If this is the first time for you leading a team, it can be a daunting time. So, how do you get through your first day as a new manager?
Whatever size team you’re managing, you should always have an initial meeting with them on day one, but what will the agenda be? Should you prepare a big “speech”? How should you set everyone’s expectations? Don’t panic, this is just as nerve-racking for them as it is for you. Think about what you want their first impression of you to be….
When you come into this first meeting, you need to focus on building trust before you try and change anything.
Use this initial meeting to set the tone for the kind of environment you want everyone to work in.
- Show you are worthy of their trust
- Show that you are humble and ready to learn
- Show that your intention is to help
You should keep in mind that you are new and although you are in a leadership role, your team will be skeptical of you. They will only see your confidence and sense of direction as a positive if they trust you. So without this, you could come across as arrogant and misguided.
Try to get to know your team by asking them some simple get-to-know-you questions and take notes as you can use their answers in any future meetings or events etc. If Sarah’s favorite flower is a Gerbera, then consider buying them flowers which include Gerbera for a promotion, work anniversary, birthday etc. You can also tell them about your personal interests or what you do in your free time. Do you support any charities or events locally that you could do together?
When it’s your turn to introduce yourself, one of the more important elements is to show your human side. Talk to them about what motivates and inspires you. The more they know you the more likely they are to trust you. Then you can talk about your leadership values.
- What drew you to this specific role and organisation?
- What do you see as the main purpose of a manager?
- What do you value?
If you share your intentions that you are there to motivate and help them, as well as supporting them to achieve great things, this will help build their trust. You have to show your vulnerable side and let the team know you don’t have all the answers all of the time, so don’t be afraid to say “I am the new person here, and all of you in this room know more than me. You have a lot of experience within the business that I don’t have, and I am looking to learn from you”
It is also important to ask a couple of probing questions to the team at this stage so that you can pay attention to their answers. For example:
- Is there anything you would like to change in this team?
- How do you prefer to receive feedback?
- What do you wish was communicated to you more often?
- Who was the best boss you ever had and why?
- How often would you like to set up one-to-one meetings? Weekly, monthly, quarterly?
- Is there anything that has been off-limits to talk about before as a team such as menopause or pregnancy loss?
- Do they like support with wellbeing initiatives?
Towards the end of your meeting, you should let them know that you will be setting up one-to-one meetings with each of them over the next few days and during these meetings, you can plan how frequent future meetings need to be. However, if they want to speak to you sooner then let them know you are available. Be proactive with them and they will react positively.
You should be prepared for the team to ask you some tough questions at this stage, so answer what you can truthfully and with humility. This is only day one for you, so you will not be able to answer everything. Keep in mind that this is the start of a new adventure, and if you take on board some of these tips, then I’m sure you will be a very successful manager.
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