Valuable Advice and Tips for New Managers

So you’ve just been promoted. Congratulations! You now have the opportunity to become a better leader and positively affect change within the business. But getting a promotion doesn’t mean you can kick back and relax; there are a few career tips for new leaders you should abide by to ensure success.

Here, I’ve collected some of the best career advice ideas for new managers I’ve encountered throughout my decades of running businesses of all sizes. If you follow this career guidance when managing for the first time as a newly promoted manager, you can grow to be a wildly successful leader.

27 Career Tips for the Newly Promoted

1. Be prepared to show the boss what you’re made of. They picked you to represent your team in your new position, and now you must demonstrate that you’re worthy. Showcase what makes you different from the rest.
2. When managing for the first time, don’t underestimate the importance of influencing and leading people. Be approachable, understated, humble, and willing to listen. Some of the best career advice on good leadership drives this point home.
3. Learn time and self-management skills before you report to work. It’s up to you to develop your leadership skills on the job and in your spare time. Listen to podcasts and read books to glean career guidance outside of work. It’s vital to keep learning.
4. Regardless of your job, you must understand the operating statement, the balance sheet, and the cash-flow statement. Learning how the business works is critical to working well within it. Know where the money comes from and where it goes.
5. Resist the urge to implement all your ideas at once. Employees can resist change under the best circumstances, but haven’t learned to trust you, especially if you’re a new leader. So instead, sell them on your vision and implement changes slowly over time.
6. Learn to delegate. Your time is best spent on the tasks that only you can do. Identify your biggest time wasters, automate what you can, and reassign the rest. Most leaders want to do it all, but you will have to let go of that desire if you want to lead well.
7. You will be paid for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, but your leadership skills will determine how far you go. The truth is that anyone can be a manager, but not everyone can manage well. So, one of the best pieces of career advice I can give new managers is to work on becoming a good leader.
8. As a newly promoted leader, take control and ownership of your training and development. You must be tenacious and aggressive. Nobody will care more about your personal development than you do. If you do this right, you can also share great resources with your team.
9. Practice your communication skills. This is much more important than you realize. Treat others with respect and be mindful of your language so as not to cause confusion or project a sense of superiority. Never assume something doesn’t need to be said; it’s much better to spell everything out than to be vague with meanings or expectations.
10. On that note, written, concise, and error-free emails and letters are critical. This is a fundamental point on which you will be judged, but it is also one of the easiest to improve. Be sure your team knows your communication style so they won’t be offended if your emails come off as terse. This is a bigger problem than you might realize.
11. Successful communication is best done in person. So please don’t rely on emails, letters, memos, or texts regarding the critical stuff. Video conferences or in-person meetings are better than emails.
12. Always write down good ideas and input. You won’t remember the good stuff without it; the activity helps you sort out your thoughts. Keep a notebook with you and take notes during meetings and key conversations.
13. Never take credit for the team’s wins—only the failures and the lessons. Give credit where credit is due, but know that ultimately you are responsible for your team’s success. If any individual fails, it is because you have forgotten them somehow. Work with every team member to be sure everyone has the resources they need to succeed.
14. Avoid all office politics and anything that makes you look good at the expense of others. Understand the game, but don’t play it. Be honest in every aspect and avoid anything that could be perceived as hypocrisy.
15. Have an open-door policy. Foster two-way solid communication with your team members. No one wants to tell the boss when they’ve made a mistake, but if your team is comfortable coming to you when something goes wrong, you can work together to fix it faster.
16. Positive reinforcement is everything to an employee. If they only hear from you when they’ve messed up, they will feel like their work isn’t valued and will stop making an effort. So be sure to praise your team for their work. It makes the hard conversations much easier when you need to critique.
17. You might be excited about managing for the first time, but you should still be willing to change companies. Your career is a long path, and the days of staying at one company your entire life are long gone. If another company offers the experience and opportunities you want, don’t hesitate to go for it.
18. Be extraordinarily passionate about your role, or do something else. Nothing will burn you out quicker than showing up daily in a leadership role you couldn’t care less about. Sometimes this problem can be solved by changing the job description, but sometimes it means leaving the company altogether.
19. While your career is still young, look into relocating to the biggest city you can stand. Be adventurous while you can. Pay your dues and earn your “chops” early. Once you’re more established in your life and your career, it’s more difficult to make a major change.
20. That said, if possible, remain willing to relocate in the future. Those who do can get bigger jobs and better salaries. Some of the best career advice for new managers is to be open to any opportunity that comes their way.
21. Be the standard you wish to see. If you want your team to be on time, you need to be punctual. If you want honesty, you must be honest. You need to model the kind of culture you want to cultivate. When managing for the first time, it’s hard to enforce policies you aren’t following yourself. It’s up to you to lead by actionably setting an example.
22. Encourage your team members to become good leaders. A team of leaders can change the company culture forever. Always be looking for employees who aren’t afraid to take charge and help them develop their leadership skills.
23. Get comfortable with having difficult conversations. First-time managers often delay addressing performance issues or interpersonal conflicts, hoping things will resolve on their own. They rarely do, and your team will suffer in the meantime. Address the situation right away, and do it directly, respectfully, and promptly.
24. Learn the difference between being liked and being respected. Many first-time managers make the mistake of trying to be friends with their team members instead of being their boss. While approachability matters, your primary job is to earn their respect and trust.
25. Schedule one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports. Use this time to understand each person’s goals, frustrations, and opportunities for growth. It’s important to foster a unique connection with your employees to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
26. Know when to ask for help. First-time managers often feel pressure to have all the answers, but the most effective leaders know when to seek guidance from a mentor, a peer, a business coach, or even their own team. Build a network of trusted advisors early in your career and lean on them when it counts. Nobody leads well in isolation.
27. Stay curious. The most effective leaders remain open to feedback and treat every challenge as a learning opportunity. The skills that got you promoted to a manager are not necessarily the skills that will carry you through your entire career. Leadership demands constant reinvention and growth.

Above all, know that being a truly great manager takes time. You will make mistakes, misjudge situations, and occasionally say the wrong thing. The best managers aren’t perfect people—they are simply people who strive to do better. If you can honestly reflect on your past mistakes, correct your course, and continue to be there for your team, you’re on the right track.

Becoming a new manager is a huge accomplishment, but it’s no cause to slack off on your work ethic. A business coach can offer you career guidance and help you define and refine your leadership style. Fill out my contact form for a complimentary coaching session, and don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter for more great advice for managers and leaders.

Coach Dave