How to lead a team as an inexperienced manager

Stepping into a new role as a manager or team leader can be incredibly tough at the best of times. It is particularly challenging when you have to lead a team with little or no experience in the field. 

For some, this could be your first time in a managerial position. For others, it could be the first time in a field like aged care or healthcare. Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed by the expectations placed on you. That’s normal!

To ensure you set yourself on the path to success as a first-time manager, take a look at our tips on how to lead a team with no experience. 

Build valuable relationships

Stepping into any new role means you have new colleagues and new staff working directly under your supervision. That’s a lot of people to build relationships with.

It can be daunting to put yourself out there at first, especially if you have moved to a new organisation, facility or department where you don’t know anyone. But the best step you can take when leading a team with little experience is to build valuable relationships from the start. 

Spend time getting to know your new team and your peers. They are likely filled with managerial experience and knowledge of the business itself and can answer any questions and support you directly. 

As for the people you’re directly leading, building relationships early on will give you a better understanding of who they are professionally and personally. As an emotionally intelligent leader, you’re creating an instant connection where they feel valued and recognised.

Work as a team

Teamwork is critical for success; how you fit in with that team can make or break success. A micro-manager who has to change processes or insert themselves into every single task will often not be warmly received by existing staff.

Your role as a manager is to maintain or improve efficiency and keep team members happy. So take the time to recognise the responsibilities of each worker and use their experience as support. Take the time to observe how they perform their roles and see if there are significant issues or areas for improvement.

Even if you don’t have the experience to lead a team, you can now see the bigger picture; you are no longer one piece of the puzzle, you’re making the puzzle. Everyone in your team will have their own strengths and weaknesses, their own innovative ideas, and their own relationships with residents and colleagues. Use that perspective to put pieces in the right place – including yourself – and your team will become more efficient and appreciative of your guidance.

Play to your strengths

It takes confidence to put someone in a management position when they have little to no experience. But if you’re in that position now, you’re there for a reason. You have strengths that have been recognised and now it’s time to use them. 

Take note of what you do well and be confident about your leadership style. Are you an innovative thinker who loves to problem solve but you’re now leading a team where efficiency is dropping? Perfect! You have the chance to shake things up and deliver exciting change.

Are you empathetic and driven by a desire to help others? You can support your team by looking out for their well-being and providing them with tools and resources to be at their best when caring for residents. 

Recognise your weaknesses

While you will have a number of skills you can use from day one, you will also have to recognise your weaknesses and be open and honest about them. This is especially important if you’ve made the move into aged care from another industry.

There will be a number of leadership roles within aged care that don’t require specific aged care experience – administration, catering, cleaning, finance, etc. That’s where your strengths in the general field will come into play, but there will undoubtedly be some weaknesses due to unfamiliarity.

Onboarding and orientation programs should help you become familiar with workplace policies, programs and resources. But it’s impossible to cover everything and as you become more familiar with your role, more questions will be raised. Just recognise those gaps in knowledge and look to your colleagues to fill them.

Continue your learning

Learning is arguably the most important outcome when you have no leadership experience. Your personal and professional growth will go in leaps and bounds as a leader because you will learn from your decisions, right or wrong. 

If you do get something wrong and it doesn’t work out, ask for advice from your colleagues. If a decision leaves one of your staff members unhappy, organise a time to speak to them directly to see what can be done to help. 

The only time you will stumble is when you fail to recognise something has gone wrong and you don’t make an adjustment. That’s why every decision you make as a leader will help you grow into a more effective leader. You never know who might give you the perfect piece of feedback or which wrong decision could lead to a brilliant new idea.