| p>Moving from staff into management for the | | | | we go. Promiseyourself you'll learn at least one |
| first time is exciting--but it can also be scary. | | | | management lesson every day. Set aside a |
| There's so much you don't know. Somehow | | | | fewmoments at the end of each day to think |
| managing looked so easy from theoutside, but | | | | about that day's lesson and how you'll useit to |
| now that you actually have to do it, you realize | | | | improve your management skills. Sometimes |
| it's more complicated thanyou thought. Before, | | | | these lessons will be hard, buteach one will give |
| you had certain tasks to accomplish and you | | | | you something to build on if you are willing to |
| knew you had theskills to do them. You still have | | | | learn. |
| responsibility for those tasks, but now you have | | | | Each day will bring you new challenges, new |
| tosee that the work is done effectively by other | | | | experiences--and new successes. It'seasy to |
| people. That's a whole new task initself, and | | | | forget the successes and focus on all the things |
| you're not sure you're up to the job. | | | | that didn't go so well, so Irecommend you keep a |
| You also find that it's hard to concentrate on the | | | | diary of all your new experiences. Then, on those |
| planning that is such an importantpart of | | | | days whenyou think becoming a manager was all |
| managing, because emergencies large and small | | | | a horrible mistake, you can read over yourdiary |
| seem to arise all the timeand people keep running | | | | and remind yourself just how far you've come. |
| to you to resolve them. The expression "When | | | | Becoming a manager is a journey. Like any |
| you're up toyour neck in alligators, it's hard to | | | | journey, it offers both good and badexperiences, |
| remember you were trying to drain the | | | | enjoyable and not-so-enjoyable aspects, positive |
| swamp"might have been written for new | | | | and negative events. |
| managers! | | | | Just take it one stage at a time, learn from each |
| In these early days, you must learn not to be too | | | | experience--good or bad--andyou'll gradually find |
| hard on yourself. Managementskills are not built | | | | yourself becoming more and more comfortable in |
| into our human DNA--we have to learn them as | | | | yourmanagement role. |