The Number One Rule for New Managers

When you become a manager for the first time there are many things that must be learned. One of the first rules that a new manager should learn to follow is there can be no surprises when it comes to performance.

Managers should communicate expectations up front and clearly so that everyone knows what is expected of them. Additionally you should share yours and others views of the employee’s performance on a regular basis not just during the annual performance review.

When your expectations aren’t communicated or aren’t clear the employee doesn’t know what they are working toward. They won’t know what success looks like or should contain. Following this simple process can help your employees know and understand their performance.

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  • Start with what you know to be true by communicating the goals that are already in place.
  • Set up weekly one-on-one’s to review where they are in meeting those goals.
  • Establish a weekly team meeting to show the group where they are performing to the goals and how they measure up to the other teams.
  • Create contests around the goals and praise people publicly for meeting them.
  • Incrementally increase the goals so that everyone is working on continuous improvement.
  • Use improvement plans that show the expectations, how they are currently performing and what is needed to get to the acceptable level of performance including timelines and how you will help them.

Employees should never be surprised when it comes to performance. They should always know what is expected, where they are in meeting those expectations and where they stand in yours and others eyes within the organization.

Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 06:18 am

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Jason Cortel is currently the Director of Global Workforce Management for a leading technology company. He has been in customer service, marketing, and sales services for over 20 years. In addition, he has extensive experience in offshore and nearshore outsourcing. Jason is an avid Star Trek fan and is on a mission to change the universe by helping people develop professionally. He is driven to help managers and leaders lead their teams better. Jason is also a veteran in creating talent and office cultures.

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