Stepping Up to Your First Managerial Role

If you're like most people, you go to work each day with the hope of becoming better at your job. You desire to climb up the ladder in your profession so that you can achieve a certain level of success. That feeling of walking into an appraisal and being offered a promotion is quite extraordinary!

As society continues to advance rapidly, we find ourselves constantly chasing after the next milestone, sometimes feeling like the marathon is never going to end. There is always something greater to achieve, something more fulfilling to pursue. Once we reach a certain goal, there still remains a hunger for more.

But not all of us are able to climb the ladder as quickly as others. Competition is tight as everyone scrambles to be recognised, appreciated, and rewarded for their effort. So, what can you do to stand out to your supervisors and get yourself on the list for the next promotion?

At some point in your career, you probably hope to be a manager. Through this role, you will have greater influence over your team and potentially have more impact on your company’s success. Being promoted to a management position does not only depend on your external achievements but also internal growth.

The most important aspect of being a manager is communication, both verbal and written. Some have the misconception using lofty language and jargon in your emails will make you sound more experienced. But the opposite is true. The more complex your emails, the more confused your team will be. A large part of your role as a manager is to guide your team in achieving your goals. This is only possible if you're able to communicate your vision and tasks clearly. If your team has to spend precious time clarifying what you mean, then you would have wasted time that could have been spent working towards your vision.

When you become a manager, you're no longer contributing to the company by yourself. Your role is to synthesise information given to you by your superiors, break this down, and delegate the tasks to your team.

A good way to broaden your understanding of what being a manager entails is to talk to other managers who have inspired you in the past. Even if they are from a different company, learning from a variety of leaders who have achieved what you hope to achieve in your career will be invaluable. Initiate conversations with them about their career decisions and thinking processes. This can give you insight and guidance on what steps you need to take to achieve your goals.

While learning about their successes is helpful, this is only half of the story. The truth is, we learn much more from failures than success. If your friend is willing to share, ask them about their mistakes in their path to becoming a manager so that you will not make the same mistakes in the process.