what's hardest for the new manager?

The transition from "worker" to "manager" is tough and often unrecognised. As well as taking on a new role, it can also mean seeing yourself in a new way. Quite often, what worked for you as an effective team member is not what's needed as a manager. Or rather, those skills and qualities are important - you're probably still a member, of a new team - but you need to take on a new set of skills, knowledge and understanding. And it's important to pick them up or refresh them in a hurry.

This adds to the feeling of stress that many managers feel.

Whatever the new manager finds hardest, the thing that matters most is to be clear - clear about what your team is meant to deliver, clear about the working style that you want to establish, clear about what success looks like.

On the new manager site new members say that they face a variety of challenges: from dealing with a difficult team member to keeping calm under pressure. We're trying to incorporate ideas about the various challenges as they come in.

When working with new managers, I've seen that in many cases they need to learn a different way of thinking, one that focuses on outcomes, both in personal relationships ("how do I want this relationship to be?") and in tasks ("What are we actually trying to achieve here?") This requires some moments of standing back and looking at the situation, including oneself as well as others. Looking at one's own impact is hard but necessary if one is really to succeed as a manager.

Managing people older than you

One of the questions that people have asked me, when they are thinking of going for a management job, is "What if my team are older than me? Will someone mind being managed by a person who's younger than them?"

In my experience what people of any age want from a manager is that they manage effectively, that they make it easy for everyone to do their best, and that they show respect for the people they are managing. If the manager focuses on clear outcomes, clear boundaries and the reasons for work being done well and to time, then whether they're older or younger is not very important.

Age is more important in some cultures than others; for some, the fact that a person is older indicates that they should be respected regardless of that they do. In many Western cultures this is not so common, and some groups can feel superior to older people, automatically assuming that they must be out-of-date. At work, however, in whatever culture, it makes sense to respect the experience and reliability that older people can bring, while valuing the energy and enthusiasm that can be brought by younger people.

Check this site for more ideas - http://www.newmanagersonline.net

performance and appraisal

In many organizations, this is the time of year for appraisals and/or performance reviews.
Which is the prime function of these : is it to appraise and assess realistically how a person is doing, give them feedback on their performance over the year, and plan for their future development - or is it to decide on their bonus or possible promotion?

The two strands are in come cases incompatible, because of the climate each one engenders. In the first case, it's essential that both parties are honest and sincere, looking for ways for the staff member to develop given their potential strengths and weaknesses. In the second, the staff member is surely going to present the best possible case they can, especially of a bonus or a raise is in the wind. Because of this, in some organizations there are two separate meetings, one to consider development and one to consider rewards. In my experience of helping with the process and running workshops form appraisers and appraisees, it's often a complicated process however well it's planned and organised