23 Shocking Truths New Managers Learned On The Job

SHOCKING 23 Truths New Managers Learned ON THE JOB

http://www.hubspot.com/jobs/move-on-up-blog/new-manager-advice

Meet Dwight K. Schrute.

http://www.hubspot.com/jobs/move-on-up-blog/new-manager-advice?utm_source=slideshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shocking_manager_truths



ü  Top salesman

http://www.hubspot.com/jobs/move-on-up-blog/new-manager-advice/utm_source=slideshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shocking_manager_truths



ü  Top salesman ü  Loyal employee




ü  Top salesman ü  Loyal employee ü  Dreams of being manager



But once he was promoted … it was a disaster.



Dwight jokes aside, becoming a first-time manager is a hefty responsibility.


So we spoke with 8 new managers to find out what shocked them their first year on the job.


Turns out your first few months as manager can be ________.



Turns out your first few months as manager can be ________. lonely



Turns out your first few months as manager can be ________. tough



Turns out your first few months as manager can be ________. confusing


Whether you’re an aspiring manager or in your first management role, these folks have some insight for you.


Angie O’Dowd

Manager, Channel Marketing



Becoming a manager makes you feel like you're trying to be a hip parent.

“



You want to be seen as professional, but also approachable.

“



An authority, but not threatening. “



Trusted, but not someone you would gossip with. “



These efforts can sometimes be at odds, and leaves you in a similar middle ground that I imagine parents of high school students live in.

“



Jeff Love

Manager, Customer Success



Becoming a manager requires you to hone your question-asking skills … a lot.

“



Coming from a role where I asked pointed questions to customers all day, I figured I’d have no problem with this …

“



But uncovering truths, issues, misconceptions, and things lying beneath the surface requires 2-3x more questions for employees than it did customers.

“



… And they have to be good questions, otherwise your direct report may feel interrogated.

“



Rachel Sprung

Manager, Customer Demand



Before becoming manager, I had been mentoring new marketers for a few years. I figured management will be just like that mentorship … with just a bit more responsibility.

“



… boy was I wrong. Managing is much harder than it seems. “



You’re suddenly given tremendous responsibility to guide and develop someone in their career.

“



You have to make decisions quickly. You have to protect your team from problems that rise.

“



You have to develop team strategy while also guiding your reports to make the right decisions.

“



… All while understanding the balance among delegating, doing your own work, recruiting, and spending the right time on long-term planning.

“



Greg Brown

Manager, Sales



As an individual contributor, I thought I had a good idea of the responsibilities and day to day duties that a sales manager has. In retrospect, I only saw the tip of the iceberg.

“



There are a few shocking truths that stood out to me: 1.  Time management: You lose

pretty much all control of your calendar almost instantly.

“



2.  Developing your team takes time: There is no over night fix. So you need to trust that you are focusing on the right inputs to get the right outcome over time.

“



3.  There’s a ton of back-office work that no one ever sees: For example, contests don’t just happen. The manager has to spend a time not only coming up with the idea but then figuring out how to track and measure.

“



4.  There is no "ramp" time as a manager: Your direct reports expect you to perform at a high-level immediately, which is strange because most new sales reps have a "ramp time" where the expectations are much less.

“



Emma Brudner

Section Editor, HubSpot Sales Blog



It's one thing to read the statement "different people respond to different management styles" and nod approvingly. It's another thing entirely to actually live this credo.

“



Tailoring your personal management style and preferences to the people you manage is way harder than I would have ever guessed, and requires a lot of self-awareness and self-reflection.

“



I need to constantly remind myself that the way I like to be managed is not the way people who report to me necessarily like to be managed.

“



Sometimes giving people what they want requires me to say or do something that I would never want my manager to say or do with me. This can sometimes make you feel as if you have split personality disorder!

“



Irina Rosenbilt

Manager, Partner Services



Managing people is not intuitive. Situational leadership makes perfect sense in theory, however when faced with reality it is often very difficult to assert whether you should be directive or supportive, guarding or encouraging.

“



Attempting to balance for the direct report, your team, the greater team, the company, and oftentimes your own performance can be an extremely difficult assessment of how much I’m risking.

“



If I let them fail, will this have a minor or major impact on the business? If I basically do it for them, will I stunt their development?

“



Bill Goodrich

Tech Lead, Enginerering



When I became a manager I thought that I needed to have all the answers and be able to solve all issues. A sort of hero and even imposter syndrome can set in.

“



It took awhile to understand that there are a lot of grey areas and it is okay not to have all those answers by myself.

“



Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources at my disposal such as my peers, manager, and HubSpot training, that I rely on more heavily now than I did at the beginning of my time as a manager.

“



Ginny Soskey

Manager, Content Marketing Strategy



I had no freaking clue how hard it would be to know how well you're doing your job. As an individual contributor, you can look to a number of reports and your own output to gauge your effectiveness and adjust yourself accordingly.

“



When you're managing people, one passing comment from your reports or your manager could make your day ... or make you feel like you've got a lot of work to do.

“



Plus, because managing involves mastering lots of soft skills and demonstrating a record of success, it takes a while before you can see progress and identify other areas to work on.

“


At first, management can be a bit overwhelming.


But being a manager can also feel ___________.



But being a manager can also feel ___________. rewarding



But being a manager can also feel ___________. empowering



But being a manager can also feel ___________. fullfill ing


Through management training at HubSpot, our new managers were reminded that…

You’re becoming a manager because someone thought you’d be great at it.

1

You can keep learning from those around you – even as a manager, never stop learning.

2

It’s okay to make mistakes – so long as you learn from them. No one expects you to be perfect.

3

Want more insights that can help you move on up in your career?

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23 Shocking Truths New Managers Learned On The Job