4 big changes when you become a manager for the first time

When you first become a manager, you are often in charge of a team doing the same work that you used to do. It can be useful to be prepared for some of the biggest changes in the way that you think about your role.

1. A manager changes their focus from "doing" to "orchestrating".

Where you used to be responsible for your own delivery, now you are responsible for enabling other people to deliver. It can be tempting to dive in and use your own skills to sort things out and get things done for other people. However, if you do this you will quickly burn out, and disempower your team. Instead, you need to be able to empower, facilitate, guide and encourage other people. You will probably be expected to set goals and timelines, manage budgets, allocate tasks and monitor progress across your team. All these things take time to do well.

2. A manager's skills change from "specialist" to "generalist".

You probably got promoted because you were very good at your job. You are likely to have been a specialist in your own field. However as a manager you are expected to broaden your role to become a generalist. You'll need to know a little bit about a lot of different skills and fields, such as people-management, HR, motivation, recruitment and interviewing, performance management, coaching, negotiation, and more. Don't worry. You aren't expected to know all of this all at once, but it is important to recognise that your role will be significantly broader in scope, and to make sure you know how to acquire the skills and knowledge that you will need to perform it well.

That's why I've introduced my New Manager's Club for Technical Professionals - a resource of tips and tools for new managers to equip you to excel.

3. A manager's priorities change from "technical skills" to "people skills".

Similarly, your previous role would probably have been focused on the technical delivery of your product or service. Whilst people skills will have been important as you engaged with team-mates, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders, it will not have been your main focus. As a manager, you will need to bring your people skills to the forefront, as much of the role depends on these skills.

Some people mistakenly think that you have to be a "people person", or that these skills are a natural talent that you have to be born with. The good news is that this is not true. People skills can be learnt and developed just like any other skills. Again, my New Manager's Club for Technical Professionals is a great place to start and to find support to develop and improve these skills.

4. A manager changes from being a friend to being a boss

This change can be particularly hard if you have been promoted to lead the same team that you were a member of. It is possible to stay friends with your team mates, but be prepared for a shift in the atmosphere. Some might be jealous or resentful, especially if they were hoping for the promotion. Even if your friends are happy for you, they might become less open with you.

And if you have complaints or issues with your organisation or those above you, it's best not to dump those on your team. If you bad-mouth other colleagues, your team might think you'll do the same to them.

Learn how to walk the line of being a likeable boss, rather than either over-familiar or too remote. Your goal is for trust and respect, so that people will still turn to you for support, and want to work for you.

The Management Skills Club: For technical professionals moving into a management role

I've created this free members group to support you if you are a new or aspiring manager and want help with becoming the best manager that you can be.