Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
I’m in my mid-30s and 10 years into a moderately successful IT career, which has involved a variety of support and system admin roles. Following redundancy, I have accepted a role at a new organisation where I am going to be the senior member of a team of fairly junior staff.
Although there will not be any official management duties, I will be expected to oversee the workload, and impart knowledge and experience to the newer staff members, as well as be responsible for the day-to-day running of the team. I will report directly to the IT operations manager.
The organisation is undergoing expansion and there is the strong possibility of the role becoming an official management role should the team grow further.
I’ve never had any sort of team leader responsibility and it’s not something I’ve ever had any inclination towards. Nevertheless, I’m determined to give it my all, and the IT operations manager who interviewed me seems to think I have the right personality to do it well.
My problem is that I’ve not got the foggiest idea how to go about this. I’ve never had anyone work under me before and I’m worried about finding myself out of my depth. I need to know where to start in succeeding at my new job.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
