The Five Mistakes New Managers Make
(and what to do about them)

This is the conclusion of an article first published in ViewPoint, the Novations enewsletter

It's exciting, and a little scary, to be the new person. I'm sure it's a sensation that you've experienced a time or two in your own life. In the workplace, being new can be the start of great opportunities and increased influence. Whether moving to a new position within the company or moving to a completely new company, we have one thing in common: we all want to succeed. Sometimes, however, we can be our own worst enemy.

We know from our Four Stages® research that 50% of new managers don't successfully make the transition from individual contributor to manager, whether or not they've been through traditional management training. How could that be? These are people who have exceled in their positions, who understand the company's goals, and who have the skills required to do the work. How could they fail? The answer is relatively easy to see. They haven't learned the skill of contributing through their employees and are still relying on the same behaviors that helped them excel as an individual contributor. We call that moving into Stage Three of the Four Stages.

So what can you do if you're an employer who is seeing new managers struggle? What if you are that new manager and want to set yourself up for success? Take a look at the following list of common mistakes new managers make. Michelle Knox, Executive Consultant at Novations, suggests using this list as a touchstone during your check-ins with your employees and during your moments of personal reflection.

Mistake #1: Working the same old way. You need to reframe yourself as a leader. What does the word leader mean to you? I'm sure the visual you're getting is of a single person sitting in a cubicle not talking to anyone. No? Oh right, leaders lead a team, not do all the work themselves or through their own secret ways of getting things done. You need to follow suit. 

Mistake #2: Working harder instead of smarter. In other words, you need to "let go." You can't take on the same amount of work you used to and, coincidently, you're being assigned to a team of people looking to you to coach them and challenge them so they can learn new skills. What luck! Take advantage of the skills and talents of those around you. At the same time, practice prioritizing, starting with your own to-do list before you try to coach your team members about theirs.

Mistake #3: Relying on a couple of people instead of developing your whole team. You want people you can count on. Having these "go-to" people is human nature, but it's not necessarily healthy. Your go-to people may have become so because they have qualities you appreciate in yourself. They allow you to efficiently shorthand your conversations and instructions. However, if you rely only on people like you, your work may be missing key perspectives that can push your quality and overall performance to the next level. Likewise, you are being measured as a manager on the performance of your whole team. When your whole team is allowed to excel, your accomplishments can't be denied.

Mistake #4: Pretending to know it all. Admitting that you don't know something is hard. And oftentimes you don't even know what you don't know until you're face to face with it. If someone asks you a question and you don't know the answer, it's okay to say, "Let me find out." Or, bring in an expert to help you and your team complete tasks. You may have been an expert on everything you did as an individual contributor, but in your new role, you're expected to learn new things—and indeed you may become an expert once again over time. Wouldn't you rather have your team operate with correct information rather than risk the potential pitfalls of proceeding without knowing all the facts?

Mistake #5: Setting out to prove yourself. Of course you want to prove yourself—who doesn't? But when your sole mission is to prove your worth, you can alienate others and miss otherwise obvious opportunities to grow. You are not in competition with any other manager, and someone had to acknowledge that you could handle the job if you've gotten this far, so relax! Especially in your first weeks, slow down, ask good questions, and listen to learn before you forge ahead. Your team members might be able to provide a key piece of information you've perhaps missed, or save you time from heading down a road they have already traveled. If you take advantage of every opportunity to learn early on, you'll make better decisions and win the respect of others. Your worthiness will become obvious.