First-Time Managers 3

Stay in the trenches It’s likely that you were asked to be a manager, because you were great at doing whatever your discipline demanded. You worked hard and achieved a certain level of success as a result. Now that you are a manager it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do the “dirty work” that helped you succeed in the first place. It is an endearing quality that your direct reports will respect when you are willing to do any job at any time to help them move forward.

How do you do this? Keep an eye on things day to day and when there is an opportunity to jump in and help, grab the opportunity and run with it. At the end of the day the success of the business is what matters and a culture where anyone — including you — is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish things is a culture that will thrive and endure.