Several years ago, I wrote book titled Managing People In The HVAC/R Industry, and in it, I dedicated a chapter to those who take on the challenge of being a first-time manager. In this chapter, I touched on several important facets of what needs to be done by this freshman manager, beginning with having a management plan.
If you are one of these newly promoted managers, think of your business journey and get out a map, just like you would do if you were taking a trip cross country. You wouldn’t just get in the car and head west from the east coast, and you shouldn’t think you can begin to manage other people in your group based on gut instinct. The business plan should embrace what the company has set for their end-of-year goals (sales, profit margin, and backlog, to mention three key parts of the plan). If you believe you can enhance these goals, then don’t hesitate to try as part of your management plan.