Moving Up: 5 Tips for Transitioning From Co-Worker to Manager

Transitioning from co-worker to manager isn’t always easy. In fact, some find it quite tough, said Lucy Georgiades, CEO and co-founder of Elevate Leadership, a company that designs management training programs. While many are promoted because they excelled as individual contributors, their skills don’t necessarily translate to a management role, she told BioSpace.

If you’re moving from co-worker to boss, what challenges could you experience, and how can you make your transition a successful one?

New managers can encounter four main challenges, according to Georgiades, whose company’s training programs feature coaching, live workshops and on-demand microlearning videos.

1. Confidence: Managers need a different skill set than the one they used as individual contributors, Georgiades said, so it can be easy for them to lose confidence as they transition into their new, different role. She noted that they can often feel like imposters.
2. Time management: Time management is harder when employees have direct reports, especially if they’re trying to juggle parts of their old individual contributor role with managing, according to Georgiades. She said new bosses can end up exhausted and burned out from the transition.
3. Energy management: Energy management is challenging in part because new managers are learning on the job, which can be exhausting, according to Georgiades. She noted that people can prepare with management books and training sessions, but until they’re actually managing others, it’s hard to intellectualize what the job entails.
4. Managing ex-peers: Overseeing employees who were previously peers—and even friends—brings noticeable changes. For example, Georgiades said, these direct reports will no longer confide in their boss about team members like they used to and will exclude them from conversations they used to be part of.

Given challenges such as these, how can you successfully transition from co-worker to manager? Georgiades had five tips that can help.

Identifying your management style can make the transition much easier by giving you a sort of North Star to guide you, Georgiades said.

“When things get difficult and stressful, which they will, and you’re not sure what the right course of action is, it’s really helpful to have some kind of guiding principle,” she said.

If you’re not sure what kind of manager you want to be, Georgiades had two suggestions. First, think of a leader you admire and the qualities you admire in them. Identify any themes you see and personalize them to you. Second, reflect on your values, strengths and personality traits and note how those qualities can define your management style.

Georgiades advised making sure that you be yourself, noting that there’s no point in pretending to be something you’re not when you’re managing people.

“You’re not going to come across as authentic,” she said. “It’s going to be really hard to build trust with your team.”

She recommended not only sharing your feelings but also relevant personal stories that give your direct reports a window into who you are.

As a manager, Georgiades said, you’ll need to focus most of your day on other people and what will make them successful, rather than just executing to make yourself successful. To help with this mindset shift, she recommended not only regularly checking in with team members but also following up on what they tell you about their lives. For example, if an employee had to take their dog to the vet, ask how the visit went.

You should also carve out enough time in your calendar to prepare for one-on-ones, Georgiades advised. Prepare feedback and praise for your direct reports, she said, and think about the best use of your time together.

Last, Georgiades recommend setting aside time to prepare for team meetings. Consider, for example, what will make your direct reports more successful, what’s blocking them from working better together and what’s the most high-impact item to discuss.

Reframing what it means to have a productive day is one of the hardest tasks for new managers, according to Georgiades.

“We often hear managers saying, ‘I just don’t have time to get my actual work done anymore’ or ‘I spend my days in meetings or in interviews or unblocking people or sorting out some personnel issue,’” she said. “That’s not a distraction. That is actual work.”

In discussing this topic, Georgiades referenced “The Making of a Manager” author Judy Zhuo’s definition of management: Your job is to get better outcomes from a group of people working together. So, Georgiades said, anything you do in service of that goal is impactful work—the most impactful work you can do.

Georgiades described looking after yourself as a fit-your-own-oxygen-mask-first situation. She noted that it involves setting boundaries and identifying quick techniques that help you feel less stressed, such as meditation, deep breathing, exercise, running or writing.

Whichever techniques work for you, Georgiades recommended frequently reminding yourself of them, as they’ll be as important as whatever regular routine you have in place for your overall well-being.

Knowing that managing ex-peers can be a significant challenge, Georgiades had additional advice for navigating that aspect of management. Noting that it will be awkward to ask these employees about their career goals or to justify what they’re working on, and even more awkward to give them feedback, she recommended calling out the awkwardness in your first one-on-ones. Tell them how you’re feeling.

“Don’t try and be the big boss about it,” Georgiades said. “Just say something like, ‘Hey, just to say before we start that I know this is a bit awkward since we used to be peers. If I’m honest, I’m worried about having this new kind of relationship with you. How do you feel about it?’ Just put your cards on the table. It will build an instant bridge, and it definitely does not look weak.”

Angela Gabriel is content manager, life sciences careers, at BioSpace. You can reach her at angela.gabriel@biospace.com and follow her on LinkedIn.

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