference between success and failure in a new management
role. As Kevin Eikenberry, author of the famous management book Bud to Boss, says, “You’ve got to get clear in your head that
you’re in a new role, you’ve got to look at the world differently, and you’ve got to try new things.”

When you are mentally prepared for a new role, you are better equipped to take on challenges that will inevitably present
themselves. On the other hand, if you start to question your abilities, you will falter in your new role. Getting mentally
prepared means investing time and energy to ensure that you are ready to succeed.

How to do it:
It’s best to spend a little time getting ready by reflecting on your unique strengths and how those abilities have helped you earn
a new spot in management. By taking time to understand why you were promoted, how you can use your strengths to find
success, and figuring out what your success will look like, you are developing a mindset that is geared towards your success.

Even though we’re certain that you’re a valuable individual contributor, most new managers are selected for their roles because
they have outstanding self-awareness and self-management. As a manager, it’s important to not only continue developing those
skills, but to develop your social awareness and relationship management skills, too.

New Manager Playbook

Let's take a look at the difference between
self-awareness and self-management.

SELF OTHERS

AWARENESS
SELF SOCIAL Empathy
Emotional AWARENESS AWARENESS
self-awareness Organizational
awareness

Influence
Emotional
self-control Inspirational
ACTIONS

leadership
Adaptability
SELF RELATIONSHIP Coach and
Achievement mentor
orientation MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT
Conflict
Positive management
outlook
Teamwork

POSITIVE IMPACT ON
RESULTS/PERFORMANCE

New Manager Playbook

Take a moment to reflect on your leadership qualities. Why were you promoted?

What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses?

As you transition to this leadership role, remember you are no longer an individual contributor, but rather the leader of a
group of individual contributors. As you transition to this new role, it’s natural to face challenges. One of the biggest challenges
you will face is motivating employees, and creating a workplace where employees are invested and engaged in their work.

Take a few moments to reflect:

When were you most engaged with your work? What motivated you to produce your best work?

New Manager Playbook

Six Keys to Cultivate Employee Engagement
A study by SHRM surveyed over 100,000 employees in various industries and identified six keys to cultivating employee
engagement. The study discovered that employees are most likely to be actively engaged with their tasks when each of these
qualities are present and clearly defined in the workplace.

Employees need to:

1. Know the importance of their role.
2. Have a good relationship with their coworkers.
3. Have opportunities to use their strengths.
4. Have a good relationship with their immediate supervisor (that’s you!)
5. Believe their work contributes to the company’s mission.
6. Have autonomy and independence (i.e. don’t micromanage)

Take a moment to reflect on a supervisor you admire. Did you understand the importance of your role? Were you given
opportunities to use your strengths? Can you apply those strategies to your team?

You’ll notice that each of these motivators are related to social awareness and relationship management. Thus, management
is not only about self-awareness, but the awareness of others.

Empathy, organizational awareness, influence, and teamwork are the key skills to master to be successful as a manager. All
these skills fall under an umbrella that we call soft skills, or more specifically or, emotional intelligence.

As you move from individual contributor to team leader, it’s important to shift your focus. As an individual contributor, you
probably focused on your self-awareness and self-management. But as you transition to a team leader, it’s important to shift
focus to your sense of social awareness and relationship management.

Let’s take a moment to discuss the most common challenges new managers face, and how you can overcome them.

New Manager Playbook

What to Expect - The Challenges and How to Overcome Them
A survey conducted by Robert Half Management Resources asked 2,200 CFOs what they thought was the most difficult part of
becoming a manager for the first time. Here are the challenges that the survey found were most common.

CHALLENGE #1
Balancing individual job responsibilities with time spent overseeing others
How are you going to manage your time? Now that you’re a manager, you’re responsible not only for yourself, but your entire
department. You’ll need to coordinate with your reports to make sure everything is getting done. Write down six strategies you
think will help you stay productive and successful while leading a department.

Tip: Discuss what success and productivity look like with your manager. Having a mutually agreed upon definition will help
you guide your team in the right direction.

STRATEGY #1

STRATEGY #2

STRATEGY #3

STRATEGY #4

STRATEGY #5

STRATEGY #6

New Manager Playbook

CHALLENGE #2
Supervising friends or former peers
Even though your supervisors see you as a strong leadership asset, it’s possible your former peers still see you as their
colleague. It’s important that you distinguish yourself as a leader.

Tip: Think of a few friends you work with while filling out this exercise. Your answers might warrant a more formal
conversation with these individuals to address the new changes in your role and your relationship with them.

COWORKER NAME RELATIONSHIP CAN YOU MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS COLLEAGUE?

As you begin to discover relationships that you’ll need to modify, consider your colleagues’ feelings, and be fair.

New Manager Playbook

In a CBSnews.com advice column, one employee wrote this:

My co-worker and manager have been friends for 8 years. They eat lunch together, go to social events
together, and talk on the phone over the weekend. I work on commission. She steals my leads and now
I'm getting trouble for not producing enough. She used to have my job, but now she is in a different
one which doesn't require selling. This has been going on for about 6 months. I am to my breaking
point and feel like it is threatening my job. I want a career, but do not know how to handle this since
they are friends. I do not want conflict in the office. My co-worker is constantly trying to throw me
under the bus, and my manager always takes her side. I am trying so hard but am starting to feel
defeated. I work for a great management company "good benefits, pay, etc..." and don't want to lose
my job. What do I do?

Who do you think is at fault for letting this situation come about? Think about issues like this that could arise if you become too
friendly with your employees. Would you want to work in that environment?

New Manager Playbook

CHALLENGE #3
Motivating the team
Let’s go back and review the traits of an engaged employee. An engaged employee:
• Knows the importance of their role.
• Has a good relationship with their co-workers.
• Has opportunities to use their strengths.
• Has a good relationship with their immediate supervisor (that’s you!)
• Believes their work contributes to the company’s mission.
• Has autonomy and independence (i.e. isn’t micromanaged)

Discover your employees’ strengths and offer tasks that allow each employee to successfully use them. And whenever
possible, tailor your management style to meet each employee’s unique needs. Take a moment to think of ways that you’re
going to motivate your team.

Tip: Ask them what motivates and inspires them to be their best. There might be useful overlap in their responses!

CHALLENGE #4
Prioritizing projects
Here are a few great questions to ask yourself when you’re struggling to prioritize projects:

• Will this matter in 6 months?

• Is this something one of my employees could handle?
• Is there a deadline?
• Am I doing this the best way?
• Is this something I could come back to?
• Will this impact other projects?
• Do I have time to take this on?
• Am I waiting on someone else’s information?

Approaching new projects and requests with this ruthless mindset will allow you to put high-priority items at the top of the list
and stay productive.

New Manager Playbook

CHALLENGE #5
Meeting higher performance expectations
Are you afraid you might not reach your department’s goals? Don’t be!

Think about what Dale Carnegie once said: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want
to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Did you know that one of the simplest and most effective ways to help achieve your goals is to write them down?

Forbes once did a study about goal-setting by testing students in the Harvard MBA program. The study asked students if they
had clear, written goals for their futures. Only 3% of the students had written goals and plans, 13% had goals but hadn't
written them down anywhere, and 84% had no goals at all.

After 10 years, the group of students were again interviewed, and here’s what was discovered: the 13% of the class who had
goals but didn’t write them down earned twice the amount of the 84% who had no goals.

But what was most shocking? The 3% who had written goals were earning an average of 10 times more than the other 97% of
their classmates!

Money aside, this study proves something: writing down your goals is a strong marker of finding success. Surely you can guess
the next exercise - write down those goals!

GOALS FOR MY OWN CAREER

GOAL #1

GOAL #2

GOAL #3

New Manager Playbook

 GOALS FOR MY DEPARTMENT

GOAL #1

GOAL #2

GOAL #3

PERSONAL GOALS

GOAL #1

GOAL #2

GOAL #3

If you know what you're trying to accomplish, documenting your goals and then adding action steps to help you visualize their
completion will keep you on track to achieve them.

New Manager Playbook

CHALLENGE #6
Inspiring unmotivated employees
You know who they are! Almost every department has at least one employee who complains, doesn’t like their job, and isn’t
interested in getting things done. What makes you interested in your job? Can you mix in some of those qualities in the job
roles of your most unmotivated employees?

Here’s another activity: Identify what you love about your job and see if you can fit it into your coworker’s roles. Keep going
until you have something that works!

WHAT DO I IS THAT QUALITY

HOW CAN I HELP THEM
LOVE ABOUT PRESENT IN MY COULD IT APPLY?
APPRECIATE THEIR JOB MORE?
MY JOB? EMPLOYEE’S JOB?

If none of these qualities apply to your employee’s job, you’ll need to tweak your approach. Ask them where they get their job
satisfaction from, what they are passionate about, and what energizes them in the workplace.

Maybe they had a poor manager in a previous role and their outlook of the company is still tainted. A little effort toward
making them feel like they’re part of the team, you want them there, and their job matters can go a long way.

Now that you understand what challenges you’re almost certainly going to face, our next section will quickly look at what it
takes to be a great manager.

New Manager Playbook

Essential Skills of a Successful Manager
#1 Emotional Intelligence
Once again, when we’re discussing the skills of a successful manager, the concept of emotional intelligence will dominate
the discussion.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and monitor our own feelings and emotions, as well as the feelings and
emotions of those around us. Working to improve your own emotional intelligence will help you be better at:

Delegation – having confidence that you can clearly communicate the importance of tasks and inspire employees to get
them done.

Performance – understanding the strengths of your employees and giving them roles and tasks that make the most of
those strengths.

Listening – actively listening to employees so they feel confident when coming to you with new ideas or valuable feedback.

Coaching – recognizing moments to coach employees to better performance.

Leadership – guiding a group toward a common objective - this might be the most complex competency, and is crucial for
success in your new management position.

Strategic Thinking – putting job roles, team roles and personal roles, into a broader context, and thinking terms that align
with your organization’s success.

Think about these skills, and how they could apply as we talk about two more challenges that directly relate to your
people skills.

New Manager Playbook

#2 Managing Relationships
As a new manager, you’re now looking at three different managerial relationships; one with your employees, one with
your co-managers, and one with your boss. The change in your level of employment can pose challenges to all of these
relationships, so successfully managing them will be key. Making the transition from colleague to leader is possibly the
most difficult of the three scenarios. On one hand, there is an advantage to having already formed strong relationships
with your direct reports. On the other hand, if those relationships become too friendly, a manager can be faced with
additional challenges:

• Friendships that result in favoritism.

• Difficulty generating followership.

If you are in the position of managing your former peers, fret not! We have a few suggestions on how you can overcome
these challenges, too.

#3 Overcoming the Threat of Favoritism

Think of your relationships in legal terms; do your relationships present a conflict of interest? In law, an entire case can be
jeopardized because of a conflict of interest. The same is true with management. When your subordinates suspect a
conflict of interest, your success is jeopardized.

To combat this, engage your friends in one-on-one conversations and let them know that because you’re moving into a
new role, there will be a change in your relationship. Let them know you value your relationship with them, but you must
create a level playing field with everyone in your department. Remain available and approachable and be sure to answer
any questions they might have.

This isn’t to say that you can’t have relationships with your reports, but it may need to be scaled back.

#4 Earning Respect from Your Reports

It can be very difficult to change people’s opinion of you. In the past, you may have shared experiences with your
coworkers to help you develop a stronger relationship with them. As you move into management, that dynamic should be
a little different, and it’s important for you to earn respect from your employees.

New Manager Playbook

Lisa Parker, author of Managing the Moment: A Leader’s Guide to Building Executive Presence One Interaction at a Time,
believes that most managers do not get the respect they deserve.

“The pivotal word here is ‘deserve,’” she says. “Respect is something that must be earned. It is not awarded automatically when
someone gets promoted to manager or gets a little gray at the temples. Managers earn respect when they are respectful to
others, as well as when they demonstrate trustworthiness, credibility, and a healthy dose of humanity.”

To begin earning this respect, make it a priority to resolve issues yourself. Ask for help from a mentor, when needed, but
the ability to solve problems for and with your employees will improve your credibility and instill trust.

Are there relationships that you have concerns about? Documenting these potential challenges and the next steps you
will take to meet them head-on shows just why you got yourself a promotion in the first place!

HOW COULD
EMPLOYEE POSSIBLE HOW CAN I ADDRESS
RELATIONSHIP THIS IMPACT
NAME CHALLENGE THIS CHALLENGE?
MY NEW ROLE?

New Manager Playbook

#5 Coaching & Feedback Did You Know?
One of the best ways to gauge how you’re Research shows that when you’re offering constructive criticism, it
performing as you transition into a leadership role is is best heard when you also offer five pieces of positive feedback.
to actively work to develop a culture of feedback.
But a critical part of developing that culture is to That’s because anything less than five sounds relatively ingenuine.
understand feedback goes two ways. A lot of traditional advice urges new managers to fit constructive
criticism in between two compliments. The only problem with that
As a manager, you should actively seek feedback strategy is that it’s very transparent.
from your reports. When employees see you’re
open to feedback, you become more approachable Here’s how it sounds to your employees:
and you’ll receive valuable insight that can help you
Manager: “I finally had a chance to look over your proposal, and I
become the effective manager you want to be.
like the way you laid it out. I still think it needs a lot of work, and I’d
like a revision of it by Monday. But, I really appreciate that you
Being receptive when receiving feedback makes
turned it in on time.”
your subordinates more open to receive coaching.
Contrast that 2:1 compliment-to-feedback to the more genuine
Remember to be the type of manager you would 5:1 ratio:
want to work for. Just like you, employees want the
Manager: I finally got a chance to look over your proposal. There
chance to show their skills, gain recognition, and
are a lot of good things in here. I really like the marketing ideas and
advance. Giving timely and effective feedback can
the way you’ve laid it out. It’s a really strong draft, and I think even if
keep them on the right path for a productive and
we sent it out the way it is, we’d be fine. But there’s something
engaged future.
about the product description that I think we could do a little
better. It’s not bad, but I think there’s room for improvement. Other
than that, I don’t think we need to change anything else about it.”

Both responses accomplish the same goal, but the 5:1 ratio leaves
the employee feeling inspired and motivated.

This might seem trivial, but using your emotional intelligence to

deliver strong feedback and make employees receptive to it is
instrumental to your success as a manager.

New Manager Playbook

#6 Professionalism
As an individual contributor, your professionalism was, and still is, important. As a manager, it’s an absolute necessity. You set
the tone for the entire department as your employees will look to you for subtle cues on how to act on-the-job.

There are four key indicators of professionalism, according to a study by the Polk-Lepson Research group:

33.6% is interpersonal skills

27.3% is work ethic
25.3% is appearance
24.9% is communication skills

Which of these traits of professionalism do you think you need to work on the most? Since we know writing things down helps
you achieve goals, we’re going to do exactly that!

What do I need to work on the most?

What steps will I take to succeed?

What does success look like?

It’s safe to assume that developing your professional persona means developing these skills. Hopefully by now, you
understand the importance of interpersonal and communication skills. But those two only cover half of the professionalism
indicators, which means if you want to succeed, you must also pay attention to your work ethic and professional appearance.
Let’s talk about some ways you can do that:

New Manager Playbook

#7 Work Ethic
Employees who want the chance to advance in the organization will emulate the behavior of their superiors and those who
have been promoted. Chances are, you were promoted for your hard work, dedication, and ability to inspire others. This must
continue as a team leader. If you have a strong work ethic and take on greater responsibilities, they will, too.

Therefore, if you want your department to be productive, you must be productive.

What kind of work ethic would you want your boss to show?

What are some ways you can make your employees’ jobs easier?

Look back at the goals you listed. Can you achieve them without working hard? If your answer is yes, you might consider
revising your goals!

#8 Appearance
Although workplaces are becoming increasingly casual, maintaining a professional appearance is still important. Find ways to
always look ready for work; be neat and clean and wear clothing that supports the outward appearance of competence.

Your clothes should be appropriate for the appearance you want to portray. Consider these questions when selecting a
professional wardrobe: Is the attire age appropriate? Is the attire appropriate for the position and daily duties? Does the attire
reflect on me in a way that could be unflattering or unintentional?

New Manager Playbook

While it may seem superficial, dressing for your position is a crucial step in earning the respect of your peers and
subordinates alike.

Mastering these skills will help you accomplish your goals, the biggest of which is ultimately to generate business results.

Just Do It - You’ll Do Great

Drive Results
One key indicator of success when it comes to management is the adage: when your team succeeds, the success belongs to
the team; when the team fails, the failure belongs to the manager.

That may seem unfair at first, but it’s entirely true.

A manager cannot succeed on his/her own and an entire department is always going to produce more than an individual
contributor. This means that manufacturing success is the result of an entire department coming together to achieve a vision.

On the other hand, when a team fails, it means the manager has failed to delegate meaningful work, inspire employees, and
generate results.

That’s why it’s so important to understand the nature of success in a team setting. Set your employees up for success, and
you’ll lead your department to great results.

Go Get’ Em! You’ll Do Great!

Armed with this knowledge and your own powerful skill set that has allowed you to succeed, we’re confident that you’re going
to do great in your new role! Once again, congratulations from all of us here at BizLibrary.

About BizLibrary
BizLibrary is a leading provider of online learning for growing organizations. Our award-winning microlearning video library
engages employees of all levels, and our learning technology platform is a progressive catalyst for achievement. Partnered
with our expert Client Success and Technical Support teams, clients are empowered to solve business challenges and
impact change within their organizations. To learn more about training new managers, check us out online.