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Inexperienced, yes. Untrained, hopefully not. Even if you have excellent
managers in the past who can serve as role models, there are lots of areas
where you can get yourself -- and even your company -- into trouble fast.
Your orientation should have covered these, but unless it was extensive and
the procedures fully documented, don't count on it -- or don't count on it
being enough. I'm talking about things like dealing with behaviour -- such
as people coming in late or coming in drunk, missing deadlines and other
problems with their work, people doing really well and above and beyond the
norm, and how to do evaluations that reflect these kinds of things and what
records you have to keep on the above, what YOU can do and what has to go up
the line, how to deal with unions, budgeting, etc, etc. Lots of etcs.
People are often promoted out of line work based on their technical skill
set ... which, once they hit supervisor or lower management, becomes
progressively of less use. A different skill set is required for management
... and all too often not learned properly ... which helps explains why The
Peter Principle holds so true (people tend to rise to the level of their
incompetence). Higher management often comes out of business school or law
... different set of problems there! ;-))
Talk to 'your' managers about management training. Many businesses will pay
for this and even have local or online courses they recommend. And think how
well you'll do on the essays and written exams!!!!
-------------------------------------
Laurel Hickey
2morrow writing & document design
lhickey -at- 2morrow -dot- bc -dot- ca http://www.2morrow.bc.ca
It is another reach to assume that because you have no management experience
you will necessarily be a bad manager. Everyone starts out inexperienced at
everything they do.
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