People are usually promoted to management positions because of their ability to "get the job done." Their past success is defined by their performance. But a new manager's success is defined by his or her ability to influence the performance and potential of others. It can, therefore, be alarming to new managers to find out they need to acquire not just a set of new skills before taking on a management role but also different attitudes and behaviours. They have to become leaders.

Investing time to set managers up for success is critical for their future as leaders. However, it is estimated that more than 50 percent of managers receive no training before starting a management position for the first time.

Here's some advice you might want to give a new manager before he or she meets with their new team:

1. Understand people aren't machines; they won't be the same every day - no matter how much you'd like them to be. You have to be prepared to recognize people who need more management on a given day and know when to leave them alone.
2. Don't confuse abdication of authority or responsibility with delegation. Just because you may not be doing the actual work that others do, you are still responsible for their results and performance. Observe and be a leader from a distance and know when you should get involved or "get your hands dirty."
3. Sit down and get to know every individual on your team during the first week. What are their goals? What do they want to learn? How do they like to be managed? What do they like to do in their free time?
4. Manage your staff's expectation. Keep them realistic. You have to make decisions that benefit the company as a whole. Some decisions will likely not be popular with everyone on your team. You will not be able to make all of your staff happy all of the time.
5. Be honest with people - even if it's bad news.
6. Avoid change for the sake of "doing it your way." Most things undoubtedly work just fine already.
7. Don't think or act like you know everything. You may be smart, but there's always someone smarter when it comes to doing a particular task or job.
8. Defend your people! They will reward you with their loyalty.

Some of these tips may seem almost contradictory to someone who has not held a leadership position before. This tends to underscore the complexity of management and the challenges of leading a diverse team of individuals. Although there is no one right way to lead others, the ability to recognize some of the common mistakes made by new managers will go a long way towards making the transition from "worker" to leader easier.