Leadership skills for new managers-old

New managers need to learn leadership, and this is possible. We can learn from our role models. Think about people who inspire you.

What traits can you adopt? Now think about managers with poor leadership styles and avoid those behaviours. Take care to learn from the right role model, as bad habits picked up can be hard to change.

Many leaders will undertake some structured training such as an MBA. Above all, it's important to read, look to others and understand how they achieved success in their field. Look outside the pharmacy world.

What works in other industries? How can you apply those principles to your work environment? You will learn from experience as well.

Be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them. Realise what you would do differently in the future. Understanding the rules of any organisation is critical.

These are not employment rules, but the often invisible political and cultural ones. The easiest way to establish this is to look to the people who are successful in your workplace and identify how they dress, act, talk and walk.

Professionalism does not simply mean impressing your line manager: it's about acquiring behaviours that make it easy for other work colleagues to engage with you. Good business etiquette is essential for gaining respect. You want people to work with you and follow you.

Etiquette involves making the other person feel at ease, valued and respected. Some tips include:

1. Be on time for meetings. Being routinely late is just rude and demonstrates a lack of time management and respect
2. Make others feel important. If you are talking to a member of staff about a new product or process, focus on them and minimise interruptions. Answering your mobile or texting are no-no's
3. Say thank you. It doesn't cost you anything, but could make all the difference to your employee
4. Learn people's names and use them back in a sentence
5. Don't focus on yourself. You may feel that you are the most important person, but your audience will rarely agree.

Technology can be a hindrance to business etiquette because people are transfixed by the next text or email message. I often use email to take notes at a meeting and email them to myself, but I always ask permission from those in the room and explain why I am using email before progressing. This is business etiquette.