Leading Team Question:

There are a number of common mistakes that new managers tend to make. Take care to avoid them. These are:
☛ Thinking that you can rely on your existing job knowledge and technical skills to succeed as a manager. It is essential that you take the time to develop good management and people skills as well - these can be more important than your technical skills.
☛ Failing to consult regularly with your boss, in a misguided attempt to show that you can cope on your own.
☛ Approaching your boss without having thought a problem through, and without having considered how the problem could be solved.
☛ Embarrassing your boss, or letting her get a nasty surprise. Follow the "no surprises" rule.
☛ Doing anything that requires your boss to defend you to others. This can cause your boss to "lose face" with his peers and superiors, and it makes it look as if his team is out of control.
☛ Failing to talk to your customers (whether internal or external) about what they want from yourself and your team.
☛ Using your authority inappropriately - make sure that everything you ask people to do is in the interests of the organization.