Sales Motivational Speaker – Chuck Gallagher – Discusses 5 Key Steps to Success for a New Manager

You dream of success!  Instead of being the one managed, you dream of being the manager.  Then one day, due to your focus and accomplishment (or maybe somebody unexpectedly quit) – either way, you’re tapped on the shoulder – you’re named the manager.  Great!  Then what?

Those last two words represent a profound question and are often the two words that can define failure or success. Sure, there are consultants, speakers, lots of books, bunches of articles, and many seminars on leadership and management. But do they really understand what you’re facing?

Do all of those glossy, $30 hardback books at Barnes and Noble have the answer.  Do they really know the obstacles you face and how difficult it is to make this transition?

Having conducted seminars and worked with corporate executives and managers for many years – big companies and small – I can speak from experience.  Each time you step up the food chain you’ll face the same challenges.

Here are 5 simple success tips that can help with this transition:

1.    Understand on the front end, you are not prepared.  More times than not, the opportunity comes before you are given all the training needed to truly succeed.  In fact, there’s a good chance that the reason you were chosen is the belief that you can figure it out and succeed.  Therefore, understand that you are in a new role – take it seriously.
2.    In the book, 13 Fatal Errors that Manager’s Make – one rule that must be followed is – Be a Boss, not a Buddy.  By setting boundaries you are establishing a framework for your success.  Your new role requires different responsibilities and with that comes a new way of being.  Hanging out with those you manage is a fatal error.  Success comes from respecting the role and acting accordingly.
3.    Associated with #2 – get out of the gossip loop, the coffee/social breaks, don’t hang out with the folks at the after work happy hours.  The reason that companies often bring in outside managers is that they have no relationships and have no habits to break.  Break social habits and pave the way for success.
4.    Listen.  Ask questions.  Be interested and know that those you manage often have the answers, it’s up to the successful manager to find them.  A good listener dramatically increases the likelihood of success.
5.    The last and perhaps the most important – and one that our Dallas Blue members should know – leverage your relationships.  The most successful people are those who know the value of building and maintaining relationships.  You may be brilliant, but most often it is not what you know but who you know that makes the difference between fair performance and success.

Want to succeed?  Great, then recognize that success is the consistent application of learned behavior designed to get a positive result on a predictable basis. Simply decide you want to succeed, set your course and take the steps necessary to create your success.  Remember – every choice has a consequence and the choices you make today are the very same choices that shape your future.

Sales Motivational Speaker – Chuck Gallagher – signing off…