Promoting a new manager is a choice that can have far-reaching implications for a company as a whole. The best managers will lift up their employees and move a company forward, while a poor manager will try to lift themselves up by pushing everyone else down. There is no shortage of either kind of manager in the workplace, meaning when it comes time for promotions, serious consideration must be put into the decision. Hiring managers use various interview styles to find the best employees, but there are three mistakes that should be avoided at all costs when seeking out the best manager among current employees.
.1) Don’t Fall Short On Training
It may be comforting to think that a person being promoted to manager will have at least a base knowledge of how the company operates, but this may be too optimistic. Most employees who are promoted to management will not come into the position with a true grasp of what a manager does. They will often have vague notions, but will not instinctively know how to raise employee morale or criticize employee work in a constructive way. Having proper training in place can avoid the collateral damage that can occur from new managers being forced to learn on the job.
2) Seek Out Flexible Employees
It is also important to find an employee who can survive the transition from employee to manager. Most employees who are promoted to a management position will be in for a surprise when they realize that their co-workers are now treating them differently. A new manager must be independent and confident enough to stand on their own without needing the approval of everyone around them. A lack of confidence can lead to discipline being neglected and this erodes the position of manager entirely. Once the respect between a manager and their employees is lost, it can take a substantial amount of time to create that relationship once again.
3) Ensure They Know How to Delegate
New managers may be overachievers and want to tackle every problem by themselves. This is not only a recipe for disaster, but can result in a loss of employee confidence and harm their own ability to handle situations that arise. Make sure a new manager is the type of employee that is not only willing to face the tough choices, but also willing to give these tasks to others. When a manager gives this type of responsibility to their employees it raises their confidence and creates and employee who better all around.
Promoting a new manager may seem like hard decision, but taking time to evaluate each person independently will always result in the best decision. There will almost always be one employee that has seemed ready to take on the task of a manager and is simply waiting for a position to open. If they are the type of person that wants to see themselves, their employees, and the company all progress together, they are the ideal choice when a promotion is in order.
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Brenda Fisher is a HR manager and guest author at BestCollegesOnline.org, where she contributed to the guide to the Top 10 Most Affordable Online Colleges for Human Resources Management.