Congratulations! You’ve just got a new role leading a team and you’re excited about the new challenge. Or maybe you’re a bit scared about how you’re going to get the best out of them. This can be particularly tough if you’re now managing people who used to be your peers. How do you make that crossover work? How do you get their support as a team leader? And how do you prevent yourself from becoming the kind of supervisor that everyone hates?

Take a look at our top ten tips for new team leaders, it’s time to get stuck in!

1 Lead, don’t micromanage

Very few people respond well to being micromanaged. It’s really only a viable management option for people who have just started and are still learning the ropes, once they start to know what they’re doing you should withdraw and ask them to come to you with questions.

For anyone else, micromanagement is one of the worst management faux pas their boss can do. It’s an easy trap to fall into – if the buck stops with you, it’s easy to think that you need to be in control of absolutely everything. But that’s a surefire way to alienate your team (who probably know full well how to do their jobs) and get burnt out yourself.

Trust your team. Talk to them about your expectations and understand that everyone has off days. People are human beings and sometimes they need a leader whose main trait is understanding. Which leads us to…

2 Get to know your team

If you don’t know your team, how can you know what to expect from them? Leaving tasks until the very last moment might be normal for one person who needs a deadline to work effectively, but from another member of staff, it could be a warning sign that they’re struggling with their workload. It’s important to know your team. You must recognise that they’re all individuals with different ways of working, and manage them to reflect that.

Understanding your team will enable you to manage them with compassion and real leadership, rather than following a ‘management rule book’. You’ll be able to cut them slack when they have a lot going on, but call them out when you know they can do better.

3 Manage your time effectively

How can you expect your team to be productive and effective if your own time management is poor? They’ll really object if your bad organisation means they get work dumped on them at the last minute.

Leadership is about leading by example, leading from the front. Your team will have more respect for you if they can see you following your own advice. Ensure big projects are planned carefully and your resources are managed. Give your team plenty of notice if you think a busy period is on the horizon.

By being organised and respecting your team, rather than treating them as resource, they’re more likely meet a tough deadline or a surprise project with understanding rather than a grimace and muttered curse word.

4 Focus on communication

Once you’ve settled in, it’s essential that the channels of communication remain open so that you can continue to build relationships and assess progress. Make your expectations and team members’ responsibilities clear, especially if they change, to ensure there is no confusion. Your team should feel they can come to you with a question and receive clarification, rather than getting their ear chewed out for not listening properly the first time.

Improve engagement by listening to and actioning new ideas from your team. The more they feel that you are invested in them, the more they’ll give to the team and the more successful you’ll all be.

5 Give feedback early, and tactfully

Feedback is an essential part of communication, and all feedback should be given as soon as possible – good and bad. If one of your team gave incorrect information to a client or if they’re not following the standard process for making a cupcake, it’s important it’s addressed immediately. But that’s a clearcut example.

It’s less clear when it’s a matter of opinion, but it’s important you are reasonable and consistent. Negative feedback doesn’t have to seem like a telling off, if it’s delivered tactfully.

But it’s also important to give good feedback immediately when it’s deserved. Did one of your team give great service? Tell them! Is that blog your team member wrote one of the most popular on the website this week? Let them know!

6 Ask for feedback, and take it well

The flip side of giving feedback is being able to take it too.

It’s often said that negative feedback should be considered an opportunity for growth, and it’s the same when you’re a team leader. You should welcome feedback, as long as it is constructive, no matter who it is from.

If a customer gives you bad feedback don’t criticise them to your team, take responsibility for what went wrong. Similarly, if one of your team is brave enough to give you feedback, thank them and ask them how you can do better.

7 Resolve conflict quickly

A happy team is a productive team, but it’s unrealistic to think there will never be any conflicts on a team: People have lots of stressors in their lives and sometimes these can run over into work, triggering a conflict. Other times, personalities can clash. We’ve all witnessed or been involved in a workplace conflict, and they can get nasty quickly.

As a team leader or manager, it’s your responsibility to ensure conflict is nipped in the bud before it blows up. Learn about conflict resolution so you have the right tools to defuse a situation, instead of pouring fuel on the fire.

8 Don’t claim the credit

Ask many people and they’ll tell you the worst thing about their manager is that they claim credit for all the good stuff but blame anything bad on their team. If you are responsible for the wins, you are responsible for the losses too.

However, we think it’s better to let your team have their moment in the sun, even if it is by-proxy, your win too. Your team will feel good about having their personal contributions celebrated, rather than feeling they won their manager another pat on the back from his manager.

9 Don’t shift the blame either

While it’s nice to let your team bask in their personal win, it’s not ok to leave them out to dry if something goes wrong. As a manager, you are ultimately responsible for anything that goes wrong, even if you don’t know what you could have done differently. Taking the blame alongside the team or team member will increase their trust in you, improving their loyalty and productivity.

10 See the best in people

One of the most important things you can do is think the best of people. Most people come to work and do the best they can under the circumstances. If the best is not good enough, take a look at the circumstances rather than berating the person.

Take a look at the process itself. It’s possible, probable even, that it could be better so that it’s easier for a person to achieve the output you want. But if the problem is not with the process, speak to the team member like a person. Perhaps they’re going through some personal stuff at the moment and they just don’t have the energy for their A-game. The solution for that is not to discipline them and put them on a Performance Improvement Plan, it’s to provide understanding and empathy, safe in the knowledge that their performance will naturally improve when the period has passed. They may even surpass their previous best because they’re so grateful for the support.

Seeing the best in people, and supporting them, allows them to give you their best.

If you want to be they best leader you can be, but think you need a little more help, why not take our Team Leader bundle? Save 50% compared to buying the courses separately, you’ll learn about everything in this list plus how to run engaging meetings, deliver presentations and negotiate like a pro. You’ll also get essential training in equality and diversity.