{"id":1469,"date":"2019-05-23T02:29:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T02:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hudson-main-site.ap.applyflow.com\/uncategorized\/how-to-become-a-people-manager\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T09:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T23:46:21","slug":"how-to-become-a-people-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/career-progression\/how-to-become-a-people-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"How to become a manager when you haven\u2019t managed before"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After a few years in junior to mid-level roles, you might have reached a point where you want to become a people manager.<\/p>\n<p>Yet how do you show that you are capable of becoming a people manager when you don\u2019t have experience managing a team?<\/p>\n<p>Even without past management experience, what\u2019s important is that you can demonstrate that you have the capabilities that managers need in their day-to-day role.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t just about practical skills such as time management, goal-setting and having difficult conversations.<\/p>\n<p>Through a comprehensive review of leadership theories and principles, Hudson\u2019s in-house research team has developed a model that identifies the five most crucial strengths for leaders.<\/p>\n<p>These are:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #01a3a4;\"><b>Vision\u00a0<\/b><\/span>\u2013 The ability to create a compelling vision with out-the-box thinking<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #01a3a4;\"><b>Action<\/b><\/span><b> <\/b>\u2013 Showing courage while managing change and uncertainty effectively <b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #01a3a4;\"><b>Impact<\/b><\/span><b> <\/b>\u2013 Creating a shared sense of purpose to inspire others to perform<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #01a3a4;\"><b>Connection<\/b><\/span><b> <\/b>\u2013 Embracing diversity across perspectives and cultures<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #01a3a4;\"><b>Drive<\/b><\/span><b> <\/b>\u2013 Confidently pursuing challenges with a thirst for learning and feedback<\/p>\n<p>Through <a title=\"What is a psychometric test?\" href=\"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/assessment\/what-is-a-psychometric-test\/\">psychometric assessments<\/a> of 7,000<br \/>\nprofessionals around the world, we found that for most of these strengths, the difference between a manager and an individual contributor was minimal. However there was a big divide between managers and non-managers\u2019 strengths in Vision and<br \/>\nImpact (and a smaller gap for Action).<\/p>\n<p>To prove that you are ready to take on a people manager role, you need to demonstrate the ways you can lead through Vision and Impact, otherwise you may as well stay as a high performing individual contributor.<\/p>\n<p>Motivating yourself can be a difficult task; inspiring others to share a sense of purpose and work together effectively is downright challenging. Yet most leaders say that the hard work is worth it because as a team, you are able to achieve a lot more<br \/>\nthan an individual ever can.<\/p>\n<p>This ability to motivate others to do their best work is what separates managers from non-managers.<\/p>\n<h2>How can you demonstrate you have Vision?<\/h2>\n<p>Vision is your<br \/>\nability to create a compelling end-goal for a team. It requires being able to synthesise complex information and think outside the box to turn the information into an objective that\u2019s achievable and inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you don\u2019t yet manage people, you can demonstrate the way you can clearly articulate the vision for the organisation \u2013 what does your organisation do, how do you do it and what are you trying to achieve? More importantly, can you communicate<br \/>\nthis vision in a clear, compelling and enthusiastic way?<\/p>\n<p>Are there projects that you have initiated or goals that you have set for yourself and your team, based on your insights and thinking? What outcomes have been achieved thanks to your Vision? Furthermore, how do you break down your Vision into tangible<br \/>\ngoals quarterly, monthly, weekly? Do you have a process or a calendar that marks your progress towards these goals? If not, create one today.<\/p>\n<p>You also need to find examples where you have taken complex information and used it to make decisions about what you need to be doing and why.<\/p>\n<p>In order to develop strategic visions, you need to be equipped with the latest insights from your industry. Give evidence about your enthusiasm for constant learning, for example, the newsletters you read, workshops you attend or networking that you do.<\/p>\n<h2>How can you demonstrate you have Impact?<\/h2>\n<p>Impact is the capability to create a shared sense of purpose to inspire others to unleash their potential.<\/p>\n<p>To show that you can create Impact and a lasting impression, you need to demonstrate that you are able to influence others.<\/p>\n<p>Cite previous examples of your involvement in coaching and mentoring within your industry and any instances where you helped build a team \u2013 even if it\u2019s outside the workplace such as sport team or community group. As you describe the context,<br \/>\nremember to define the problem and the solution clearly, so that the added value and your Impact can be seen.<\/p>\n<p>Was there a time when you had to work with multiple stakeholders, all with different goals and agendas? How did you manage to bring everyone to share a sense of vision and to perform? Highlight the obstacles that were overcome as well as the measures<br \/>\nyou used to bring the individuals together to share a common goal. Don\u2019t forget to also include insights and what you\u2019ve learned from such initiatives that you can refer to in the future.<\/p>\n<p>If this is a capability you are lacking in, could you start now? Maybe you could propose a new process or project that will help your team reach a shared goal. You don\u2019t need to start with big wins, but by engaging with your colleagues early on,<br \/>\nyour Impact will increase over time.<\/p>\n<p>As you look to enhance your sense of Impact, be ready to articulate your Vision too, as they often go hand-in-hand. You must be able to explain what your vision is for the organisation, the team as well as your role and the Impact you want to leave as<br \/>\nyou move towards the goal.<\/p>\n<p>Leadership isn\u2019t for everyone, but as professionals develop their five leadership capabilities,<br \/>\nthey find that they want to be able to share a sense of purpose and achievement with others.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you are ready to take the step into a leadership role now or later, consciously developing your Vision and Impact will help you to influence people more effectively and move you further along your career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a few years in junior to mid-level roles, you might have reached a point where you want to become a people manager. Yet how do you show that you are capable of becoming a people manager when you don\u2019t have experience managing a team? Even without past management experience, what\u2019s important is that you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-1469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-progression","tag-leadership"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1469"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6006,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469\/revisions\/6006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/3834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/au.hudson.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}