How to be effective in a new appointment as manager

Contents
Introduction

1. Pre Engagement Brainstorming
2. Presenting Yourself
3. First Meeting
4. Evaluating and Assessing The Current Processes
5. Changing the Processes
6. Consolidating Your Position.

Introduction

In many instances, one may find himself/herself in a place where you may have to manage people, most of whom you are meeting for the first time.
You may find yourself in a more awkward position, if you are being asked to boss people you might have known in other capacity earlier, either as friends, or colleagues.

Some may take this position arrogantly and will not hesitate to drum it down into these new subordinates at any available opportunity that they are now the new boss.
This often leads to disaster, as these new subordinates may eventually use their experience of the organization in a subtle manner, to chart the downfall of this new arrogant boss.
This tendency is even stronger, if these subordinates do not regard the new boss as someone with superior skills or qualifications. Bosses may be there as political appointees, (civil or boardroom) or those of a new owner or majority shareholder.

This does not imply that such subordinates will always be pleasant and amiable.
Any group of human beings will always consist of a “mixed multitude”.
Winning their confidence and cooperation may be crucial to the success of the new manager, even when some may prove cantankerous.

The issue here is that head hunters may take an awful lot of time to engage a good manager in a third world environment.
When found, they may be quite expensive. Management often encounter disputes with managers which often lead to premature termination of appointment and a problem of replacement ensues.

Many businesses in the third world fail because of a sudden departure of a good manager.
You may find yourself engaged at a very short notice to manage a division or organization.

This topic will therefore lay down a road map to chart in being effective as a new manager, which could also be of special interest in the third world environment, particularly when dealing with an acquired business or privatized government enterprise, or even public service.

For the new manager, there are these broad stages:-

1. Pre Engagement brainstorming.
2. Presenting your self:
3. First meeting.
4. Evaluating and assessing the current processes.
5. Changing the processes.
6. Consolidating Your Position

1. Pre Engagement Brainstorming.

   Quite often an announcement is made about the new appointment days or even months before the formal hand over.
   This gives a dutiful new manager appropriate time to study the situation from outside the organization, or from the inside by getting whatever assistance this opportunity will afford from the outgoing manager, who, in many instances prepares handing over notes.

   Many managers will not have the good fortune of passing through this stage when the change or appointment is sudden, leaving the new manager no other time but to use his/her knowledge, experience and intuition, and learn on the posting so that the common mistakes and its attendant repercussion on the organization or division may be reduced to the barest minimum.

   Some organizations will appoint someone in an acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive head, giving themselves time to carry out a thorough head hunt for someone, usually in the same industry.

   We many not however rule out a situation where the appointed person may not have sufficient time to understand the operations to be taken over, or may come from another industry, where the owners believe they can tap new ideas. The new manager can still get by, using some of these tips.



2. Presenting Yourself.

   A lot has to be invested into the first meeting. Not only must you be presentable, you must also be seen as alert and intelligent.
   Showing an absent minded or ignorant profile provides opportunities for manipulation by some staff.

   If, as said in the last section, you did not have time to study the company's processes and operations from you predecessor, you must buy some time to understand as much as possible before your first meeting with sub heads or subordinate managers.

   A very helpful approach is, after the normal introductions, you ask the managers/heads to schedule a meeting for the afternoon, after tidying up their sections for the day. Resist any pressure into having an early meeting.

   You then retain the head of the finance section and ask for financial statements and budgets.
   You go through and ask questions until the rationale behind the budget figures are fully understood. This should give a clearer picture of the operations.
   It is expected that such budgets will itemize specific expenses to the various products or services which aggregate to the overall sales, and that fixed expenditure are separated from variable ones.

   You can then go through the financial statements and see how they have performed with regard to the budget just studied. A mental insight into the variances and the causes should give a clearer view of how things have worked out.
   After a little bit more of reflections and jotting down of questions, you should now be ready to meet the other sectional heads.

   Your ability to pull this through in the short time specified depends on the size of the organization's transactions.
   A very useful approach however, is to start your analyses with summaries. You can then drill down into the details only when clarifications are needed. Well summarized financial statements may not exceed ten pages.




3. First Meeting

   Start with self introduction and allow others to introduce themselves. It would be preferable to organize a seating arrangement where maintaining eye contact with every one should not constitute a great effort.
   When a sectional head makes a point, you can either emphasize or ask questions in the light of your study of the statements and budget, with regard to that section, making them understand you have studied the activities of the organization or division. This should elicit very useful and intelligent contributions.

   Make it clear to the management or heads that you believe in continuous evaluation, improvement and change where necessary to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.
   Warnings such as “please, l present all my instructions in memos if you don't mind! Reject verbal official instructions, even when they come from me” really underscores the fact that you intend to hold the sectional heads responsible for their actions.

   With whatever information you now get from the discussion, you can close for the day and you have a whole night to picture what you expect to see in the organization/division when you make a formal tour which should be scheduled for the following day.
   You should be able to reconcile what you see during this tour with the impression you have gathered from your meeting with the sectional heads. You must note where variances arise.
   This should also indicate how well the managers are in touch with the situations in their sections.
   As mentioned earlier, the first impression with the other staff of the division carries a very high momentum.
   Here are some first or early impressions you can give the new staff during a tour:
   

   1. Appearance:

      We do not need to emphasize the effects of smart presentation of a person. Rough dressing or unkempt appearance will not inspire leadership or organized personality.
      This should have been played out during the interview stage.
      However, if you did not go through that, then regard your first meeting or introduction to the employees as your first.
   
   

   2. Smile or a pleasant outlook.

      This is very important and reassuring as long as it is not overdone nor artificial.
      However, one must understand that we are not all endued with the ability to disarm people with a smile.
      For some, it might be the absence of a good set of teeth, while some others' smiles may simply, out of no fault of theirs, achieve the opposite.

   A honest assessment, by a spouse, or very close friend is not an excessive action. After all, film producers go out of their way to make up an actor to fit a certain role.
   If your own situation fits the latter, then you can put this to your advantage if you can make some good jokes for appropriate times. A hilarious joke behind a stony face could even be more effective.
   In addition, such must be appropriate, so as not to relay a negative intention, especially when the opposite sex is involved. You must however adjust promptly, or apologize if your audience do not smile at such jokes, or find them funny.

   You, on your part, can smile at jokes and correct them in a cordial manner, even if you find them expensive or inappropriate.

   However, a smile may not be appropriate under the following circumstances:

   1. Filling a vacancy where someone's dismissal has been regarded by the workers to be unjustified or malicious.
   2. Vacancy occasioned by misfortune or tragedy.

   After a successful reception, you can now settle down for the longer term tasks of Evaluating and assessing the current processes, modifying or changing the processes to achieve desired goals, and then monitoring the effectiveness in reaching the goals

4. Evaluating and Assessing the Current Processes

   New managers must avoid a wholesale rejection of existing policies without an unbiased and careful evaluation, as they might have been developed after a long learning process.
   By this, you will avert an expensive cycle which might return the company to the initial starting point.
   This is very true and relevant it the change of a previous manager has been occasioned by considerations other than profitability.
   In many instances, such processes may only require modifications to take advantage of new software capabilities or industry wide innovations to which the previous manager has shown indifference, and must at the same time, fit into the overall culture, if you are managing a division.

   A new manager must continuously make time to think about possible strategies for improvement, growth and competition in the industry on the job if such opportunity did not occur before a formal resumption at the post.
   For example, if increasing market share would necessitate lower production costs or fewer product defects, you want to see to what extent this can be achieved while retaining or modifying the current processes.

   If this, on the other hand, can only be achieved through, for example, new machinery the use of which requires training and new processes altogether, the manager should now focus on the introduction of the newer processes and if possible a new structure that will take the best advantage of this new investment.



5. Changing The Processes:

   Introducing a change immediately after the departure of a manager may estrange subordinates and raise suspicions, unless you have been specifically engaged to manage or oversee a reorganization exercise. Continuous evaluation and engagement of the sub managers may be necessary. You don't want to give an impression of a witch hunter.
   
   1. Analyze the situation with the help of key staff. Present your financial statements and compare with those of competitors if available. Analyze the statements with the managers and suggest possible short comings, and recommend corrections.
      Demonstrate that you value and appreciate cost saving, productivity enhancing, or waste reducing ideas. See how your own plans and ideas tally with theirs.
   
   
   2. Summarize the suggestions and state what might be needed to effect such.
   
   
   3. Project the likely goal and results with the corrections effected.
   
   
   4. Itemize how it will affect the workers and the new processes likely to emerge.
   
   
   5. Present it to a larger audience and modify, if necessary, when reactions or suggestions are made.
   
   With these, the new manager's transition period is now complete and the new processes can now be introduced.



6. Consolidating Your Position

   While implementing the new processes and running the organization/division, the manager must stick to some principles to ensure success.
   
   1. In the process of interacting with heads or even with workers, some suggested ideas may not be acceptable to you. Reject such intelligently and politely, so you don't alienate the suggester.
      This can be done with the help of questions.
   
   
   2. Do not encourage gossips or rumors. Make a polite objection to such by asking the gossiper if he or she can stand by such in public. When a rumor is found to be false, invite the originator and discuss the negative effects of such rumor.
      This, however must not be confused with an intelligence report however informal. A true leader must find independent ways to verify such before taking an action, for example, a planned strike action.
   
   
   3. Acknowledging someone else contribution publicly when it is adopted. This is how to encourage dedicated following among employees. Don't be tempted to hijack or present yourself as the originator of the idea or suggestion. This will ultimately lead to mistrust and resentment.
      You should be content with the credit for bringing out such ideas from the employee.
   
   
   4. Be firm when necessary. Human beings try to exploit someone's openness and then attempt to manipulate. Let employees understand that you think independently, even when you listen to their ideas and suggestions.
   
   
   5. Don't be seen as a spy for the overall management or owners even when your loyalty is unquestionable. Exhibit ability to keep confidential matters, especially if it turns out to be personal in nature, eg, a broken relationship involving a subordinate. A leader must be trustworthy.
      Spying for owners/top management is not exactly how to win their confidence.
      There is a tendency to choke out available time with sensational secrets at the expense of real issues of direct benefit to the organization/division.
   
   
   6. Let workers know you can fight a cause when necessary otherwise, some will not bother to give useful suggestions. This is how to encourage loyal following and trust.
   
   
   7. Show sympathy in situations eg, when positions are to be eliminated. Even when you cannot do anything about it. Make management position clear and look for ways to ameliorate such.
   
   
   8. Do not try to make others think you became their boss because you are better or smarter, even when you have good reasons to believe so.
   
   
   9. Identify and understand the difficult persons. This does not mean you should always give in to their actions when you do not agree with such.
   
   
   10. Experiment with delegation of some authority and assess the outcome. Always leave a window whereby you can evaluate the effectiveness or advantages of such delegation.
   
   
   11. Make provisions for a learning curve among employees. Be patient with inadequacies as long as such is not repeated over an extended period.
   
   
   12. Always commend intuition.

   Recommended for further reading:"How to be liked more and why it matters"- Leadershipfreak on twitter