New managers need to be mindful of building fresh relationships - Dominic Fitch

As you begin to take up your duties, I think it’s important to equip yourself with as much knowledge and guidance as possible. Ensure you have everything you need to be the best possible manager from the get-go.

Even if you’re already familiar with your team and have known them for years, becoming their manager can significantly change your relationship. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers’? Your first duty as a manager should be getting to know your employees and putting their needs first.

As a manager you’ll never stop learning – about the company you’re working within, their industry, their competitors – and so, you need to remain open to absorbing new information. Encourage those reporting to you to keep learning too - by pushing them to expand their skill sets by getting involved in different training courses and seminars. This can both help you become a great new manager and boost your team’s development at the same time.

Reconsider any obligations to try and tackle everything at once to make the best impression on your superiors and employees. This is a common mistake to make when entering management. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at your tasks and responsibilities with the aim of prioritising. You are not a superhero, and nobody expects you to be. Be aware of burning out. Strike a balance and focus on delivering the long-term, sustainable results.

I believe successful management recognises that different people need different approaches. When it comes to deciding on the type of manager you want to be to your staff members, there is no ‘one size fits all’. While your beliefs, values, and overall managerial style shouldn’t change from person to person (that would be unfair), be alert to factors such as language barriers and age groups.

Remember, nobody likes a hypocrite, especially when that hypocrite in question is supposed to be managing a workforce. To keep employee morale, productivity, and loyalty at a high level, I think you need to be everything you expect your staff to be. Demonstrating your own devotion, reliability, and hard work, will build trust with your staff, which will help motivate them to be the best version of themselves, too.

Whilst building relationships with your staff, clients and stakeholders drive better results for the business, it also creates a more enjoyable working environment for everyone involved. To strengthen your relationships with those around you, you need to be genuine, make sure you’re really listening instead of just hearing.

As a new manager, it’s natural to be bursting with exciting ideas to improve business and increase employee satisfaction, but what’s equally important is that you have a plan to bring these ideas to fruition. Don’t be afraid to consult others before launching into a new process; your decisions as a manager impact the wider team, not just yourself. Plus, getting opinions and assistance from your employees should fill them with a sense of importance and help them feel valued, which in turn could help strengthen your relationship with them.

Dominic Fitch is head of creative change at Impact International.