When Irum Mona Idrees, BSc, MD, director of rheumatology at AnMed Health in Anderson, S.C., first took on a managerial role, it was a lot of responsibility all at once.
“I was starting my first staff job after my fellowship, setting up a new practice and doing it alone as a single practitioner—not to mention having a 2-month-old newborn,” she recalls. “Primarily, I focused on what I knew best. I tried to mirror the format I was used to during my fellowship at a large group practice, making adjustments for a solo practice.”
Irum Mona Idrees, BSc, MD
She admits that applying those concepts to an office’s daily operations required some work. “I laid out clear roles, responsibilities and expectations for all parties, such as the registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, secretary, scheduler and so forth, and didn’t forget myself. Then, I observed how things worked for the first few months and re-evaluated and refined the initial set of guidelines.”
“Initially, I had to try not to get frustrated,” Dr. Idrees admits. “I addressed any problems promptly, with grace and tact. For instance, instead of pointing out someone’s flaws and mistakes, I simply suggested a different way to do something or asked the person involved for their recommendations.”
Establish Healthy Working Relationships
Katy Tynan
Like Dr. Idrees, new managers should set a goal to establish good relationships with employees from the start. Katy Tynan, founder of Liteskip Consulting Group in Boston, believes that the best way to start off in a new managerial role is to take the time to get to know each staff member in terms of their full spectrum of capabilities and aspirations.
“Inquire about their background, what they were hired to do, how they feel about their job and where they want to go in the future,” Ms. Tynan advises. “People enjoy working in an environment where they feel like they can do their best work. So as a manager, you should understand what that means and facilitate it.”
Really listening to your team’s members is key, adds Alan Phelan, PsyD, psychologist and executive coach at Execuwise Leadership and Executive Coaching Consultants in New York. “By doing this, a new manager will be able to consider another’s thoughts, feelings and interpretations and, therefore, minimize the development of conflict.”
Alan Phelan, PsyD
It’s important to understand that by empathizing with your employees when needs conflict, a manager is not agreeing with their perspective. “This would be an abdication of your authority inherent to the role,” Dr. Phelan says. “Instead, managers need to maintain their authority by making decisions in the best interests of the organization that at times may conflict with their employees’ needs.”
Eric Ruderman, MD, rheumatology clinical practice director at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, believes that a new manager needs to recognize that they don’t always have the answers. “Be willing to admit that you may not be able to solve a problem right away, but will find a way to do so,” he says. “This is not a sign of weakness, but a sign that you are receptive to concerns and want to be sure that things are done properly.”
Make it clear that you are making decisions in a well-thought-out manner, for the good of the practice, Dr. Ruderman continues, and that you are not making rash decisions simply because you are now able to. Again, you can achieve this by listening to your employees.
“Make it clear that your goal is to earn their trust, and don’t assume that you have acquired it as part of your new role,” he says.
Dr. Idrees advises using “we” instead of “me” in office verbiage. “Put forth an image of ‘us’ and ‘we,’ rather than ‘me’ or ‘he or she,’” she says. “Always allow everyone to weigh in on decisions, which will help everyone feel united.”
Gaining Respect & Authority from Former Co-Workers
Gina Barnett
When stepping into a new managerial role, you may find yourself managing staff members who were once co-workers. Being open about the change when you adopt a new role is critical, says Gina Barnett, executive communication coach at Barnett International Inc. in New York, and author of Play the Part: Master Body Signals to Connect and Communicate for Business.
“Pretending nothing has changed will not work,” Ms. Barnett says. “Everyone knows that certain channels of communication will now be closed; former styles of relating [to each other] will no longer be appropriate. Being open means articulating and defining your shift in style and expectations rather than assuming everyone will know how to behave or what to expect.”
Ms. Barnett recommends defining your new style—to both yourself and your colleagues. What will you expect? How will you communicate? What kind of communication will you expect from your new reports?
Specifically, Dr. Phelan recommends having a conversation with former co-workers about the change in role and, consequently, the change in your relationship early on.
“The conversation should include a discussion regarding the likelihood of awkward circumstances in which management and employee needs will conflict, such as giving performance evaluations and providing directives. Make it clear that although you’re still interested in hearing what they have to say, you now have the added responsibility of considering the organization’s needs.”
Along those same lines, Ms. Tynan says, now that you’re a manager, you’ll have to interact differently with each team member. For example, you can’t have favorites and friendships.
“You will need to be fair and treat everyone with the same level of time and effort,” she says. “You’ll also need to avoid conversations that involve venting about a problem. As co-workers, it was OK to get together and complain about something frustrating. As a manager, it’s your job to understand those issues and try to resolve them.”
Editor’s note: This article is Part 1 of a two-part story. Read “How to How to Thrive—Not Just Survive—as a New Manager, Part 2” in the next issue of eNewsRheum.
Karen Appold is a medical writer in Pennsylvania.
