How To Join A Company As A Manager

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Tips And Advice

Starting a new job is difficult at the best of times, but is especially so when you’re coming in to take charge. When you join as a manager, you have a veritable minefield of social awkwardness to negotiate: perhaps your hire was kept secret from the team, maybe someone you now manage wanted your job, maybe you’re replacing a much-loved manager.

Here we have put together some tips from leading Ecommerce managers (and us!) to help you get through the minefield and skip off into harmonious management.

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Don’t be a parent - treat your new staff as colleagues

In a lot of ways, managing is like parenting; balancing discipline with praise, getting the best out of people and looking after their well-being. Many people naturally adopt a parenting state when managing, whether to stamp authority and control behaviour, or to help and teach. 

However, this is not the way to get the best out of your team, they will either resent you or get comfortable – either way they’ll revert to being the child in the relationship. Remember that you are working with peers, not toddlers.

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Bringing in new ideas to your new department

This is often the biggest mountain new managers have to climb. You’re all fired up with new ideas to improve the business, but are met with a chorus of “but this is how we’ve always done it”.

People will be ingrained in the business and stuck in a old view of what they do – the key is to put a shovel under them and dislodge them but not so much that they leave. Make it clear that you starting is a new start for everybody. Everyone has new jobs, new activities and new resources under your plan.

Make sure you know your business

Your new ideas will never take off if they are seen to be based on your ego or ambition rather than fact. Take time to be a sponge, get to know the positives and negatives, and don’t make too many sweeping changes without observing the patterns in the business first.

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Stay true to yourself to get the best from your team

It sounds lame, but before you click off just read on. This isn’t for your sake. There is nothing worse than an inconsistent manager, one who will be your best mate one minute then chastise you the next. Don’t try to be something you’re not because it will confuse your team, and worst of all, they’ll lose respect for you.