Jul 5 / Jackie Kennedy

Learning to Let Go as a New Manager

As HR managers and leaders, you’re likely familiar with a common pain point that happens in many organisations. A top-performing individual contributor, who excels in their role and becomes an expert in that position, is promoted to manage others.

While promoting from within is a fantastic strategy for retention, loyalty and growth; it often leads to a significant challenge: the skills that made that person exceptional in their previous role do not necessarily translate to effective people management. It's a different set of skills that are needed to manage and lead people.

Let’s dive in further!

The Perfectionism Trap & Letting Go of Control

People who are methodical, detail-oriented, and take responsibility and accountability for their work would seem like a good fit for a promotion to a management position, right? And while that’s often true to some extent, you can imagine those perfectionism-type strengths could become weaknesses when leading others if not directed in the right way. Instead of letting go of work and providing autonomy for their team to take the lead, they hold tighter because they're nervous there will be mistakes or problems that arise and well they want things to be perfect or done their way. And so they do the work of their team which actually disempowers everyone and makes the new manager burn out and team members demotivated.

Building Trust

This struggle with letting go and delegating work is really all about trust. People managers have to be able to trust their team to do the job and make decisions. This trust is built through self-awareness and consistent, open communication, and a clear understanding of roles, responsibilities, and expectation management. Which goes in both directions. The team needs to trust their manager as well and feel comfortable sharing mistakes or challenges, so they can learn from them.

Effective One-on-Ones

One of the most critical yet often overlooked skills for new managers is conducting effective one-on-ones. And yes, holding effective meetings is an actual skill! It’s not just about scheduling a time or having a bullet point agenda planned out, but about making space for each team member to feel heard and seen. These meetings are essential for setting expectations, providing feedback, and building trust. Without regular, structured one-on-ones, managers struggle to delegate tasks effectively and hold their team accountable.

The Importance of Upskilling New Managers

  • Are your managers struggling with delegation, letting go, and trusting their people? 
  • Do they find it difficult to hold people accountable?
  • Are they confident in their ability to run an effective one-to-one meeting?

New managers need training in people management, including how to build trust, set clear goals, delegate effectively, and conduct meaningful meetings. Without these skills, they are likely to revert to their individual contributor mindset, which can lead to micromanagement and a lack of team autonomy. 

Onward and upward,
Jackie
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