Let's have a quick chat about Arrogance...
It seems that everywhere I turn I run into arrogant people. Worse yet, I run into people who mistake arrogance for confidence and thus perpetuate the culture of arrogance. Don't make this mistake yourself. They are different things, and arrogance is a very corrosive behavior, and one that is exhibited not by the strong and competent, but by the weak and incompetent.
Arrogance seeks to prove where confidence seeks to understand
The difference is easy to see once you really think about it, it is one of intent and origin. Arrogance is a behavior exhibited by the insecure and its purpose is to prove that the person is more competent than they really are. A confident person has no need to prove their competence, in-fact; a confident person will more often focus on learning than proving.
So with this in mind, the next time you are faced with someone and want to determine confidence from arrogance. Pay attention to which way the dialog flows. Are they engaging you and asking questions to help increase their understanding, or are they telling you with disregard for what you think.
Arrogant or Confident?
Top new manager mistakes
New managers often lack the experience to relate to their teams in the proven ways that lead to top performance. Here are some of the ways that new managers often do it wrong, and some ways to do it right
1 - OVER-MANAGEMENT : I dislike the term "micro-management" as it is too often over-used and mis-used. New managers tend to over-manage by thinking that they need to be informed of everything that is happening on their teams. They often feel out of control if they don't hear constant validation of their team's progress.
DOING IT RIGHT: Don't let fear guide your behaivor. You do NOT need to know every detail of what your team is doing. You DO need to know in general what people are working on now and what they are doing next. Once weekly communication is often enough in operational roles. More than once a day is over-management unless there is a serious crisis.
2 - UNDER-MANAGEMENT : Sometimes the fear of being a mico-manager is so great that inexperienced managers go the other way and leave their people to their own devices. After all, their teams are often very happy with this arrangement. But let's be clear, this is one evil replacing another.
DOING IT RIGHT: As a new manager, you have a lot to do that directly involves input from your team. You are also responsible for making sure that their work gets done in accordance with company goals. You can't do this if you are not engaged with your team. Meet FORMALLY with each person about once a week to make sure things are on-track. More often if things are not on track.
3 - SHIFTING PRIORITIES OR NO PRIORITIES : A new manager's desire to please her new boss may mean that she does not assert herself and set clear priorities for her team and may also lead to a situation where everything becomes urgent. This saps productivity and leads to resentment and poor quality.
DOING IT RIGHT : You are responsible for your team's priorities. These priorities are NOT your bosses priorities, but are often a subset of those priorities. You need to pick 2 to 3 priorities for your team (these will change over time). Any more than 3 and you have no priorities. Once you communicate your priorities, keep them as stable as possible. When new tasks come up that are not one of your priorities (and they will)guard them from those that will want to take time from your team and make sure that whomever is asking for your teams time is aware of what priority items will not get done if a new taks is inserted into your team's schedule.
4 - ARROGANCE : New managers often fell that they need to act like a boss now that they are one. To many, this means acting in-charge, confident and decisive. Unfortunately there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance and many fall onto the wrong side of that line.
DOING IT RIGHT : Sure, you're the boss. You know that. Your directs know that. You don't need to let everyone know. Your goal is not to assert authority, but to maximize your team's productivity. In order for your team to be productive they need to feel that they matter to the company, that their work matters, and that they have autonomy in their actions. You don't do this by being over-bearing. You do this by getting to know your team's strengths and weaknesses, working with them on clear goals, and giving them honest and open feedback. If it helps, think of yourself as a coach not as a dictator. Don't let your insecurity in your own abilities become a hinderance to your team and career.