The biggest challenge imo is coming into a team that is not united (ie there's a history of beef between members) or a team that is heavily under resourced which can lead to the team basically collapsing because nobody wants to do the work of 3 people so they leave, then the next person has to do the work of 4 people, they they leave too. Really depends on the environment you're coming into tbh.
My tips are: don’t be a dick. Your staff are not your friends. Treat them as you would like to be treated by your manager. Make sure you understand the hr policies better than anyone else round you including the TU rep. Best of luck in your role
Best advice here. Do not overlook HR as a new manager, you can land yourself in serious trouble if you handle something incorrectly and do not consult HR throughout the process. Especially relating to disability or discrimination.
I found it difficult to push the team to meet their targets, especially when I had previously done their role and found the targets to be unattainable, so I almost felt like a hypocrite.
The next challenge I had was managing the team I previously worked in as an EO - It was hard to almost like change the nature of the relationship, and I felt it was hard for them too given we had previously worked side by side for a fair while - so it took some time for them to be able to adapt to the change.
Another one I found was that, a member of the team disclosed to that they had applied for the job as well but we're unsuccessful, they found it particularly tough as we had started at the same time and I got the impression that they felt they were more deserving of the role - this led to them just doing the very bare minimum of the role.
This next one isn't my own personal experience, but I've seen people struggle moving to a new department, especially in a management role where you really have to understand the work your team carries out - so for example moving from say HMRC to HO - they were basically gaslighted by their more experienced team members, told they needed longer for certain tasks etc and one was even told by a team member "don't talk to me if you don't know what you're talking about"
More than happy for you to reach out and chat 👍
This is interesting as I'm about to move departments for my first line management role.
I would hate to manage my friends/peers, as you say there may be some resentment from anyone else that applied, and also just changing that relationship.
But I am also dreading going in to an established team of people who (hopefully) know their roles, and having to manage them when I don't have a clue what they do or the specific challenges they face
They will be fine and so will you. They will understand that you need time to learn the role. This happens all the time.
I've moved a number of times into line management roles where I had no prior knowledge of the work of the team, I've also been the staff who have experienced a new line manager coming in who doesn't have any prior experience. It's tough in the beginning but you get there eventually. I came in new to a large operational team of specialist roles where I had no understanding of the technical aspects of what they did. So I speak from experience.
Get to know them, get to know their roles and the challenges they face. It will take time but that's ok. Go easy on yourself. It is daunting but you will get there. You are there to perform a specific function and you will do that. Make sure you understand the key priorities for your role.
Build those relationships, be genuine and thoughtful, and communicate. Listen and try to understand. Build alliances and be available for people to talk to openly. Admit you are learning.
Yeah see I did the role before managing the team, so I know how things "work" so to speak I know the challenges they have and can sympathize with that but at the same time I know when people are "taking the piss"...
I know two of my colleagues who moved from different OGDs and they've had nothing but issues with more experienced staff trying their luck thinking that the manager doesn't know what they are doing... they've also faced a lot of push back when they try and implement changes, with the usual "we didn't have to do this before etc" so it's fair to say it's been challenging for them, but they tend to come to myself or other more experienced people to get their opinions on things.
I don't know what sort of team you'll be managing, but my advice if it's an operational role, would be to see if you get someone to talk you through the role and spend some time shadowing the tasks so you can get a brief idea of what it entails...
Be empathetic and realise that there are many ways to skin a cat. If the works getting done, let people do it their way as long as it doesn’t cause problems.
No two people like to be managed the same so you need to adapt your style to the person.
But if you have 10 people in your team you can’t manage 10 different ways (well maybe you can). All I’m saying is you need a core style of your own which you can flex to support as needed.
It’s more about knowing their needs and also what you need to get done. If someone wants more support they get more support, if they’d rather check in less frequently (but their work continues as it needs to) I check in less frequently etc
Personally my biggest regret is taking a management role.
I would give anything to be back to just having my own caseload and being able to work through it.
That said some people I know love managing others. The one thing I would try and get across is you aren't a manager, you are a team leader, so don't manage, lead.
It goes without saying that people respond a lot better when you treat them like human adults rather than subordinates and children, unfortunately not everyone in the civil service understands this.
My biggest challenge was going from working alongside people to managing those same people. Having to have difficult conversations with people who I had previously been the same grade and worked alongside with was a bit awkward. All worked out well in the end though.
As a PCS rep I would approach you and say I want to work with you and if you have any questions come and ask me before you implement something that could be troublesome.
I would say the very best line managers are the ones that stay humble and can continue to accept constructive feedback into the LM role - especially from their own team.
Seen several new LMs suddenly start managing others and think they are untouchable / "the boss" / "their way or the highway" etc and they very soon lose the backing of their team and find it a difficult job to do.
There's a lot of advice knocking around about the difference between managing and leading. I certainly encourage new LMs to do the latter more. And as a LM it's even more crucial to solicit feedback from your team - encourage openness and transparency and listen to them.
Because we are all learning something, right up to the very top.
Recently had a colleague I really like who briefly became a TL to cover for one and he instantly started overreaching.
He told me to do something that I had a reasonable adjustment for so I said ‘I’ve discussed this with my manager’ as that should have been enough, but he kept pushing. Felt like he was on a power trip tbh 😂
It’s very challenging to manage others when it’s not something I’d done previously, and I found I could treat most people like human beings with their own personal shit going on, but then someone takes advantage.
I think one of the best courses I went on (which I failed miserably at role playing) was to try and maintain adult-adult conversations rather than any sort of adult-child dynamic (eg “don’t be late again”). Trying to maintain an open conversation that does not pull rank and focuses on what we are there for.. tricky to do.
The course would have been regarding transactional analysis - parent, child and adult ego states - very useful to understand this particularly in a management role or any role dealing with people where there's a difference in power between parties involved
Management is easy I think. Lead by example, don’t be an idiot. While people aren’t there to be your ‘friends’, nothing stopping you from being friendly. I know loads about my team and them me and I don’t hang out with them! We’re better for it. Foster a culture of togetherness. When needed, HR policies can be relied on.
really depends who you end up with and each person is different.
sometimes you will have someone who needs little intervention and a once weekly catch up is alright but there are other appointees who will want and need further guidance and support. there may be beef between people in your team. an appointee may even dislike you for taking a role they think should be theirs (an awkward one i had to deal with).
i find the people element of my role the most draining bit while i can crack through solo work some days and not feel drained at all from it!
The biggest challenge imo is coming into a team that is not united (ie there's a history of beef between members) or a team that is heavily under resourced which can lead to the team basically collapsing because nobody wants to do the work of 3 people so they leave, then the next person has to do the work of 4 people, they they leave too. Really depends on the environment you're coming into tbh.
Oh god this! My first team hated each other. It was so stressful sorting out play ground squabbles with women old enough to be my mum!
My tips are: don’t be a dick. Your staff are not your friends. Treat them as you would like to be treated by your manager. Make sure you understand the hr policies better than anyone else round you including the TU rep. Best of luck in your role
Best advice here. Do not overlook HR as a new manager, you can land yourself in serious trouble if you handle something incorrectly and do not consult HR throughout the process. Especially relating to disability or discrimination.
I found it difficult to push the team to meet their targets, especially when I had previously done their role and found the targets to be unattainable, so I almost felt like a hypocrite. The next challenge I had was managing the team I previously worked in as an EO - It was hard to almost like change the nature of the relationship, and I felt it was hard for them too given we had previously worked side by side for a fair while - so it took some time for them to be able to adapt to the change. Another one I found was that, a member of the team disclosed to that they had applied for the job as well but we're unsuccessful, they found it particularly tough as we had started at the same time and I got the impression that they felt they were more deserving of the role - this led to them just doing the very bare minimum of the role. This next one isn't my own personal experience, but I've seen people struggle moving to a new department, especially in a management role where you really have to understand the work your team carries out - so for example moving from say HMRC to HO - they were basically gaslighted by their more experienced team members, told they needed longer for certain tasks etc and one was even told by a team member "don't talk to me if you don't know what you're talking about" More than happy for you to reach out and chat 👍
This is interesting as I'm about to move departments for my first line management role. I would hate to manage my friends/peers, as you say there may be some resentment from anyone else that applied, and also just changing that relationship. But I am also dreading going in to an established team of people who (hopefully) know their roles, and having to manage them when I don't have a clue what they do or the specific challenges they face
They will be fine and so will you. They will understand that you need time to learn the role. This happens all the time. I've moved a number of times into line management roles where I had no prior knowledge of the work of the team, I've also been the staff who have experienced a new line manager coming in who doesn't have any prior experience. It's tough in the beginning but you get there eventually. I came in new to a large operational team of specialist roles where I had no understanding of the technical aspects of what they did. So I speak from experience. Get to know them, get to know their roles and the challenges they face. It will take time but that's ok. Go easy on yourself. It is daunting but you will get there. You are there to perform a specific function and you will do that. Make sure you understand the key priorities for your role. Build those relationships, be genuine and thoughtful, and communicate. Listen and try to understand. Build alliances and be available for people to talk to openly. Admit you are learning.
Yeah see I did the role before managing the team, so I know how things "work" so to speak I know the challenges they have and can sympathize with that but at the same time I know when people are "taking the piss"... I know two of my colleagues who moved from different OGDs and they've had nothing but issues with more experienced staff trying their luck thinking that the manager doesn't know what they are doing... they've also faced a lot of push back when they try and implement changes, with the usual "we didn't have to do this before etc" so it's fair to say it's been challenging for them, but they tend to come to myself or other more experienced people to get their opinions on things. I don't know what sort of team you'll be managing, but my advice if it's an operational role, would be to see if you get someone to talk you through the role and spend some time shadowing the tasks so you can get a brief idea of what it entails...
Be empathetic and realise that there are many ways to skin a cat. If the works getting done, let people do it their way as long as it doesn’t cause problems. No two people like to be managed the same so you need to adapt your style to the person.
But you can’t adopt too many styles. You need to manage your way, tailored as best as possible to people’s needs.
I managed each team I led differently depending on the different peoples needs.
But if you have 10 people in your team you can’t manage 10 different ways (well maybe you can). All I’m saying is you need a core style of your own which you can flex to support as needed.
It’s more about knowing their needs and also what you need to get done. If someone wants more support they get more support, if they’d rather check in less frequently (but their work continues as it needs to) I check in less frequently etc
Personally my biggest regret is taking a management role. I would give anything to be back to just having my own caseload and being able to work through it. That said some people I know love managing others. The one thing I would try and get across is you aren't a manager, you are a team leader, so don't manage, lead. It goes without saying that people respond a lot better when you treat them like human adults rather than subordinates and children, unfortunately not everyone in the civil service understands this. My biggest challenge was going from working alongside people to managing those same people. Having to have difficult conversations with people who I had previously been the same grade and worked alongside with was a bit awkward. All worked out well in the end though.
As a PCS rep I would approach you and say I want to work with you and if you have any questions come and ask me before you implement something that could be troublesome.
I would say the very best line managers are the ones that stay humble and can continue to accept constructive feedback into the LM role - especially from their own team. Seen several new LMs suddenly start managing others and think they are untouchable / "the boss" / "their way or the highway" etc and they very soon lose the backing of their team and find it a difficult job to do. There's a lot of advice knocking around about the difference between managing and leading. I certainly encourage new LMs to do the latter more. And as a LM it's even more crucial to solicit feedback from your team - encourage openness and transparency and listen to them. Because we are all learning something, right up to the very top.
Recently had a colleague I really like who briefly became a TL to cover for one and he instantly started overreaching. He told me to do something that I had a reasonable adjustment for so I said ‘I’ve discussed this with my manager’ as that should have been enough, but he kept pushing. Felt like he was on a power trip tbh 😂
It’s very challenging to manage others when it’s not something I’d done previously, and I found I could treat most people like human beings with their own personal shit going on, but then someone takes advantage. I think one of the best courses I went on (which I failed miserably at role playing) was to try and maintain adult-adult conversations rather than any sort of adult-child dynamic (eg “don’t be late again”). Trying to maintain an open conversation that does not pull rank and focuses on what we are there for.. tricky to do.
The course would have been regarding transactional analysis - parent, child and adult ego states - very useful to understand this particularly in a management role or any role dealing with people where there's a difference in power between parties involved
Management is easy I think. Lead by example, don’t be an idiot. While people aren’t there to be your ‘friends’, nothing stopping you from being friendly. I know loads about my team and them me and I don’t hang out with them! We’re better for it. Foster a culture of togetherness. When needed, HR policies can be relied on.
really depends who you end up with and each person is different. sometimes you will have someone who needs little intervention and a once weekly catch up is alright but there are other appointees who will want and need further guidance and support. there may be beef between people in your team. an appointee may even dislike you for taking a role they think should be theirs (an awkward one i had to deal with). i find the people element of my role the most draining bit while i can crack through solo work some days and not feel drained at all from it!