Managerial Advice

So I've received some good news. I am going to be promoted relatively soon and will be managing two employees. I have been with my company for one year and will be promoted ahead of a fellow employee that has been with the company for four years. He is about ten years older than me and even has a masters degree. I'm not sure how he is going to react when he finds out that I will be his boss going forward. Any advice on how I should handle the situation with him? Should I take him aside and speak with him after the announcement is made? What the hell would i say? Maybe it will be easy and he'll be okay with it, but he's bound to have his pride hurt and be resentful. It should be noted that I am not getting the promotion because of politics or any other bs reason. I really am better suited for this job than he is.

Don't be condescending to him. Some people just aren't suited for and don't even want managerial positions. Continue to treat him like the valued and respected colleague that he is. You will be relying on him and you need him to make you look good.

Great advice thanks

Also, don't get the "management lobotomy." In my past experience, when people get promoted into some sort of managerial position, they start acting differently in general. I realize that sometimes that the job requires that, but make a point of "staying the same" and understanding the "hired help" as much as possible.

For example, if you never dressed up for work before, DO NOT start now. I have seen people who got promoted and started wearing khakis and collars the day their title officially changed.

You probably don't have to say anything other than thanks if he congratulates you. If he becomes difficult in the coming weeks after the promo you'll have to sit down and talk but don't make something out of nothing yet. You got the job because your superior felt you deserved it, you don't have to apologize for anything.

Well said 2u.. I was sort of thinking the same thing. On a side note is it inappropriate to start wearing a tuxedo to work after I get the promotion?

Totally appropriate! Please don't try to weasel by with the old black tux and top hat either. A promotion of this nature deserves the pale blue velvet tux with the magenta top hat sporting a phesant feather in the band. Of course, white patent leather shoes and belt are the ONLY choice you could make., Now, get out there and make one of your new employees puke!

Make sure you don't neglect his needs. Give him a little tickle just above the belly button when he looks down in the dumps. A little horseplay can go a long way. (sandusky smiley)

Good point and don't forget he may have turned the promotion down.

Remember all those times you thought "If I was boss I'd do it this way"......here's your chance. I bet not a single time was one of the thoughts I'd be a jerk for no reason.

Be fair......get your job done.....be decisive.....be respectful.....be firm when needed.

Never forget to praise good work. Suggest and ask rather than demand and dictate. Don't forget that you are still part of the whole team. I've had many employees under my direction in the past. Some older and much wiser and as long as I treated them with respect and treated them as a very valuable part of the team I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Most people just want to be appreciated for what they do, and not feel "used."

wtf

Your staff is your most important asset. Your job as leader is to create an atmosphere conducive to team morale and success.

"The true measure of a leader is not the man himself, but the men he surrounds himself with."
Abraham Lincoln

FIFY

You could fire him.....That would completely eradicate all awkwardness in the workplace between you two.

Don't manage each employee the same...each will have a certain way they like to be treated and try your best to make their jobs as enjoyable as possible while making decisions and maintaining a level of respect as the leader

Here is a different approach and maybe not the best one. Get an employment contract with your company that has a very lucrative termination clause. Do a shatty job, get fired and wait for the money to roll in. Of course these kind of "Golden Parachute" deals are mostly for CEO's. Good luck, and if you don't get the contract the other advice in this thread is very good. Oh and congratulations!

Everytime you walk into a room have them play this song over the speakers.

Don't assume anything. Ask each employee personally what their goals are, and do what you can to help them out. Also, this employee could be more valuable with their other skills to the company where they are at than overseeing others. It isn't uncommon for valuable front line employees to make much more than their manager or director.

One tip from Jack Welch is be generous to everyone and deliver more than expected. That includes rewarding and praising your employees. That is one secret that got Jack to the top. His peers came to him to work under him because they would be rewarded for their efforts rather than working for the jerk they were under.

You got promoted for a reason. Be fair to everyone. I recently got promoted to a different part of my company over someone 15 years older than me who had worked there quite longer and he was very spiteful about it. My Boss told me simply you worked your tail off where he never did, so don't sweat it. If there's one thing i've learned from Bosses over the years: be respectful to your employees and get to know them, but don't be afraid to lay down the law when you need to. Laying down the law doesn't require yelling, it requires saying hey, why don't you have this done, or this is what needs to be done, and following through with the appropriate action based on the individuals achievements. No assertion of dominance needed.