In a world of opportunity, you are bound to move up at some point in your career. Transitioning from Peer to Manager is challenging and awkward at times, but it doesn’t have to be. This is an exciting time in your career and today I am sharing with you three things to remember as you transition from Peer to Manager.

Understand Your New Role

Once you are promoted, it is critical that you completely understand your new role. Here are some key questions you should consider:

• Who reports to you?
• Who do you report to?
• What is expected of you? (Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly)

As a manager, if you do not have a clear roadmap of what your job description is you will not be able to help those who are under you effectively. If you transitioned within the same field, you already know what is expected of those beneath you, and you did it well enough to get promoted. Now, it is your time to lead and guide those who are under you.

Create New Boundaries

Often, when a peer is promoted to manager, there is a challenge getting to be viewed as one. To transition from peer to manager, you need to create new boundaries. This could be hard at first if you had a close bond with your peers. You can gently transition into your new role while creating new boundaries by remaining open and honest with the employees.

Some companies view interaction outside of the workplace with employees as harmful. Unless it is a “work outing,” I tend to agree. When a fellow peer is promoted to a manager, it is essential to establish new working relationships that come along with the new boundaries. This means no more happy hour with the crew on Thursdays. Remember, you are not cutting off relationships, you are merely changing the relationship type.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

At the end of the day, we are only human. There will be times when you have to ask for help or perhaps you will even miss “the good old days” of working in a cubical. Don’t take yourself too seriously in your new management position. It is important to still have a connection with those who were once your peers! The goal as a manager is to be a leader and to help guide and support the team. If your head grew in size with the promotion, chances are your team will not. No one likes a high and mighty manager. Be true, be real, be you.

You should be proud of your promotion! There are so many ways you could change or improve the systems, processes, or procedures within the team for the better. You likely already know the leg-work that goes into the business and will have tons of ideas to implement. Remember as you are transitioning from peer to manager, you need to understand your new role, create new boundaries, and stay true to yourself.

Do you feel like you are struggling with this transition? I can help! If you need support and guidance on how to effectively make the transition from peer to manager, please contact us. As a new manager, you want to do everything you can to make a connection with your team in your new role while making it clear you mean business.