Tweet

Induction – your first management job

Written by: Lisette Howlett

Article Overview: Want to make a cracking success of your first management job? This article tells you how.

Induction – your first management job

In an ideal world you will have been on some training in advance of your promotion to your first management job which will at least give you some insights, some tools and techniques and a group of colleagues you can chat through your learning with. In the real world this training sometimes comes a few years later.

In an ideal world you will find that there is a clear induction programme arranged for you – covering the key areas of your new responsibilities. In the real world this is not always the case.

In the absence of a business induction programme, one of your first management tasks is to take personal responsibility for your own induction, develop a plan, talk to you manager and get his/her input and overall agreement/support and then go for it.

When developing your induction programme think about the new areas to your role and what you need to know to make a success of them. To give you a start here are a few:

Finance

What will your financial responsibilities be in the new role? Having identified this, consider how you can become proficient in these areas and understand the company policies and practice. For example:

• Approving staff expenses. Find the company policy and read this so that you only approve appropriate expenses and know how to do so using the correct forms and system
• Team budget. Are you responsible for a budget? If so find out what it is, establish how you get monthly reports and what you have to do to provide monitoring information
• Annual budget process. Establish the company timetable so that you are prepared and ready to provide the necessary information at the right time
• Work shadow. Ask another colleague if you can join them at their budget planning meeting with finance so that you can learn the ropes.

Human Resources

You now have responsibility for people so need to ensure that you are fully up to speed with the relevant HR policies and processes as well as the annual calendar of events. Some areas to consider include:

• Recruitment, Promotion and Induction – what is the approval process, what authority do you have to recruit, what induction programmes are in place for new hires, what is the company policy on promotions
• Performance Management. Find out the policy, ensure you have the key dates in your diary. Set up regular one to ones with staff and ensure that you have a formal appraisal at least once a year (or more if this fits with company policy).
• Managing your team – ensure that each team member has a job description or role profile and also some key objectives. Individuals who know what is expected of them tend to perform better than those that do not
• HR practice – find out any key areas of people management that you have responsibility for. Including holiday approval and recording, overtime, sickness, absence etc. Ensure you are fully up to speed with the company policies so that you can manage staff fairly and in line with the company practice and their contracts
• Reward and recognition. Establish your role in determining each of your team member’s pay including the company approach to bonuses and non financial reward/recognition.

Job/Business knowledge is another important area of your induction. Think about what you know about the business and what more you need to know now that you have management responsibilities and a team. Some areas to consider:

• Business’ strategy – what is this? Are there company goals and values.
• Business Metrics. How is business success measured – is this purely financial or is a more balanced approach taken. What are the measures. How can you contribute to them?
• Products and Markets. What are the various products and market that your company operates in?
• Business Performance. How successful is the company – is profitability going up or down – looking at the last few years report and accounts can help you here
• Organisation structure. How is the business organised. Do you know the names of the Board members and other directors.

Related Articles
  The Power of Positive New Employee Inductions
  Company Induction Program
  Employee Induction – the why and how
  Best Practices in Labour Management
  7 Reasons for Failed Employee Probations

Article Tags: cambria, compatibility, endif, gb, gte, math, mso, priority, true name, xml, zoom



Related Forum Posts
Re: What Do You Outsource Mostly? - Hello, I outsource some management fields like business management, time management etc.. I like outsourcing these fields..as I have done business management course.. Initially I don't liked it at all..but after sometime I started getting interest in it.. Now I am searching some interesting management courses... Regards, Nelson
Re: Increasing sales for online retailers - Hi, I am sure many people do use an inventory manager for marketing purposes. Most of our clients take advantage of this feature for inventory management purposes. Where it gets really tricky is when an online retailer needs an online inventory management system integrated with an offline inventory management system. If anyone knows any solutions please list.
Re: Hello, I'm a newbie too - [quote="anitarose":2giyv6ah]Well, I'm 47, had my own business for 10 years, and it flopped immensely. I would like to be sure that I can start another business and have it succeed. I guess I want reassurance that it can happen again. I was recently reading Ray Kroc's autobiography. I am currently working at McDonalds and am looking to go into management. However, I would be interested in finding a business to go into along with the management position. Thanks for pointing me in a different direction. Anita[/quote:2giyv6ah] Hi Anita, I also wanted to add that you might want to consider starting a franchise as your next business venture. While a franchise isn't a guaranteed success, you'll be buying into a proven business plan and will be able to use your management skills and experience of working in a system to your advantage.
Has a coach helped you? - And is a coach different than a mentor? I don't really feel I need a coach... anything I need to know how to do I just find a book and read up on it. I would like to find someone to give me a quick and inexpensive lesson on content management systems (yes...I publish ezines without using a content management system!), but that's not the same thing, eh?
Re: Franchise of a popular call center - If you have knowledge in running a call center and know how to manage it effectively then it sounds like it’s a good business for you. Workforce management relates to employee matters like payroll, HR, and employee training. Knowledge management relates to research, strategies, innovations and the effective use of technology. In both cases your prime clients are corporate sectors especially those who want to reduce their cost and increase performance at all levels.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Log On

Presenting Yourself With Impact at Work

Do You Deserve To Be Happy and Successful?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.