First-Time Managers 8

Know that relationships have changed Often first-time managers find themselves managing people that were once their peers or people they have created a personal relationship with. When you become their manager the relationship changes, and you need to be transparent about that. You are now their boss and you will need to wear that hat when you are in the office. You can never allow yourself to have personal relationships cloud business decisions.

How do you do this? You need to set clear ground rules and have the conversation upfront that things have changed. I have found that the best way to do this is to add additional 1:1s to address in real time any situations that may feel awkward. You need to be transparent (as do others) and if things feel weird, talk about it so you can collaborate on a solution.