Career Planning

Are You
Manager? Ready to Become a
by Octavia Goredema
June 20, 2023

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Summary. When you’re working toward a promotion to a management position,

proving that you’re ready is just one part of the process. To be a strong manager,
you need to be a problem-solver at the highest level. It’s essential to uncover what
you don’t know yet. In addition... more

Transitioning into management for the first time is a significant

career milestone. I can still remember the precise moment when I
learned that I would lead a team. I had patiently, but persistently,
pursued my promotion. I strategically changed jobs to put myself
on an expedited track to management at a large firm with a great
reputation. I was convinced I was ready. After I celebrated the
announcement of my ascent to management, I quickly discovered
that I had a lot to learn.

My decision to pursue a promotion began with analyzing the

leadership landscape at my workplace. I started mentally
comparing my own strengths and accomplishments with theirs. I
found myself thinking about occasions when I’d been publicly
praised by someone important about the impact of my work, or of
moments when someone thanked me privately for completing a
significant task.

As a career coach, I hear similar stories from the professionals I

support who are actively pursuing promotions. Your results,
abilities, and external validations matter. But to become an
effective manager, it’s essential to uncover what you don’t know
yet. In addition to assembling tangible examples that
demonstrate your managerial credentials, take an objective
assessment of the gaps in your experience, knowledge, and
management skills.

I say this with emphasis, not to hold you back, but to propel you
forward. To be a strong manager, you need to be a problem-solver
at the highest level. As you prepare for your next step, I want you
to think beyond proving you’re ready for a promotion. I want you
to be proactive in creating a career-growth plan that will enable
you to navigate the transition and continue to learn in your
promoted role.

My work as a career coach is centered on asking questions,

reflecting on the responses, identifying gaps and weaknesses, and
coming up with steps to address them. As a first step, the self-
assessment questions I draw upon in coaching sessions can start
to ignite ideas and illuminate challenges. To determine which
skills and knowledge you need to improve or develop to become
an effective first-time manager, ask yourself these 10 questions.

Management Skills
What’s my leadership style?
Your leadership style derives from a mix of your strengths,
personality, and values coupled with your vision and goals.
Reflect on each of these components and then decide what you
want to be known for. Remember, you can adapt your approach
over time as you continue to learn and advance.

How can I help my team develop?

Understanding how to measure performance and assess gaps and
growth opportunities on your team will be essential in your role as
a manager. Take time to think about how your promotion may
impact team structures and dynamics. Brainstorm potential
opportunities to play a key role in developing the team.

How will I prioritize and delegate work effectively?

I’m frequently asked to support managers who are struggling to
meet competing demands. Learning how to prioritize and
delegate effectively will make or break your success as a team
leader. This will take time to figure out. As you do, continue to ask
yourself questions like: What will I need to stop doing? What will I
need to do more of? What will I need to maintain? How will I
provide oversight and accountability?

Am I a good public speaker, and can I lead meetings?

How you communicate as a manager is a key driver for how you
assign work, drive engagement, and share information with
multiple stakeholders. This is often done via meetings. As you
prepare to take the next step into management, do an honest
appraisal of your communication skills and assess your comfort
level when it comes to leading meetings and presenting to larger
groups.

How do I deliver constructive feedback and resolve conflict?

Providing guidance, addressing performance gaps, and solving
problems are important managerial responsibilities. Consider
issues you may have witnessed with coworkers regarding
processes, projects, or interpersonal dynamics. What did you
learn from what you observed? What skills will you need to
manage performance and resolve conflict if the need arises?

Knowledge
What are your company’s policies for health, safety, and
regulatory requirements?
Your company’s HR team will take the lead in ensuring employees
undergo necessary training on company policies, but now’s a
great time to familiarize yourself with your employee handbook
and HR resources. As a manager, your team members will come to
you with questions, and you’ll be responsible for helping ensure
company-wide compliance with protocols and policies.

Am I familiar with state and federal employment legislation?

Again, your HR team will be responsible for employment law
guidance that impacts how you work, and it’s smart to familiarize
yourself with company guides and to keep up to date with any
relevant news or discussions of legislative changes. A prime
example of rapidly changing regulations occurred during the
pandemic when the U.S. federal, state, and local governments
introduced new Covid-19 workplace protections to safeguard the
health and safety of workers.

How will I handle queries related to the company’s

compensation strategy, profit sharing, benefits, and equity
planning?
As an employee, understanding the composition of your paycheck
is important. As a manager who’s responsible for a team, you’ll
likely receive queries from team members related to
compensation, benefits, and time policies. Following your
promotion to a management role, you’ll need to be prepared for
confidential conversations that may include eligibility for
overtime pay for exempt and nonexempt employees, financial
data from fiscal year cycles, open enrollment periods for benefits,
and company protocols for compensation decisions.
Have I participated in the full recruitment process?
As a manager, you’ll be required to participate in the execution of
staffing plans. The full cycle of recruitment ranges from assessing
needs and creating job descriptions to selecting candidates,
extending offers, and onboarding new hires. If a promotion will
signal your first time participating in the recruitment process, be
prepared to ask your HR team for guidance on procedures and
best practices.

Do I know the latest diversity, equity, and inclusion best

practices?
Understanding if your organization has DEI guidelines or
resources will help you answer questions or clarify processes
you’ll oversee in your role. In addition, you can continue to track
broader DEI developments and news that may impact your new
responsibilities. A current example is the rollout of new salary
transparency laws to address pay equity in an increasing number
of states, including Rhode Island, Washington, New York, and
California.

...
Pursuing a promotion effectively is about more than just landing
a new title. It’s a valuable opportunity to consider the strengths,
traits, expertise, and knowledge that will support you, as well as
the weaknesses, skills gaps, and lack of exposure that could make
you less effective in the long run. With an objective assessment,
you can create actionable next steps to set you up for future
managerial success.

Octavia Goredema is a career coach at Twenty

Ten Agency and the author of Prep, Push, Pivot:
Essential Career Strategies for
Underrepresented Women. She is the host of the
Audible Original series How to Change Careers
with Octavia Goredema. You can learn more
about her work here.
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