Transitioning into management role takes right fit

Transitioning into a new role can be challenging for any employee, but when that employee is taking on a management position for the first time, there can be another set of difficulties, says Tom Davenport, senior consultant at Towers Watson, a global professional services company in New York City. The new responsibilities that come with a management position are more than just different technical skills, which the employee has already proved to grasp. Rather, the additional responsibilities involve managing people, and those are skills not everyone possesses.

On the employer side, choosing the right person for the job might seem like the obvious first step, but it’s not always that easy. Often, employers choose to promote employees based on their technical skills rather than their foreseen abilities to lead others, Davenport says. While having a strong technical skillset is important, it should not be the primary determining factor for transitioning employees into managerial positions.