Many people reach the role of team leader or manager based on exceptional job performance, which leads to promotion. If you find yourself in this position without formal management training, you are far from alone. According to a 2023 CMI study, a significant 82% of UK managers lack formal training — making structured management development one of the most impactful investments any organisation or individual manager can make. Below, we set out five key dos and five key don'ts for managers at every level.
5 Dos of Management
1. Lead by Example
How you expect your team to behave begins with how you behave yourself. If your actions do not align with company values, those who follow you will mirror that misalignment. Think about the managers you have encountered in your own career — the ones whose behaviours you admired and sought to emulate — and use those observations as a blueprint. Demonstrating respect, active listening, and a genuine commitment to helping individuals succeed sets the standard for everyone around you.
2. Build on Strengths
Whilst acknowledging and seeking to address weaknesses is important, it is equally vital to identify and develop the strengths of both yourself and your team. Upping your performance — and that of those you manage — is a combination of deliberately developing existing strengths and systematically mitigating weaknesses. A team that knows what it does well, and is given the opportunity to do more of it, will outperform one that is focused exclusively on correcting deficiencies.
3. Invest in Yourself and Your People
Building on the previous point, invest actively in both formal training and the day-to-day tools and resources that enable your team to work efficiently and effectively. Identify what your team needs to perform at its best and advocate for those resources. Do not wait for performance to plateau or decline before taking action — seek continual improvement proactively, and model the value of professional development by investing in your own growth as a manager.
4. Enable Your Team's Success
A successful manager is one whose team succeeds. To achieve that, you need a thorough understanding of what each team member does, what motivates them, and what barriers they face in achieving their goals. Regular informal one-to-one meetings are an excellent way to maintain that understanding and identify any issues before they escalate. Early identification of challenges, and a clear framework for remedial action, allows you to address problems proactively rather than reactively.
5. Earn Your Team's Respect Rather Than Seek Their Approval
There is a well-known principle in management that people do not leave bad jobs — they leave bad managers. Equally, a manager who consistently avoids difficult conversations or is unwilling to address poor performance will not earn genuine respect. Your role as a manager includes applying disciplinary procedures when necessary, having honest conversations, and making decisions that may not always be popular. How you handle those situations — with fairness, consistency, and professionalism — is what will determine whether your team respects you over the long term. Seek support from HR and formal management training to navigate these situations with confidence.
5 Don'ts of Management
1. Do Not Indulge in the Blame Game
When things go wrong, the responsibility stops with you. Your role is to identify the root cause of what went wrong — whether that is a breakdown in communication, inefficient workflows, changing priorities, overloading, or a knowledge gap — and then develop solutions to ensure there is no repeat. Creating space for your team to highlight the issues that are preventing them from achieving their goals is far more productive than allocating blame, and builds the kind of psychological safety that enables high performance.
2. Do Not Abuse the Privilege of Leadership
Leadership is a privilege, and it must be exercised with integrity. Negative behaviours — playing favourites, pitting team members against each other, or prioritising your own visibility over the success of the team — will erode trust and undermine performance. As a leader, your actions must consistently demonstrate that you are working towards the success of the team, and that you have each person's back when they need it.
3. Do Not Micromanage
Constantly monitoring every detail of your team's work signals a lack of trust and stifles the autonomy that motivated professionals need to perform well. You have employed or inherited people to do their jobs — trust them to do so. Where productivity issues arise, offer guidance and ensure that proper training is in place. Your role is to set clear expectations and remove obstacles, not to dictate exactly how every task should be completed.
4. Do Not Refuse to Learn
No one has all the answers — and this is as true of managers as it is of anyone else. Do not be reluctant to acknowledge your own skill or knowledge gaps. Asking for training, seeking out a mentor, or enrolling in a management qualification demonstrates intellectual honesty and sets a powerful example for your team. A manager who is visibly committed to their own development inspires the same commitment in those around them, and helps build a culture of continuous improvement across the whole team.
5. Do Not Fail to Give Credit Where It Is Due
When a job is done well, say so — specifically and sincerely. Acknowledge those who have gone above and beyond, and ensure that positive contributions and behaviours are recognised in annual reviews and performance conversations. A team that feels seen and valued will demonstrate greater loyalty and commitment. Recognising achievement is not simply good management practice — it is a direct reflection of your own leadership quality.
Building Your Management Practice
Perhaps the most useful place to start developing as a manager is to reflect honestly on your own experience of being managed — the behaviours that inspired you, and those that did not. Use those observations as a guide for the kind of manager you want to be, and then seek the formal training that will give you the frameworks, language, and confidence to put those intentions into consistent practice.
How Professional Academy Supports Your Journey
At Professional Academy, we support managers at every level in developing the skills and knowledge they need to lead effectively. Our CMI Level 3 Management and Leadership qualification has been developed with new and aspiring managers in mind, building on hands-on experience and developing skills in the practical aspects of managing people, resources, and projects.
Whether you are stepping into a management role for the first time or looking to formalise experience you have already gained, a CMI qualification provides a recognised, structured pathway to greater confidence and capability as a leader. To find out more about our management qualifications and which programme is right for you, get in touch with our team today.
