It's All About People - 10th April 2025

READ TIME - 3 minute read

Just back from a lovely 4 day break in South Wales - the beautiful Porthcawl. We also managed to meet up with a dear friend from University - 25 years after graduating from Cardiff Uni.

Daisy the dog had lots of fun playing in the waves and as promised we brought Welsh cakes back for the team. Especially as Zoe had never experienced the joy that is a Welsh cake.

So on to this week’s topic and one that is very close to my heart and one of the reasons I now spend a lot of my time training new managers. The transition from team member to manager often happens with no training or support - and then people wonder why if can sometimes go very wrong.

It’s one of the most common (and most difficult) transitions in a career: going from being brilliant at the job… to managing people doing the job.

It’s exciting, it’s a big vote of confidence — but let’s be honest, it can also feel overwhelming. Many new managers are given the title, maybe a team, but not always the support they need to succeed.

If you’ve got someone in your business going through this shift, here are a few things to keep in mind 👇

🧭 It’s a whole new role

Just because someone was great in their previous role doesn’t mean they’ll instantly be great at managing others.

Managing is a skillset in itself. It’s about:

• Communication

• Delegation

• Motivating others

• Handling conflict

• Planning, prioritising, people skills… and more

If someone’s new to it, they need time to develop those skills – and ideally, some training or mentoring to help them do it.

🛑 Don’t assume they’re ‘fine’

Many new managers won’t speak up if they’re unsure or struggling. They don’t want to let you down – or admit they’re feeling out of their depth.

Check in with them. Ask what they need. Be clear that it’s normal not to have all the answers on day one.

And watch out for signs they’re falling back into “doer” mode — taking back tasks instead of developing their team or tackling poor performance in their team.

💡 A few practical tips:

✅ Start small – help them master 1-to-1s, setting goals, and giving feedback
✅ Encourage peer support – new managers can learn loads from each other and perhaps even a mentor
✅ Offer structured training – even short sessions make a big difference
✅ Celebrate progress – they’re learning something completely new

If you’d like help supporting your new or emerging managers, that’s what we do.
We run tailored workshops, bitesize training, and longer programmes to build confidence and capability.

Just shout if you want to chat it through. 😊

Until next week…
Emma

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Events to Join in the coming weeks (click on the links to join us)

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