Social Work Leadership - You've Been Promoted to Manager: What To Expect and How To Move Forward

by Elizabeth J. Clark, Ph.D., MSW, MPH, and Becky S. Corbett, MSW, ACSW

     After working hard to prove your worth and potential, you have been promoted to a leadership role. You are excited about your new position as manager and have many ideas about what can be done differently and what needs to be changed. You can’t wait to start, but it may be beneficial to take some time to consider several important issues.

Internal vs. External Promotions

    If yours is an internal promotion, it won’t just be “business as usual.” You will need to establish your authority and your style as a manager. You will need to find a way of slowly extricating yourself from being “one of the gang.” Bosses generally do not have lunch with their staff or socialize after work.  

    Perhaps the most difficult thing to handle is the power differential. As the manager or supervisor, you now have the power to assign tasks, approve vacation time and expense reports, and complete an annual evaluation of those who report to you.

    Then there is the issue of confidentiality. Perhaps you have been used to exchanging office gossip with your co-workers or complaining about management. You are now part of the management team, and confidentiality takes on more importance.

    It might be best to have an open and candid conversation with your friends (now staff) and go over what needs to change in your day-to-day relationships and in the workplace. A solid friendship should be able to handle such a conversation, as well as the needed change that follows.

    If you were brought in from the outside, some of the relationship problems will not occur, but the learning curve will be greater. You may know the business, but you won’t know the organizational culture or the people. The faster you can get up to speed, the better, but it is important to allow time for a comprehensive assessment.

Working With an Established Workforce

    Even if you are promoted to the role of boss, you seldom get to hire a whole new staff. There may be specific personnel policies that dictate procedures for hiring and discharging employees. This will be true especially if your agency or organization works under union or civil service guidelines. There also often are financial implications—like severance pay—for letting staff go, and there are hiring and onboarding considerations.

    You may find that numerous employees have longevity in their jobs. Perhaps they stayed for the benefits, security, or comfort level. They may have stayed because they had great bosses over the years, or simply because they love what they do. Many also have strong company loyalty, and, as a result, they have a difficult time understanding  “job-hopping” by younger staff. You may fall in this category, and they may be puzzled by your career choices and timing.

    It is almost always a mistake to try to quickly get rid of long-term employees. They may not have the desired level of IT proficiency or new area content, but they generally have crucial business skills and knowledge of operations. They understand the competition and both the internal and external political scene. They also are often well regarded by customers, vendors, funders, and the Board of Directors.  

    Get to know existing staff. Suspend judgment for a few weeks or even months. Instead, use a strengths perspective and try to determine what positive qualities each employee brings to the workplace. Your social work skill set will be invaluable in staff assessments.

The Timing of Change

    One of the most common mistakes made by new managers or supervisors is trying to change things too quickly. There may be many things you don’t like or that you are certain could work better. If there are critical problems, they need to be dealt with as soon as possible, but major organizational change takes time and great effort. Resistance to change is usual and is to be expected. Instead of jumping in with your new ideas, make an effort to understand the landscape. Why do things work the way they do? What does the operational manual say? When was it last updated? What type of change has been tried before? If it didn’t work, why not? Are staff and your boss or Board of Directors open to change?

    Take a few weeks or even months to study the situation. Complete an organizational assessment that documents what you have found or inherited. (This actually will help you when your first performance evaluation comes around.) Include what you see as the existing problems and why, and solutions you recommend. What resources will be needed? Are they available, or will they have to be budgeted for the next fiscal year? What is your suggested timeline?

    Once you have completed your assessment, report your findings to your boss and discuss with your senior staff as appropriate. Once again, listen carefully for useful input and openness to your plan.

Watch for Unrest and Undermining

    As social workers, we recognize that change is hard for most people. It disrupts routines and relationships. It can cause uncertainty, discontent, fear, hurt feelings—even anger. As the new manager, acknowledge the impact of change and the need to establish a new normal as quickly as possible. Let staff know you are interested in their concerns and suggestions, and stress your desire for transparency.

    Even with your best efforts, you may find resistance, even attempts at undermining by some staff. This will need to be addressed directly. Working with human resources is generally helpful in resolving personnel problems.  

Managing vs. Leading

    You may have the title of manager, but you also want to be seen as a leader. Authority may make you the boss, but leadership means more than just being in charge. You also have a responsibility to, and for, others. There are many articles that describe the difference between the two roles, but for our purposes, management is a special kind of leadership in which the achievement of organizational goals is the focus. Leadership occurs when you attempt to motivate and influence the behavior of others, regardless of the reason.

    Leaders have a vision for where they want others and their organization, or agency, or program to go. They are good communicators with the ability to really listen to others, especially to those individuals whose opinions differ from their own. Leaders have integrity, are honest, and are as transparent as possible. They need to be encouraging, enthusiastic, optimistic, and hopeful, and after setting the direction, they need to maintain momentum, be able to delegate, and be excellent problem solvers.

    If that seems like a tall task, just think how similar are the requirements for being an outstanding social worker. It’s not surprising that social workers often make great organizational leaders, as well as excellent bosses.     

For Further Reading

Caraher, L. (2015). Millennials & management. The essential guide to making it work at work. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc.

Clark, E. J., & Hoffler. E. (2016). 100 ways to stay smart and keep your career on track. S2C2 Publishing. http://www.startsmartcareercenter.org

Corbett, B., & Tevault, E. (2018). Change management: Tips & techniques. https://bscorbettconsulting.wordpress.com/2018/07/02/bsc-tips-techniques-change-management/

Notter, J., & Grant, M. (2015). When millennials take over. Preparing for the ridiculously optimistic future of business. Ideapress Publishing. http://www.ideapresspublishing.com

This column on social work leadership is written by two established social work leaders.

Dr. Elizabeth Clark was CEO of the National Association of Social Workers from 2001 to 2013. She currently is the President of the Start Smart Career Center.

Becky Corbett served as the COO of NASW from 2008 to 2013. She is now the President of BSCorbett Consulting and is a national speaker, trainer, and executive coach.