Imagine you wake up one day and head to work where you find yourself immersed in a strange situation where everything about what you do and how you do it is different. How would you feel? How would you respond?

This disorienting situation is what awaits every person managing for the first time. Moving from contributor to manager is one of the most difficult steps in anyone’s career. Success demands a full-scale transformation in real-time without a guidebook. And while no personal or professional transformation is easy, it turns out showing up every day with the right attitude sets the stage for your success.

Adjust Your Attitude for Success as a New Manager:

You must be…

1. Open-minded and hungry to learn.

2. Accepting of the reality that what worked as an individual contributor no longer hunts in this new role.

3. Comfortable asking for help from your manager or more experienced colleagues.

4. Not fixated on being the commanding authority figure on the team.

5. Willing to ask the team what type of help they need to succeed, and then listen and do something with the insights.

6. Comfortable doing the uncomfortable thing and apologizing when you make a mistake.

7. Committed to starting over with each individual on the team, regardless of pre-existing biases.

8. Free from the pressure of feeling the need to be the smartest person in the room.

9. Willing to help set priorities.

10. Comfortable taking direction from above.

11. Accepting of the need to establish and reinforce behavioral norms and group values—especially for accountability.

12. Aware that challenging conversations are part of the job and willing to engage.

13. Accepting of the Coach’s Credo: If we succeed, it’s because of the team. If we fail, I own it.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Don’t even consider taking on this role unless you adjust your attitude to match the points above. Get your attitude right, and the job is more of an adventure and not a trial.

Art's Signature

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