In the ever-changing environment, businesses and job scenarios are changing at a rapid pace.
New Managers are facing several challenges in adapting to and keeping up the pace with the changes in their workplace.
Many new challenges are compounding their problems.
In such times, managing themselves as well as managing the workforce is never easy.
Research statistics show that –
60% of the new managers fail within their first two years or 18 months
20% of first-time managers are doing a poor job, according to their subordinates
26% of first-time managers feel they weren’t ready to lead others.
Almost 60% say they never had any training when they moved into their first leadership role.
No wonder 50% of managers in organizations are rated as ineffective.
So you see how most of the managers stand the risk of losing their jobs in the first 18 to 24 months.
The statistics above are disheartening .
But it doesn’t have to be true for you !
Because you are reading this article which will help you become aware of the challenges that New Managers face.
And You can recognize the challenges and take timely action to deal with them .
Some of the challenges that new managers face are the pressure to do more with less, team building, developing and managing the team, having difficult conversations, time management, addressing relationships with former peers, being emotionally stable, transitioning to a leader from a manager and setting clear expectations for the team members.
The purpose of this post is to help you know the challenges that can come your way so that you can prepare yourself for the road ahead.
By reading one post you will not be able to gain a better and wider understanding of the challenges, so I thought it best to curate a set of 5 posts from trusted experts, who have a good understanding of the challenges that New Managers face as they take up the new role.
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So before you get started, let me explain to you why challenges are important for your career growth.
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ACCEPT THAT CHALLENGES ARE A PART OF WORK AND LIFE AND PREPARE TO DEAL WITH THEM!
There is no denying the fact that Challenges are a part of work and life. If you acknowledge and accept them, it becomes easier to deal with them.
Some positive sides of challenges are :
Challenges are there to help you grow.
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They help you to know about yourself and help you to grow and develop into a strong and well-rounded person. Seeing challenges as an opportunity to grow is very empowering.
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Facing challenges help you to explore yourself and push your limits. They help to bring the best out of you.
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By conquering challenges, you feel a sense of victory and are seen in good esteem by the people around you. You are trusted by everyone around you.
Sitting in a comfort zone from fear of failure is even more stifling and adds to more anxiety, discomfort, and stress.
BOTTOM LINE -Learn to embrace challenges!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T PREPARE FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD ?
When I was promoted from a teacher to a senior coordinator, I was not prepared for the responsibility. I took up the responsibility but did not know what to do next.
And I learned some important things the hard way.
I had frequent problems with the people around me. I was quite disturbed and there was no one to help me.
So when you don’t prepare there is a higher likelihood of –
1)You do not know what is expected of you .There is a Lack of purpose and clarity leading to a lot of Confusion, Chaos, Mistakes, and Loss of Focus, which makes you ineffective.
2 ) You have to give in a lot of effort and the results are poor.
3 ) You are unable to use yours as well as others’ potential optimally and perform poorly.
As a result of this, the overall efficiency of the organization goes down.
4 ) You have frequent problems and conflicts with people around you leading to bad relationships.
This creates a bad work environment and makes it all the more difficult to work with everyone around.
5 ) You are stressed, irritated, frustrated, and feel confident and out of control.
6)People start doubting your abilities and see you in bad esteem. They doubt your leadership abilities and lose trust in you and stop respecting you.
7 ) The chances of promotion to the next level are poor and needless to say you stand a high risk of losing your job.
So you see the consequences of not preparing ahead.
Read this post -” 18 Deadly Mistakes New Managers Make And How To Fix Them.” HERE
And let me show you the pros of preparation.
THE BENEFITS OF PREPARING FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD :
When you are appointed to a new role, it is necessary to prepare yourself for the expectations of the role and the challenges that lie ahead of you so that you can perform consistently and handle the responsibilities well.
Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality.
Eliyahu Goldratt
The high achievers have always believed in preparation as a key to success. They spend 80 % of their time in preparation.
So let us explore the benefits of preparation.
1.When you prepare, you know what is expected of you . You are more purposeful, clear, organized. There are fewer mistakes .
2 . You are more efficient and effective and focus your efforts at the right place, creating more impact.
3 You use your as well as others potential well. As a result of which you perform better and feel fulfilled.
4 You move confidently and feel in control in any situation.
5 You perform consistently and handle your responsibilities well.
6 You enjoy healthy relationships with everyone and the overall efficiency and environment of the workplace are lifted.
7.People trust in your leadership and see you with respect . The chances of job security and promotion increase .
So these are the benefits of preparing in advance.
The road ahead is never smooth and never easy. But preparedness minimizes the struggles and gives you that extra edge.
So let’s get started and explore the challenges specific to your workplace and bridge the skills gap and overcome them.
5 BEST POSTS ON NEW MANAGERS CHALLENGES EVERY NEW MANAGER MUST READ
1. This post is from the Centre For Creative Leadership –
”12 Challenges New Managers Must Conquer.”
The top 3 challenges I loved in this post are:
1. Making a transition from peer to superior.
It is quite a challenge and not many new managers realize this. It can be quite challenging, having to maintain positive personal relationships and gain respect while getting the work done.
2 The second challenge I liked in this post is, Doing More with Less.
When you start in the new role, the workload and expectations are quite many compared to the resources needed. It is quite challenging to perform despite these limitations.
3.The third one is identity shift from a manager to a leader .Making a shift in identity from an individual contributor to a leader of others doing their work is necessary to succeed in your role.
Without a shift in identity, it is quite difficult to lead the team.
Read the post HERE to learn more .
2 PAUL PETRONE Editor, LinkedIn Sales Blog. Author, How I Found Peace: 14 Revelations That Cleared My Mind .
In his article ‘’ 7 Challenges New Managers Often Face -And How to Overcome Them” ( linkedin.com)
Paul Petrone says, When you are new to the role, you want to be in the good books of the employees, without realizing how others will react to it.
Trying to achieve all the wants of your employees can cause a lot of problems.
Another mistake New managers make is thinking that they have to do it all alone.
They feel isolated because they can’t form the same relationships with their employees as they could with their colleagues or some look composed try to do it all by themselves.
Neither approach is good.
Read the post to know how to deal with these and 5 other challenges HERE.
3 In this post from FORBES, the writer lays stress on 3 important issues that managers often face when they are new.
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Understanding and learning in-depth about the organizational culture.
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A quite tough challenge with all new managers is having difficult conversations. Whether the conversation is about performance, compensation, or employee issues, difficult conversations must be carried out.
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New managers must shift their mindset from doing to leading. They must focus on achieving the results through others doing.
So read this post-” 12 Challenges Many New Managers Face And How Hr Can Help ”to know these 3 as well as 9 other challenges that new managers need to overcome HERE.
4 The Officevibe Content Team, Share 3 things noteworthy.- in their Post
”12 Management Challenges ( and how to overcome them ) ”
1 .Building trust with your team, because your team is the asset that will help you accomplish the organization’s goals.
2 . A common challenge in organizations these days are frequent emotional outbursts when pressure mounts up.
Organizations need mindful leaders who are Self Aware, empathetic towards their employees, and know-how to regulate their emotions when pressure mounts up.
3. Providing clarity to team members about the company’s mission.
This is not always easy, but it is necessary to help them in understanding how their contribution and goal setting has an impact.
Read the post to get an in-depth idea of the 12 different challenges and skills needed to overcome them ,HERE .
5 The article – ”The Biggest Challenges For First Time Managers .” from get lighthouse .com , throws light on 2 different challenges, which are –
1.Your new role demands you to perform personally, handle employees and stakeholders as well as be accountable to your top management.
If you are not skillful with managing your hours, you will be heading for trouble.
2 . When it comes to handling our problems, as adults we must handle our issues personally.
But it does not work out this way in reality.
There are people from diverse backgrounds and personalities and age groups.
Clashes do happen and if you are not careful it bleeds into and affects your day-to-day work.
If you handle too much, then your performance slips. And if you let them slip, they will grow.
Read the post to know 3 different challenges that new managers must learn to overcome HERE.
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CONCLUSION
I believe that by now you must have got a wider view of all the challenges that can come your way.
Challenges are part of work and life as I said before.
They will never cease. They can be minimized.
The challenges can be daunting and overwhelming when you are new, but you can overcome them by being positive about them -ie see them as opportunities for growth, developing skills and knowledge, seeking the help of mentors and team members.
By preparing for them ahead, you can make your place more secure and prevent yourself from getting derailed.
You can act with more confidence and create a better impact on the people around you. You can build better relationships around you and create a healthy work environment.
One more piece of advice I would like to add is to deal with problems one at a time and not to address all of them together.
I hope the post has helped you.
So here are some questions to help you explore your situation further so that you can identify one challenge and skill needed to deal with it.
What have you understood about the challenges that lie before new managers?
How will you relate it to your present situation?
What do you think is necessary for you now?
If there was one challenge you‘d like to overcome, what would that be?
What skill will help you overcome that challenge?
Please share your comments in the comments box below
Babita Sharma
Leadership Coach
P.S- Please share this post and help someone today!
REFRENCES
18 DEADLY MISTAKES NEW MANAGERS MAKE AND HOW TO FIX THEM
9 REASONS WHY NEW MANAGERS FAIL WITHIN THE FIRST 2 YEARS
12 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR NEW MANAGERS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN CAREER
THE 22 BEST BOOKS FOR NEW MANAGERS
