Teacher, teacher Another possible failure point in making the climb onto the management ladder is lack of training. It is common for companies to promote someone to management and then offer them no assistance in making the dramatic change. They are expected to sink or swim on their own instincts. Find a manager in your company that you admire. Schedule a lunch with this manager and ask them these and other questions about your concerns.
People love to be asked their opinion on issues and act as a mentor.
Find your guide and learn everything you can from them. Take the best information and ideas from each book you read and use them to develop your own, personal, managerial style. Book learning can only take you so far and your employees will know when you are merely following guidelines in a book instead of following your own heart. In the past weeks I have discussed how to best cope with an offer to join management after a technical career. This week I will outline one possibility for expanding your career without joining management.