5 things I wish I knew about managing on day one

By Rob Cahill, co-founder and CEO, Jhana

A newly-promoted manager at Jhana, eager to make a strong start in her new role, recently asked me, “What do you wish you knew about managing when you started?”

For those of you who are considering management or are early in your management career, I’ll share my own lessons here. In future posts beyond these two, I plan to share stories and lessons from other experts and leaders.

Here’s what I would have told myself:

1. It’s more rewarding than you can imagine. Why? Seeing people do something nobody thought they could do, not even themselves, firing on all cylinders, living up to their potential, and knowing you played a part in getting them there — that’s fun. I’ve seen this time and time again at Jhana, and also at previous companies, organizations and even Ultimate Frisbee teams.
2. It’s harder than you can imagine. People are complex. Teams, which are made up of complex people, are even more complicated. I wish I could have learned faster (tools as good as Jhana weren’t available back then). I’m still always looking for ways to keep learning faster and sharpen my game.
3. It’s not about you anymore. Once you become a manager, you say goodbye to your days as an individual contributor. Your new job doesn’t have anything to do with how many deals you close, how much code you write or how terrific your new website design is. As a manager, your job now has to do with how many deals yourteam closes how much code your team writes and how terrific your team’s new design is. It may sound like a minor difference, but it isn’t. Getting great results out of a team of individuals requires a completely different skill set.
4. It requires years of daily practice. Like yogis who wrap their ankles around their own shoulders in a headstand. You can’t just go to a management training seminar for two days, implement a couple of tricks and proclaim yourself a great manager. It’s an ongoing effort. It requires practice, feedback and coaching from others. It requires you to be humble and willing to try new things, making (and making up for) countless mistakes and challenges along the way.
5. Coaching and external support help. A lot. A coach provides an outside perspective. You can vent. You can spitball. And a good coach will challenge you and hold you accountable. I’ve found a combination of coaching, regular inner-team feedback and content resources like Jhana help to significantly improve the learning process and reveal blind spots. Combine this with daily practice, and you’re off to a good start.

How about you? For the managers out there, what do you wish you knew about managing when you started? Please share your thoughts in the comments, and I can do a follow up article on your ideas.

Next week, I’ll share Part Two with five more personal lessons. Stay tuned!