Start successfully

A 33-year-old engineer is appointed head of the design department. He gets down to work full of verve. In the first few days, he quickly redesigns central work processes in the department. He also cancels the usual meetings at the beginning of the week, which he feels are a waste of time. After that, he spends the next few weeks working on a new project management system. He wants to use it to score points with the company management.

When the initial momentum wears off

In the beginning, the employees are inspired by the verve of their new supervisor. They are highly motivated during the first three or four weeks. Because with a change of leadership, the cards are also partially reshuffled. Consequently, everyone wants to score points with the new "boss". But then their performance drops noticeably. Why?

Winning the employees as comrades-in-arms

A central omission of the new head of the design department was: He did not get his employees "on board". He neither informed them about his work nor did he make use of their experience. Therefore, at some point his employees asked themselves: "What does he actually do all day? The new head of the design department also did not provide his employees with a vision of how they should work together in the future. Nor did he agree with them on goals to be achieved in their joint work. So the employees initially went out of their way to signal to the new guy: I am a good man or a good woman. But then they noticed that our new boss was hardly interested in us and our work; he was largely preoccupied with himself. So they shift down a gear or two. In other words, their initial enthusiasm waned - partly because they lacked the necessary orientation in their day-to-day work.

How can young managers avoid such processes? In the start-up phase, before turning things upside down, a manager should first determine in discussions with his or her employees:

• How has the work in this area been structured and organised so far?
• What maxims guided the employees in their work? And:
• What are their wishes and ideas regarding future cooperation?

After that, she should convey to her employees,

• to what extent their expectations are realistic,
• which (overriding) goals are to be achieved in the cooperation, and
• what role they themselves play in achieving the common goals.

The manager should also clarify with each employee in a one-on-one conversation: Where do you stand? Where do you want to go? And: What do you need to achieve these goals? Only when they have this information should they redefine processes and responsibilities - and do so in such a way that their employees can work in a goal-oriented manner and make their contribution to achieving the overriding goals. In doing so, managers should always keep in mind: Their performance is ultimately measured by the performance of their team. Consequently, as paradoxical as it may sound, their professional success and advancement are largely dependent on the people who report to them. Many young managers are not sufficiently aware of this.

Focus on management tasks

The new head of the design department made another mistake: he used (or wasted) most of his energy on technical tasks. Managers should only do such tasks if no one else can do them. Otherwise they will not have the time they need for their leadership and control tasks.

Too much time for technical tasks

management tasks. This includes, among other things, all the discussions that you as a manager have to have with your employees so that they (can) make their contribution to achieving the division/company goals. The time required for this is often underestimated by managers.

For many managers, the amount of time they spend on technical, managerial, and leadership tasks does not match their importance to their success as a leader. Work analyses show: Most managers spend 80 percent of their time on technical tasks; only 10 percent each is spent on steering and leadership tasks. The ratio should be almost the other way round. As a compass for leadership success, managers should spend no more than 20 percent of their time on specialist tasks and 40 percent each on management and leadership tasks. After all, managers are not paid to perform specialist tasks.

Ensure the required performance

The main task of a manager is to ensure that each employee makes his or her contribution to ensuring that the division or the company achieves its goals. But how can the necessary performance be generated among the employees? Many young managers do not know this. It is essential that managers regularly talk to their employees about what they expect of them.

Before having these conversations, leaders should consider:

• How can I communicate to the employee the goals I want them to achieve in their work so that they recognize their importance? And:
• How do I motivate him to actually do the things necessary to achieve the goals?

In these conversations, managers should take the following rule to heart: Never put the goal to be achieved up for discussion. Because this is not open to discussion! Only talk to the employees about the way they want to achieve this goal. Because if an employee has a say in how he or she proceeds in achieving the set goals, he or she is usually more motivated than if every step of the work is prescribed to him or her. In addition, it relieves the burden on managers when their employees largely decide for themselves how to perform their tasks.

Of course, there are situations in which work instructions make more sense than targets - for example, when there is extreme time pressure. If a ship is sinking, the captain cannot discuss with the crew whether to lower the lifeboats into the water. He must issue concise and precise orders. Intelligent employees accept this. A manager should therefore always adapt his leadership behaviour to the respective situation, but also to the respective counterpart. If a

Criticism only in private

If an employee does not produce the required performance on his own initiative, she has to lead him on a "short leash" - i.e. largely by means of work instructions.

Steering and controlling the achievement of objectives

However, "agreeing on goals" or "instructing" is only the first step in the management process. Because if an employee knows the goal, he must also fulfill his tasks. Managers should monitor this implementation or the achievement of partial goals. Because otherwise they can register sometime only: The goals were not achieved. Countermeasures are then no longer possible.

The second step in the management process is therefore "control and steer". Depending on the employee and the importance of the task, control can refer to the achievement of certain sub-goals or the execution of the necessary work steps. Managers must decide anew in each case what is appropriate for the situation and the employee. But it should be clear to them: An employee whom they have to lead on a short leash causes them extra work. Therefore his work is worth less. They should also tell them this, if necessary.

In the control cycle of leadership, control is followed by recognition or criticism of the employee's performance.

Instruction and initiative

employee. But how does a manager know whether an employee's performance is appropriate? And should they praise them for everything they have achieved and done? The answer is no. Managers should distinguish between praise and recognition and blame and criticism. Praise and blame are always personal and general. Recognition and criticism, on the other hand, refer to a specific performance. Therefore, they should always be factual and specific. As a rule, managers should only express praise and criticism in private.

Do not decide and act hastily

One last tip for newly minted managers: In everyday management, there are usually many paths to success. Only one does not: wanting to do everything differently than the predecessor right from the start. Because this usually produces resistance. In addition, as a newcomer to the department, you usually lack the necessary information. Therefore, when you take on a new management position, do not make any groundbreaking decisions in the first two or three weeks. Instead, first make an effort to get to know the working methods and procedures in your new department. And tell your new employees this, too - even if they storm you with as many inquiries as possible, such as "Chief, what's next?" Because many managers have already dug their own graves because they made rash, far-reaching decisions in the start-up phase - or because they made promises to their employees that they were then unable to keep.