Hang on… That’s wrong.
Surely management is about you, the team. Surely managers need to be focused on other people: their suppliers, customers, partners, colleagues, subordinates, bosses… even their peers.
And so you do.
And no-one likes a self-absorbed solipsist. Me, me, me: no. That’s just wrong.
But is it?
Let’s take a closer look at what can make you successful, as a manager. Three things are, without a doubt, vital. I’ll call them ‘Me 1’, ‘Me 2’, and ‘Me 3’.
Me 1: Self Awareness
The transition to manager is a big one. It brings with it many challenges. And unless you are aware of your strengths, your weaknesses, and you motivation, you will find it hard to make the change effectively. People will challenge your new leadership role. Working relationships may come under strain, and you will find pressures and stresses that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
You need to be aware of these and, crucially, how they impact your emotional state, and your performance.
Me 2: Self Confidence
Many of the challenges you will face are personal ones. You may have to win offer former peers, who now work for you. You will need to assert yourself, without becoming dictatorial. You will need to represent your organisation – sometimes to more experienced clients, suppliers, and partners.
To do this well, you will need self confidence. This is not about some form of haughty arrogance. This is a rootedness that gives you the feeling that your choices are well-founded, and within the rights that your role confers.
Me 3: Self Control
Under pressure, it is easy to fracture. Stress can lead to fear, anger, frustration, misery (the dark side?). Letting these emotions take control of you will mar your performance and you will find it hard to succeed in management and win over respect if they become a large part of your demeanour.
So you need a measure of self control. In my training, I talk about the SCOPE Process as a means to create this. You can learn about this in the fourth of the free video lessons extracted from my video course: https://mikeclayton.co.uk/new-managers-five-week-success-system/
If you are a new manager… or you aspire to be, I have created a video course just for you. And you can access four free videos here:Â https://mikeclayton.co.uk/new-managers-five-week-success-system/
