Page 50 - HBR's 10 Must Reads for New Managers

SAVING YOUR ROOKIE MANAGERS FROM THEMSELVES
Idea in Practice

Essential management skills for in servitude to bosses, not in
rookie managers: partnership. To avoid seeming
vulnerable, they don’t ask for help.
Delegating. Under pressure to But if they don’t see you as
produce, rookies often “just do a critical support source, they
it” themselves because they fear won’t see themselves as one for
losing control or overburdening their team.
others. But failure to delegate
blocks their staffs’ advancement, How to help:
making them resentful, and then • Emphasize that open com-
disengaged.
munication is essential to your
How to help: rookie’s success. Discourage
covering up problems.
• Explain that developing staff
is as essential as financial • Introduce him to other manag-
achievements. ers as resources.
• Lead by example. Trust and • Have him prepare agendas for
empower your rookie; he’ll en- your regular meetings. The pro-
gage his own team. cess will help him organize his
thoughts.
• Encourage him to take small
risks in playing to his staff’s Projecting confidence. Rookies who
strengths. Early successes will don’t project confidence won’t
build his confidence. energize their teams. Frantic, arro-
gant, or insecure demeanors may
• Help him break complex proj- repel others in the company.
ects into manageable chunks
with clear milestones. How to help:
Getting support from above. Many • Encourage “conscious com-
rookie managers believe they’re portment”: constant awareness

their job fundamentally differs from an individual contributor’s.
Clarify what you and the organization value in leaders. Developing
talented, promotable staff is critical in any company. Let new man-
agers know that they will be rewarded for these less tangible efforts
in addition to hitting numerical goals. Understanding this new role
is half the battle for rookie managers, and one that many companies
mistakenly assume is evident from the start.
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