One of the biggest challenges for any new manager, is how to approach (and even survive) the very first day in their new appointment.
Indeed what you do on day one, may well frame the relationship with your people for years to come…
You only get one chance to make a first impression, so the first day in your new role is vital to give everyone the right taste for who you are and to get things off to a great start.
So, here are ten ideas you might want to try, all guaranteed to make things work best in those very early days – indeed that very first day!
1. Say Hello to Everyone
By making sure you acknowledge each person as a real individual and worthy of your personal greeting and introduction, you will go a long way to being welcomed. Often this is way underrated. Recognising everyone in your team, at whatever level of contribution they make, is critical in the first hours of your management.
2. Ask Gentle Probing Questions
By finding out what’s important, especially in their real lives (we’ll come to the business shortly), you will build instant rapport. These people need to know you are interested in them as people, and have the ability to see past pure productivity in the business. Simple questions about anything. Who, what, when, where, how questions that get them talking and give you the opportunity for idea 3. below
3. Listen Hard and Show That You Are A Good Listener
A great way to build relationships is to really hear what you are being told. Making eye contact and giving lots of supportive body language/noises really helps. To show you ‘hear’, ask another question whenever you have been told something – there is no stronger way to show that you recognise the individual importance of someone.
4. Be Positive All Day
It’s easy to be critical of whoever was previously in the role. After all, it’s such an easy target. Yet wait. This gives the impression that you are the type to ‘pass the buck’; blame others and above all, be insincere. So, stick with positive comments, whilst acknowledging possible shortfalls in the past.
5. Really Hear Complaints and Issues
There will be those who try to get in early and want change for themselves. There will also be those who want to share their frustration with you. It is vital to appreciate what they are saying in a supportive, constructive and yet cautiously neutral way. Their words will be clouded by assumptions and polarised towards what they have experienced. So, don’t be tempted to ‘fix’ everything from day one. Understand, appreciate and park (though get back to them as you’ve eased yourself in – it is vital to follow through later).
6. Seek Out What’s Good About the Place
Listen and build on what is going right. You may be on the sharp end of complaints and there will be positives they want to share – even if not, look out for them. Seek good news out wherever it is, however small. Such appreciation will be welcomed as long as it is authentic.
7. Find Out What People Need to Work Best
Ask them what one thing they would like to change to make their world better. Then through the actions you take – not necessarily immediately, but definitely sometime, where possible (and where not, you must let them know) you will start to be really appreciated. This is not a blank check to fix things. Sometimes things can’t be fixed soon, even quickly or even ever. It might just not be possible for one person. What will be valued, will be your explaining to them why not. In fact, this is probably a stronger course of action than the quick fix, as it builds trust and the relationship.
8. Be Out and About at the Sharp End
It’s always tempting to sift through the office work you’ve inherited (‘gives me a great sense of what’s going on’). In fact, you’ll get much more from mucking in and getting your hands dirty with the people at the sharp end. Not only will you truly find out much more about the issues in the business, you will also gain the appreciation of your people, in your capacity to get stuck in with them.
9. Say Goodnight to Everyone
This doesn’t apply to your first night only, but every night. You cannot overestimate the value of being at the door to the office or the store thanking everyone and saying good night, more often than not. It’s a small and very relationship-building activity.
10. Have Fun!
This needs a little care, especially at the beginning of your management or you can appear frivolous – or just plain daft. By laughing along with your new people you will warm to them and them to you. It just requires care and a level of awareness to make this work best.
First day over? Check yourself off against this list. How did you do, out of the 10?
Near to 10, well done, can it be even better tomorrow and going forward? Not quite there, well, you can shift, if you do it early enough. Lower scores? It might be a little uphill and you’ll have to start integrating this checklist, step-by-step over the next few weeks. It is redeemable.
Now you are on the way to a healthy, thriving relationship with each and every one of your team. And, these behaviors can be leveraged to get great value from the relationship you put the time in to build.
And you have made a great start.
