As I new manager to a team with whom you had been a peer I can understand your feeling a bit unsure about making the transition. It is important to shift to your new role quickly. I suggest you begin with a meeting with each team member and ask about how they are doing and listen to them. Ask follow-up questions. After to understanding where they see themselves share with them in your new role you are there to support and help them and help the team be high performing. Ask them in what ways you can be most helpful. After that let them know you will be be giving them feedback and that you are open to feedback.
After meeting with each team member meet with them as group either in person or Zoom. Have an agenda and start and end on time and at the end ask what topics would help the team in your next team meeting and say you will do your best to include them (in the event) a priority comes up. Also can you identify a mentor you can go to. We are always here to help too.
While you are there to support them you must also set boundaries and be assertive when it is called for. They need your help and it is your job to give it. To help you feel comfortable being assertive always lead into what you will be assertive about with empathy. Empathy shows you care about them and helps reduce with conflict. If it will be a tough meeting place more emphasis on empathy. At the end of the meeting get commitment to an action step and time frame and follow up.
I love the quote by Adam Grant, “Withholding feedback is choosing comfort over growth.”
Linda Richardson
Hello Anne-Marie,
You know, this is such an important exercise, particularly now that the sales landscape is changing rapidly post-COVID. Ensuring that your team has the right attitude and skills moving forward will help you obtain optimum performance levels from each one of them.
There are some very good organizations out there but the best in the world is undoubtedly Objective Management Group (OMG) headed up by Dave Kurlan and I give them my highest personal recommendation.
My Best
Jonathan
Hello Jake,
Well, we are delighted that you want to improve your coaching skills and we can recommend two of the most successful and celebrated books on the subject:
“Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives” by Keith Rosen Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017QQKVDQ/
“Sales Coaching: Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach” by Linda Richardson. Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sales-Coaching-Making-Great-Manager/dp/0071603808/
These are both best-sellers and have been acclaimed globally.
Hope that helps and good luck!
The TSL Team