Take the Time to be a Purposeful Manager

Becoming a new leader in your company may feel exhilarating and scary at the same time. The transition from hard worker to accidental leader may not have been what you planned, but your new role can turn you into a purposeful manager with a bright career path.

Take steps to make the most of the opportunity. Although you might not have prepared to be a new leader, take the time to become a purposeful manager, mindful of the dynamics, nuances and panache it takes to guide a team of workers. Your team, new boss, family and career may thank you for it.

Make Time

Make the time to learn your new position. Although your first instinct may turn to hiring someone to help you, it takes time, money and effort to onboard someone to learn the ropes. A purposeful manager wants to learn the new position. Use spare moments here and there to get to know what happens around you. Have additional regular meetings until you become more comfortable with the role. Although this may seem tedious to your teammates, the meetings become less frequent the more you get to know your job.

Check in with your underlings and boss regularly. Ask questions of the people around you to find out what happened in your predecessor's role. Get input now about how to make things run more smoothly, and then ascertain what can and cannot be done. Simple tweaks may happen right away, while more complicated issues could take more time and study. A purposeful manager seeks solutions to problems.

Ideal Manager

Who is your ideal manager? What qualities do you admire about a particular leader in your company? Make a list, check it twice and then start to take relevant steps to become that person you just wrote about. A purposeful manager knows how to get work done. Start with a description of your position, and then set goals for you and not just goals for your team. What do you want to happen in one month, six months and one year? Write out the goals, and then list specific actions to pursue underneath the headings. After you do this, everyone should know what to expect from you and from your work style.

Prove Yourself

Prove to your new boss that you have what it takes. Can this person rely on you? Have you built trust right away with judicious decision-making abilities? Can your new team rely on you, and you on them? You already knew some aspects of the job as an underling, so you need to fill in the gaps with your new role. Don't be afraid to ask your underlings and your boss for help with some things you still need to get used to, because no one expects you to understand everything all at once. Asking for help proves you are just as human as everyone else in that office.

Become a purposeful manager, even if you had the mantel of leadership thrust upon you unexpectedly. Delve into your job with the passion, interest and curiosity of a new hire, and remember the days when you felt driven to make the office a better place. This drive helps foster your leadership skills.

Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net