What NOT to do As a First Time HR Manager

Ready to kick-start your career as an HR manager? As exciting as it may be, it can also be overwhelming, nerve-wracking and stressful making the first-time manager more prone to mistakes and slip ups.
If you have effectively managed to be promoted to a management position, of a supervisor or HR Manager, congratulations for the exciting times ahead. A promotion such as this is a huge deal and rightly so.  Ever-evolving, human resources are perhaps one of the most dynamic fields in the corporate sector. An absolutely essential part of the business realm, HR management is crucial to organizations of all types, regardless of their size, standing, and success within a particular niche industry. As such, it’s no surprise that HR management is a popular career path for individuals of this generation, with plenty of opportunity for growth.
To help you successfully fulfill your management role, here are things NOT to do as a first-time HR Manager:

Micromanaging

Managers, please remember that being chosen for such a position, and being promoted does not automatically make you the expert in all things HR. It basically just means that you have the potential to succeed and do justice to a management role and have hence been given the opportunity to prove yourself capable. Try and avoid micromanaging your staff, the level and quality of work they produce from the get go. It’s not about endearing yourself to your employees; doing so might even make the working environment uncomfortable. Instead, focus on creating a comfortable rapport with your staff where you oversee their progress instead of dictating it.

Being Overly Polite

As a manager, you cannot allow yourself to be pushed over and around by your staff, nor by your seniors. In order to succeed in your management role, you have to be assertive to keep all those who work under you in line, producing great quality work. Avoid being overly friendly with the team just to get them to like you better, only to have them turn against you later when you actually do have to put your foot down. Don’t promise things you cannot deliver, and definitely don’t think about being everyone’s best friend- the popular or cool kid. You really should be only concerned about being a good leader. If you’re doing a good job as a leader, everyone might not like you, but everyone sure will respect you. And in the corporate world, respect is what matters most.

Taking On Too Much Responsibility

It’s understandable that it takes some time to adjust to a new role and the responsibilities that come with it. However, it’s important for the first-timer manager to remember not to automatically assume ALL the responsibility for every single task assigned to a team. As an employee, you were assigned a list of things to accomplish; as a manager, you have to stop focusing on the individual tiny details and focus on the bigger picture – rather you have to focus on overseeing that your team completes all their assigned tasks. Keep in mind the goals and spend your time supervising or coaching instead of nitpicking on the smallest things.