Skills for New Managers, 2nd Edition

Introduction

There’s an old joke that generations of disgruntled employees like to tell each other.

“You know what the definition of manager is, don’t you?”

“No, tell me.”

“A manager is the person who sees the visitors so that everyone else can get the work done.”

Maybe that’s funny to worker bees. But now that you’re a manager, it’s your job to laugh with your staff, rather than having them laugh at you.

There are thousands of managers out there, all trying to recruit, train, and motivate their staff. They all want the same thing: to please their bosses, to earn the respect of their employees, and, above all, to avoid the headaches that so often come with people management.

As a new manager, you may find the whole task daunting. In your old ...