One of the strengths of our business is that we not only have the qualifications to deliver, but we also have the experience too. We know exactly what it is like to become an ‘accidental manager’ where you are promoted because you have excellent interpersonal skills and love working with people, but you have no leadership and management qualifications or experience.

Why do we understand this situation so well? Because we have been there and done it! If you’re reading this because you’ve just become an accidental manager, we know exactly how you might be feeling right now. Being able to help people navigate through this situation, teaching them essential skills and building their confidence is one of the things that we love most about our work.

How can Develerate help an accidental manager?

We are more than happy to share everything that we learned from our management experiences so that you don’t have to learn by trial and error. We’ve also got a fantastic range of CMI-accredited Management and Leadership Training courses packed with all the skills that you need to succeed, whatever your level.

If you’ve just found yourself in at the deep end, here are some of our top tips on what to do if you become an accidental manager:

1. Be honest, open and sincere

According to a report in HR Magazine, only two-thirds of staff believe their managers are honest. Make sure you’re not in that third of managers who are perceived to be shifty and insincere! It sounds like a cliché but it’s important to lead by example, if you want your team to be honest with you, you must be honest with them and make sure that you communicate with them about any problems rather than pretending everything is fine. Don’t store up issues for an annual appraisal, if you have an issue with a member of your team you need to address it as and when it happens and if you’re not sure how to deal with it because you are new to the role, get help from someone in your organisation that can advise you on the best course of action.

2. Demonstrate your commitment

Most employees want to feel inspired by their work like their job is making a difference and that they are working for a collective purpose rather than simply making a profit for someone else. You need to ensure that you demonstrate your commitment to your organisation’s purpose too, otherwise your team may become disenfranchised and disillusioned about the aims of the business.

3.  Set goals

Goal setting is very important as it helps your team to understand and track their tasks and stay motivated. Again, it is important to make sure that your goals are in alignment with your company’s purpose, to help employees feel connected to their work, rather than simply working for the money and feeling like a cog in a machine. By regularly reviewing and adjusting your goals, you can also enhance the performance of your team and their overall level of satisfaction.

4. Be consistent

Make sure you are in alignment with the principles of your organisation and behave consistently. If you are inconsistent this can confuse your team and cast doubt over your authority to lead.

5. Be inclusive

According to research, inclusive and diverse teams are more productive and perform better. They are also less predisposed to cultures of pre-determined logic or ‘groupthink’ as the team members will be coming in with fresh perspectives and opportunities for creative breakthroughs and brand-new ideas. If you are responsible for recruitment within your team, ensure that equality, diversity, and inclusion are part of your organisation’s process. Approach tasks with an open mind, demonstrate that you are open to different views and don’t let team members tell you what they think you want to hear. Encourage them to be honest – and lead by example.

6. Delegate

“If a job’s worth doing, I may as well do it myself…” Yes, we’re probably all guilty of feeling this way at some point, but your team aren’t going to get better at doing anything if you keep doing it all for them, and nobody likes a micromanager! By giving them the responsibility to get on with it themselves and demonstrating that you trust them to do a job well, you will increase their confidence and help them to develop their skills and abilities as well. You really can’t do everything yourself, even if that is what you used to do before you were promoted. You’re a manager now, so manage!

7. Demonstrate understanding

It’s important to acknowledge that you understand what your employees are experiencing and acknowledge their feelings about certain issues even if you don’t agree or choose to implement a course of action that is unpopular. Make sure they understand why you are doing what you do and that you understand their point of view as well.

8. Show some gratitude and appreciation

Ensure that you show some gratitude and appreciation for your team. Make them feel valued and always celebrate their efforts. Research has shown that employees who are made to feel respected and valued will perform better, be more committed to their role and will enjoy their work more, which makes for a very happy team! Always take some time to appreciate everyone on your team. If you disrespect them – even by accident – they can quickly become demotivated, and this can have a knock-on effect on other employees too.

9. Don’t be too nice

It’s nice to feel loved but not at the risk of becoming a doormat. Take some time to find the balance between being a friend and a boss. You might not get it right straight away but don’t be deterred. It’s easy to heap praise on your team when they are getting things right, but you must be able to give constructive criticism and feedback when things go wrong.

10. Listen and respond

Keep an open-door policy and make sure that your team feel they can come to you with anything, good or bad. Ensure you are actively listening, resolve to find the best course of action for dealing with any problems and make sure something is done, this will also help you to earn the trust and respect of your team. You can also pick up some great ideas from listening to your team and will be able to guide you if you have a better understanding of how everyone is feeling.

11. Read, learn and get some help

Every day is a school day and here at Develerate we strongly advocate lifelong learning! The best way you can lead a team is to keep your skills and knowledge up to date through continuous professional development, individual learning plans for your team and encouragement to improve and increase their skills and knowledge, which will positively impact the business. Maybe consider getting yourself a mentor. Creating a partnership with someone you respect in the workplace can be an excellent way of developing your leadership skills.

Feeling like an overwhelmed accidental manager?

Are you still struggling to get your head around your promotion? It’s important to remember that almost everyone was once in your shoes. According to HR Magazine, 4 out of 5 British bosses are ‘accidental managers.’ Although you may know someone who seems like they’ve been a manager all their life, or was born to do it, even they started where you are now. They had to learn how to lead a team – and you can too. You just need to believe in yourself and understand that these skills will take time to learn. There is a process, and you will get there!

If you’ve just found out that you’re being promoted to lead a team and are worried about what to do. Don’t panic! Check our Training Page for details of all our Leadership and Management Courses. These are available as an award, certificate or diploma. If you have any questions, please get in touch for a conversation by emailing hello@develerate.com. We’d love to help you become that happy, confident manager that we know you can be.