# Ten skills every new manager needs to learn ![Management skills - image showing hard and soft skills concept using letter tiles on a green chalkboard.]() The first step into management is one of the most exciting (and daunting) moments in anyone’s career. However, not every new manager will have the skills needed to make them a great manager instantly. Everyone wants to be a great manager, but it’s not easy. Suddenly, you move from being responsible only for your own performance to being responsible others, whether a few people or for a whole team. Get it right and you make a lasting, positive impact: not only on your business and career, but on the lives and careers of the people you manage. Get it wrong and well… the damage can be long-lasting. I say this with some authority because I made plenty of mistakes early on in my career. I was too controlling, too defensive when challenged, and too slow to trust others to do things differently. I learned the hard way, through tough to hear feedback and disappointing appraisals. Many of the new (and plenty of experienced) managers I coach today recognise exactly the same struggles. That’s why I have collated these 10 tips for new (and aspiring) managers. They’re not rules in a textbook sense, but principles, habits, and mindsets that make the transition smoother. Working on some, or all, of these will make you a better leader, faster. ## Improve your self-awareness One of the hardest things for new managers to realise is that leadership means everyone is now watching you more closely. The standards you set for yourself will inevitably influence your team. Self-awareness, therefore, is the foundation. It means recognising how your personality, habits and blind spots shape how others experience you. I once worked with a new manager who, without realising it, carried his stress into the office every morning. He thought he was hiding it well. But his team read it instantly, and they began holding back on bringing him problems because they “didn’t want to add to his stress.” Productivity slumped and morale in the team was low. People felt they were walking on eggshells. The managing director saw the problem and [engaged me to work with the new manager](). Our work focused on self-awareness , helping him to recognise and understand the impact his behaviour was having on his team. This allowed him to better manage how he showed up and focus on more productive behaviours with the team. ### Practical ways to increase your self-awareness: - Ask trusted colleagues for candid feedback. - Pay attention to your behaviour and how people respond to you. For example, are you shutting things down in meetings without realising it? - Take regular time to reflect on how situations went, and what role you played in the outcome. Research backs this up. [Tasha Eurich’s]() work on self-awareness suggests leaders who know both how they see themselves and how others see them are more successful, better liked, and more promotable. Self-awareness isn’t a soft skill; it’s a hard advantage. ## Get a coach (and/or a mentor) Coaching isn’t just for athletes or for senior managers and directors. If you can access it early in your leadership journey, it can be a game-changer. A coach gives you a neutral sounding board and pushes you to think differently. A mentor, meanwhile, provides the benefit of lived experience – they’ve already been through what you’re going through. Both are massively valuable. You can read more about the differences between [coaching and mentoring here](). We were asked to work with a new sales manager who had been promoted because of her record-breaking individual performance. But leading a team was very different to smashing targets. She admitted she was “winging it.” After our initial meeting with the sales manager we suggested to her company’s sponsor that she would benefit from having a mentor as well as a coach. We worked with the company to identify a suitable mentor within the business, an experienced leader with a broad range of commercial experience. By utilising his knowledge and experience, and our external coaching, the new sales manager was able to accelerate through the steepest parts of the learning curve. For her, these were “letting go” of being a salesperson herself, and focusing on supporting her new team. If you can, try to leverage the benefit of both: a coach will challenge you, stretch your skills and self-understanding; a mentor will give you shortcuts through the politics and practical hurdles of your organisation. ## Learn how to coach others The best managers aren’t just decision-makers or strategists, they are teachers, guides, and confidence-builders. Delegating, involving others, and coaching your team members is just as important (many will say more) than giving direction, making decisions, and leading from the front. It’s all part of adapting your [leadership style]() (see below) but it’s one of the [hardest skills to master]() for many new managers. Too many new managers fall back into micromanaging because it feels “safer.” You know things are being done and progress is being made. But learning to coach your team members – asking good questions, helping them think things through for themselves – does more than free you from trying to do everything. It creates a development culture. Think of it like this: your job as a manager and leader isn’t just to get results through your team. It’s to build capacity and confidence in your team so they can get results without you constantly hovering and interfering. ## Create a culture of psychological safety Google spent years studying what makes effective teams in their [Project Aristotle]()research. The standout finding? Psychological safety – the sense that you can speak up, admit mistakes, or share new ideas without fear of humiliation or punishment. As a new manager, this is perhaps the most important culture you can create. It doesn’t mean lowering standards or “going easy” on people. It means creating a working environment where people trust each other enough to be honest, can say what they really think, and learn together. I see too many teams where mistakes are hidden, problems are ignored, and healthy conflict doesn’t exist because people don’t feel safe speaking up. Reasons for this can include fear of ridicule from others, or because of a clear hierarchy for idea generation and decisions. Psychological safety doesn’t happen in a single workshop. It’s built through dozens of everyday moments when you show that honesty will be met with curiosity, not punishment. Here are four practical things you can do to foster a culture of psychological safety in your new team: - Show vulnerability and openness – admit when you don’t know something or make a mistake; share your learning experiences and encourage others to do the same - Encourage participation – actively invite input from all team members, especially quieter voices; make it clear that every idea is welcome and valued - Encourage risk-taking – reinforce that experimentation, taking risks, and making mistakes are part of growth; respond with encouragement and curiosity, not criticism or blame - Establish clear norms and expectations – agree the ground rules for communication, listening, and feedback ## Adapt your leadership style There is no one “correct” way to lead. The truth is some situations call for being hands-on and directive; others call for stepping back and empowering members of your team. One of the fastest ways to frustrate your team is to apply the same style to everyone. Some people thrive on independence, others need reassurance. Some want clear processes, others want freedom. ![Leadership Judgement Indicator - image of the four decision making styles]() *Leadership decision-making styles* The most effective new managers I see are those who learn to flex their style based on the person, the task, and the context. It’s not about you being fake, or not authentic; it’s about being smart and getting the most from your people. Knowing when you need to step in and when you should step back is a management skill that doesn’t always come with experience. I’ve worked with many long-standing leaders who rely on the same methods with their team and wonder why they are not getting the results they want. [The Leadership Judgement Indicator]() is an exercise we use with new and experienced managers to assess their leadership style. ## Surround yourself with great people – and keep them You’re only as strong as the team around you. > “He’s very good. > He’d want your job in six months. “ New managers often inherit teams rather than build them from scratch, so the initial challenge is to work with what you’ve got. But, this can create opportunities for you, and members of the team who may have been overlooked, or not got on so well with the previous manager. Take the time to learn about your team, and for them to learn about you. Find out about their interests, motivations, and potential, and think about how you can best support them in their ambitions. Over time, you will likely need to bring new people in either to add to, or replace members of the team. Choose carefully. Don’t settle for low quality candidates just because they are the best available. And don’t be afraid to appoint great people if you find them. Very early in my own career, I was promoted into my first management position. One of my first tasks was to hire my replacement in the team. I held initial interviews and produced a shortlist. As a new manager in a large business, all hires had to approved by a senior manager so my line manager came to interview alongside me. For me, there was one standout candidate among the three. My boss agreed – he was great. But instead of making an offer, my boss instructed me not to hire him. “He’s very good. He’d want your job in 6 months,” he said. I didn’t think that was a bad thing – I wanted to have the best people possible around me who would push me too. But my boss felt differently and chose to hire one of the other candidates. I didn’t understand it then, and I still don’t. The difference between a team of people you trust and one filled with drama is the difference between whether you spend your days driving results or firefighting. And don’t just recruit talent. Retain it. Great people will only stay if they feel challenged, supported, recognised, and respected. You will have seen the quote many times that good people don’t leave jobs, they leave bad managers. An engineering manager I worked with lost several of his best team members in quick succession. Not because he was an awful manager but because he took their loyalty for granted. He failed to check in on them to discuss and understand their ambitions and what they wanted from work. It was an expensive lesson for him and he began to change his ways with his remaining and new team members. When he started having those conversations, and showing interest in his people, it made a huge difference to the team – and to him as a manager. ## Ensure diversity in your team Diversity isn’t a buzzword. It’s a genuine performance advantage. McKinsey’s research consistently shows diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones in innovation, decision-making, and financial results. For a new manager, embracing diversity means more than ticking the right boxes. It’s about genuinely valuing different perspectives and ensuring everyone has a voice. I coached a manager in marketing who built a team consciously composed of people from varied industries and backgrounds. At first it was messy — debates were frequent. But once trust grew, their campaigns consistently outperformed others because they weren’t stuck in the same “groupthink” patterns. Your job is not just to hire diverse talent, but to create an environment where every voice adds value. ## Learn how to give – and receive – great feedback Done well, feedback is one of the greatest gifts you can give a colleague. Done badly, it’s one of the fastest ways to damage trust. Many new managers avoid feedback altogether because they fear conflict. Others go in too blunt and end up demotivating. The sweet spot is constructive candour: honest, specific, and focused on behaviour (not personality), balanced with encouragement. And remember, it goes both ways. How you receive feedback will set the tone. If you get defensive when challenged, don’t expect your team to be open in return. If you reflect, thank them, and act on it, they’ll follow suit. ## Learn How to Have Difficult Conversations Performance issues, conflict between team members, even telling someone their role is at risk — these are tough responsibilities. New managers often put them off, hoping the problem will “sort itself out.” Usually, it doesn’t. The key is to see difficult conversations not as threats, but as opportunities to reset expectations, rebuild trust, or move things forward. One retail manager told me about his dread of confronting a team member who was consistently late. When he finally did, he discovered the person was caring for an ill parent and too embarrassed to say. Together they found a solution, and the relationship improved dramatically. Avoidance rarely works. Courageous, compassionate honesty usually does. ## Commit to your own development Becoming a manager isn’t the end of your development – it’s just the beginning. My advice is that you should read widely, ask questions, go to workshops, listen to other managers. Every challenge you face is an opportunity to refine your style. One habit I recommend: a simple leadership journal. After a big conversation or a tough week, jot down what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d do differently next time. Over a year, this becomes a powerful record of your growth. The best leaders I know are relentlessly curious. They know they will never “arrive.” And that’s what keeps them effective, long-term. ## Final thoughts Stepping into management is both a privilege and a responsibility. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where your team — and you — can continually grow, adapt, and succeed. You will make mistakes (everyone does). What matters is that you learn from them, build resilience, and keep moving forward. If I think back, had I known and practiced these 10 tips early in my career, I could have avoided a lot of unnecessary stress for myself and my teams. As you start your own journey, keep them in mind: self-awareness, coaching, culture, feedback, adaptability. Build those muscles and you’ll not just succeed, you’ll thrive. None of this happens by accident. The new manager who was quietly carrying his stress into the office, the sales manager who admitted she was “winging it,” the engineering manager who lost his best people through neglect, all of them got better with the right support at the right moment, not because they lacked potential, but because someone helped them see what they couldn’t see themselves. If you’re stepping into management for the first time, or you’re supporting someone who is, coaching is exactly what closes that gap.[Get in touch]() if you’d like to talk through what that could look like for you or your team. ![John Hamilton headshot image]() Written by **John Hamilton** John is Managing Director of bfpeople. He is an experienced recruiter, qualified to use a wide range of occupational psychometrics, and a trained executive coach and mentor. Connect with John on LinkedIn []()