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Adapted from the upcoming 'The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management' by Alan Murray, published by Harper Business.
What are the common mistakes of new managers? Good management has been thoroughly studied and is widely understood, but it is still more honored in its breach than in its practice. Most new managers, in particular, get it wrong.
Harvard Business School Professor Linda Hill studies those who become managers for the first time, and writes perceptively about some of the common myths and misperceptions that lead to mistakes in their early days. Among them:
Myth 1: Managers wield significant authority.
New managers were often standouts in their previous jobs, and as such, enjoyed a fair degree of independence and autonomy of action. With a new job and title, they expect to feel more authority.
Well, surprise! Most new managers report they are shocked by how constrained they feel.
'They are enmeshed in a web of relationships,' writes Ms. Hill in a 2007 Harvard Business article called 'Becoming the Boss.' 'Not only with subordinates, but also with bosses, peers, and others inside and outside the organization, all of whom make relentless and often conflicting demands on them. The resulting daily routine is pressured, hectic and fragmented.'
She quotes one new leader saying: 'Becoming a manager is not about becoming a boss. It's about becoming a hostage.'
Until new managers give up on the myth of authority, and recognize the need to negotiate their way through a web of interdependencies, they are likely to face frustration and failure.
Myth 2: Authority flows from the manager's position.
New managers frequently think that what authority they have is conferred by their title. But in fact, writes Ms. Hill, 'new managers soon learn that when direct reports are told to do something, they don't necessarily respond. In fact, the more talented the subordinate, the less likely she is to simply follow orders.'
Over time, good managers find they must earn their subordinates' respect and trust in order to exercise significant authority. They need to demonstrate to subordinates their own character, their competence, and their ability to get things done before those subordinates are likely to follow their lead.
Myth 3: Managers must control their direct reports.
New managers, insecure in their roles, often seek absolute compliance to orders from their subordinates, particularly in their early days.
But what they learn over time is that 'compliance' is not the same as 'commitment.'
'If people aren't committed, they don't take the initiative,' writes Ms. Hill. 'And if subordinates aren't taking the initiative, the manager can't delegate effectively.
The challenge for managers is to nurture a strong sense of common commitment to shared goals rather than one of blind allegiance to the managers' dictates.
Myth 4: Managers must focus on forging good individual relationships.
Ms. Hill says managers need to focus not on friendship, but on building a team.
'When new managers focus solely on one-on-one relationships, they neglect a fundamental aspect of effective leadership: harness the collective power of the group to improve individual performance and commitment,' she writes. 'By shaping team culture the group's norms and values a leader can unleash the problem-solving prowess of the diverse talents that make up the team.'
Myth 5: The manager's job is to ensure things run smoothly.
Keeping an operation running smoothly is a difficult task, and can absorb all of a new manager's time and energy. But if that's all the manager does, writes Ms. Hill, he or she is making a big mistake.
'New managers also need to realize they are responsible for recommending and initiating changes that will enhance their groups' performance,' she writes. 'Often and it comes as a surprise to most this means challenging organizational processes or structures that exist above and beyond their area of formal authority. Only when they understand this part of the job will they begin to address seriously their leadership responsibilities.'
本文节选自即将由Harper Business出版的The Wall Street Journal Guide to Management，作者是Alan Murray。
新任经理经常犯的错误是什么？人们对于什么是好的管理进行了彻底的研究，也有着普遍的了解，然而更多地却是违背它，而非付诸实践。大多数新任经理尤其会产生误解。
哈佛商学院(Harvard Business School)教授琳达•希尔(Linda Hill)对头一次当经理的人进行了研究，并富有洞见地写下了会导致人们在升职之初犯错的常见错误观念和误解。其中包括：
错误观念1：经理拥有极大的权力。
新擢升的经理通常在自己原先的岗位上都干得很出色，其本身行事就有相当大的独立性和自主权。有了新的职位和头衔之后，他们以为会享受更大的权力。
结果却出人意表。大多数新任经理报告说，他们对自己受到的限制震惊不已。
希尔在2007年《哈佛商业评论》(Harvard Business)上发表题为《如何当老板》(Becoming the Boss)的文章，文中说，新任经理陷入了一个关系网，不光是跟下属的关系，还有跟老板、同级，以及公司内外的其他人的关系，这些人都会对新任经理提出严酷的要求，有时还会互相矛盾。结果造成日常工作压力很大、十分忙乱，而且没有章法。
她引用了一位新任经理的说法：成为经理跟当老板不一样，当经理就好像成了人质。
新任经理只有抛开对权力的错误观念，认识到需要跟方方面面的人协商，否则就可能面临挫折和失败。
错误观念2：权力来自经理这个位置。
新任经理常常认为手中的权力是自己的头衔带来的。但实际上，希尔写道，新任经理很快就会发现，要求下属做事时，对方不一定会响应。事实上，下属越有才能，就越不太可能完全服从命令。
随着时间的推移，好经理发现，为了行使重要的职权，就必须要赢得下属的尊敬和信任。他们需要向下属展示自己的品格、胜任工作的能力和解决问题的能力，这样下属才可能服从他们的领导。
错误观念3：经理必须控制下属。
新任经理们对自己的角色还没有安全感，他们常�；嵋笙率艟苑用睿乇鹗窃谏先我潦�。
不过，他们会慢慢地学到一点，那就是服从命令不等于有责任感。
希尔写道，如果人们没有责任感，他们就不会积极主动；如果下属不积极不主动，经理就无法有效地把工作委派给下属。
经理们面临的挑战是培养下属们实现共同目标的强烈共同责任感，而不是盲目服从指挥。
错误观念4：经理们必须注重培养良好的个人关系。
希尔说，经理们不应把精力放在建立友谊上，而是要创建团队。
她写道，当新上任的经理只关心一对一的关系时，他们就会忽视有效领导的一个基本方面，即利用团队的集体力量来提高个人业绩和责任感；通过影响团队文化（团队的准则和价值），领导者可以激发团队中各类人才解决问题的能力。
错误观念5：经理的工作是确保事情顺利进行。
保持业务顺利进行是项艰巨的任务，可能会耗费一位新任经理的全部时间和精力。不过希尔写道，如果经理做的只有这些，那他就大错特错了。
她写道，新任经理还需要意识到他们有责任提出并发起能改善团队业绩的各种改变；常常，也是出乎大部分人意料的是，这意味着挑战他们正式职权范围以外的组织程序或是组织结构。只有当他们明白这点的时候，才能开始严肃地对待自己的领导责任。
