There’s no question that as you progress in your career into management, you’ll have to assume more responsibility and this can mean coping with more stress on the job. You’ll not be successful as a manager unless you can deal with stress, and if this is your first job managing other people it would be http://null strange if you didn’t find it tough in the beginning. The pressure can seem to come from all over the place; from more senior managers whom you report to and from staff that you are in command of. Readily accepting these types of situations and dealing with them skillfully is one of the hallmarks of a good leader and will set you up for success in the long run.

Learn firstly to determine and apply yourself to the vital tasks that require attention from you, and back this up with planning that delivers results. A key element in perfecting this is the ability to delegate and allow your group to do the work while you are freed up to manage them and their work diligently. The members of your team should feel that they can count on you for help, but they also should respect your judgment as to the how and when of it. This might require a degree of training and also looking to other senior members of your team to field questions that do not require attention at your level.

Part of a manager’s lot is that at times decisions need to be made which your staff may not like, no matter that these may be forced by factors you don’t control. However, this can mean that you’ll have to contend with disgruntled staff members which can be hard in the beginning. The best way to take care of these situations is to be open and truthful, and to accept from the start that not all decisions are going to be popular and you can’t change that. Disputes can often entail strong words being used; these must be forgiven and forgotten once resolution is reached and not be dwelled upon.

If you are working too long hours that is a sign that you are taking on too many tasks or not effectively organizing your days. Work smarter, not harder, is a lesson you have to learn in order to be successful and reduce the stress of your job. Conscientiously plugging away behind your workdesk is also a misconstrued virtue – it is healthy to get away once in a while. There are times when a problem could be weighing you down, so you should talk to somebody who can help for example a person in a more senior position. By doing this you are going to learn from their experience as well as knowing how to cope with similar situations in the future.

It is obvious that you will need resilience as a manager but if you center on the right things and seek out advice when required, you should find that you can thrive on the stress rather than being weighed down by it.