drmain's picture Submitted by drmain on
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General Questions and Comments

Many times, a Manager does a great job as a rep first, and then gets promoted to become the manager of the team that he worked on, quickly going from peer/friend to manager, which makes for a challenging and interesing dynamic.

I would love to hear a podcast on this, but until then, can anyone offer their tips and advice in this area?

Thanks!

rwwh's picture
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Submitted by rwwh on Sunday June 17th, 2007 5:35 pm

There is a difference between a situation where everybody in the team envies you as manager, and a situation where the main thought is "it is a dirty job but somebody has got to do it". The last was my case, and I think the team is happy with the situation....

drmain's picture
Submitted by drmain on Sunday June 17th, 2007 6:10 pm

My situation is that four others from the team applied for the manager job that I got, so not only is there a different atmosphere because we have gone from equal peers and friends to a manager peer relationship, four people are also disappointed that they did not get the job.

juliahhavener's picture
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Submitted by juliahhavener on Sunday June 17th, 2007 9:56 pm

It IS a hard place to be. My suggestions would be to implement O3's quickly. Be prepared to ask for feedback, provide feedback, and see what ways you can pull in those who didn't get the job to assist. Keep your eyes and ears open, and wait a bit before you make major changes. Particularly look for development opportunities that will make it more likely for them to get the next job, and make a point to back them 150%. It makes a huge difference in how they see you and how they will back you as their manager.

terrih's picture
Submitted by terrih on Monday June 18th, 2007 12:58 pm

I second Julia. O3s help a lot. I'm in a situation where 2 of my DR's are mad because the previous manager didn't even give them an opportunity to apply... he simply made a recommendation.

In one case I'm having to tread very carefully and find a way to let the person know that while I'm sympathetic to his feelings, allowing those feelings to impact his performance will negatively impact the possibility of raises and even of continuing to work here. I have created some problems for myself by not getting on top of that fast enough. (Mark gave me some adjusting feedback on that!! :oops:) So if any such issues crop up for you, don't let them fester. I hope they won't.

Good luck. And let me know what you learn 'cause I'm still learning too. I don't think it hurts to let DRs in on the fact you're still learning. It's not like they can't tell. :wink:

Terri

drmain's picture
Submitted by drmain on Tuesday June 19th, 2007 4:30 pm

Thanks for the replies everyone, great advice and will be well used!