New Managers: Setting the Rules of Engagement

As you sit down at the head of the table in the conference room and all your new direct reports turn their attention to their new leader, it may be tempting for you to dive into the agenda straightaway without any preamble. After all, the weight of management’s expectations feels heavy on your shoulders and you want to be perceived as a go-getter, an achiever, possibly the best Department Head they have ever had! Unfortunately, if you are too quick to dispense with the preliminaries and forge ahead without setting the rules of engagement, you will encounter many problems down the road. The mutually agreed upon rules of engagement will avert operational, interpersonal, and team performance issues that may result when these expectations are not clearly defined, articulated, and agreed upon.

Rules of engagement set expectations about how your team will work together to achieve their collective objectives as well as how they will work individually. These rules will build trust, commitment, consistency, accountability and improve conflict resolution. Operational rules such as attendance expectations, work distribution, shared decision-making, and deadline adherence should also be clarified.

Unspoken assumptions will breed confusion, especially when everyone has a different interpretation of expectations and work output will suffer as people try to fill in the blanks for themselves. Established rules of engagement will create a common understanding, clarify desired behaviours, and define work contributions.

Defining Rules of Engagement

Certain rules of engagement will clearly be defined by institutional policies that all staff members are expected to adhere to. However, as a leader, you will need to decide operational matters such as how meetings should be structured and how agendas should be set. What level of confidentiality is expected within the group? How will your team engage in debates and what level of confidentiality is expected within the group? What is the preferred method of communication between meetings? How does the team reach consensus in decision-making?

It is often helpful to involve your team members in drafting the rules of engagement rather than imposing your rules on them. If they feel they are part of the process, they will be more willing to adhere to these rules and morale will improve. By setting the stage for your team to operate as a unit and aligning group behaviour, you will create a collegial and collaborative environment.

Character Matters

Once you have set the expectations for acceptable behaviour for your group, you will need to model that behaviour. For example, if you have prioritized individual accountability, ensure that you keep your own commitments and you follow through on your tasks.  Do you walk the talk? If what you say is not aligned with what you do, people will assume that it is acceptable to bend the rules. They will follow your lead.

How will you ensure that you promote an atmosphere of camaraderie and collegiality? The establishment of guidelines that guide team interaction will help people to honour confidential conversations, deal with conflict appropriately, encourage open and honest dialogue and respect. However, these rules can be violated and that can threaten the sense of safety of your team. Good character matters in the workplace. Clearly articulating shared values and enforcing consequences for violations will help to inculcate the right behaviour. The leader is responsible for ensuring the psychological safety of their team members. Using your influence to encourage positive behaviour and hosting group discussions to reflect on issues like character building, kindness and respect can build team cohesiveness.

Consistency is Key

People will quickly form opinions of a new manager. Your employees are important stakeholders who are constantly observing what you say and what you do.  If your actions are not aligned with the values you are trying to inculcate and if you display erratic behaviour patterns, they will find it difficult to trust you. Consistency is important and it will enable all your stakeholders to trust you. If you model consistent behaviour patterns and keep your promises to your staff and managers, you will build a positive reputation for yourself and your department. Ensure that you communicate the value of consistency to your direct reports and ensure that they are also performing consistently.

Building Trust

Building a foundation of trust is not easy. Once you have built it, it can also be shattered irrevocably. By demonstrating key attributes such as confidentiality, empathy, strength of character and consistency, you will be deemed trustworthy. It is your job as a new manager to make your employees feel safe. Are you prepared to be accountable for the mistakes of one of your direct reports? Will you take the heat if something goes wrong in your department? Throwing an employee ‘under the bus’ is a sure-fire way to evaporate trust.

Avoid indulging in gossip and favouritism. This will erode trust and the respect of your team. Facilitate building trust between your team members by encouraging them to keep their word, meet their commitments and avoid gossip. Trust must be earned.  Team building activities can be a useful tool to help break the ice and build relationships.

In summary, leading with diligence, consistency, empathy, and respect will cultivate trust. A new manager needs to make it clear that their role is to support the team and set the rules of engagement that will foster effective and efficient team collaboration. It can be daunting to start a new managerial position. Establishing strong relationships from the outset will set you up for long term success.

About the New Managers Leadership Programme

The New Managers Leadership Programme is designed for the new managers or individuals being groomed for their first management position and aims at equipping them with adequate skills on the various areas of management as they transition from being successful individual contributors to effective managers. Learn about the New Managers Leadership Programme here

Article by Shailja Sharma, Leadership and Career Coach, SBS Faculty Member