7 Tips for New Managers Looking to Make Their Mark

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When you accept a job as a manager, it’s normal to want to make your mark and show other people what you’re capable of doing.

You are likely to have ambitions and ideas about what you plan to implement as a new manager, and you’ll also probably want to lead people according to your own style.

There are many ways that you can make your mark as a new manager in a way that brings people on board with you and commands respect from your colleagues, peers, and seniors.

Let’s look at some tips for new managers who are looking to make their mark in a new place.

1. Be Open to Input from Others

Listening to other people, particularly those who have been around in the company longer than you, can help to give you new ideas and inspiration as well as establish yourself as an approachable and thoughtful manager. People will naturally feel more uncomfortable challenging a manager, but an approachable style is something that many colleagues will respect. It will also enable you to acquire further knowledge and perspectives as you settle into the role of a new manager.

2. Draw On Your Own Experiences

As a manager, it might be tempting to follow a set pattern and copy the behaviour of others for guidance. However, you must also remember that you have a lot of your own individual experiences to draw on, and this can help you to carve out your own individual style as a manager. Whether you were able to gain a masters in business management at Aston University or you have several years of experience in the sector, you will have unique experiences and skills that others don’t. Making the most of this can help other people to connect with you more easily as well as boost your own confidence.

3. Trust Your Staff

In some circumstances, new managers feel the need to micro-manage their staff and be aware of everything they are doing. While this might be necessary for some situations, it’s also very important that you trust your staff. Not trusting your staff to do their jobs could mean that they start to resent you as a manager, and this can lead to discontentment and upheaval within a company. Although you’re a new manager, trust the staff who are already there and play a supportive role in helping them to carry out their jobs. Speak to your staff to understand more about them and their roles, and gauge how confident you are in their abilities at work. This can help you to offer tailored support where it is needed as well as feel more comfortable and confident in your team.

4. Encourage Change

A good manager should encourage change when it is in the best interests of the company and its employees. Some managers can become stuck in their ways, and employees can become accustomed to having their requests or ideas rejected. Be prepared to listen to what your team has to say and encourage them to put forward suggestions and ideas for change. This will also make it easier for you to suggest changes to the team and the company and you should equally work with hybrid workers.

5. Be Respectful of Existing Practices

When you join a company or take over a team as a new manager, there may be many things that you want to change immediately. In some situations, you may be working with people who have designed and implemented the current policies and practices, so being respectful of existing ways of working will be key to making your mark as a good manager. However, you should also be ready to suggest improvements to the organisation and the team you are working with. What’s important is that you suggest changes and improvements in a sensitive way that considers any previous work and the views of other colleagues.

6. Don’t Be Overly Ambitious

Although you really want to make your mark in a company as a new manager, trying to be too ambitious might not go down well. Before you start setting ambitious plans and strategies for your team, consult with other people and find out whether similar plans have been proposed or implemented in the past. You will also have the chance to gauge the interest and views of others in the company, which can help you to see whether it is a good idea to put forward your own ambitious plans at this point.

7. Be Ready to Fix Problems

Before you start carving out your own plans and ideas for the business, you should start your job as a new manager being prepared to fix problems for your new staff. There may be procedures and systems in place that aren’t working for some of the staff or complaints that they want to raise with you about certain projects or colleagues. Making a positive mark as a new manager is equally about solving existing problems as it is about proposing new ways forward. You will be able to identify some of the issues in the company yourself, but you may rely on other staff coming forward and being open about their issues too.

Good communication is key when you’re trying to make your mark as a new manager, whether you’re building new relationships with people, solving problems for your staff, or proposing innovative new ideas for the company. Draw on your own experiences, qualifications, and background to develop your own unique and personal management skills and style.