In fact, to be successful as a first-time manager requires a major
transition for which many people are not adequately prepared.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of this transition is that first-time
managers are responsible for getting work done through others
rather than on their own. While new managers may recognize this
transition intellectually, they reject it psychologically, as evidenced
by their behaviors. Typically they overpower their direct
reports with their expertise. For instance, a neophyte investment
banking firm manager might structure a complex transaction
himself rather than helping his direct report do it, relishing the
thrill of showing everyone his extraordinary skill in this area. In
other situations, new managers end up competing with direct
reports on assignments and sometimes complete the assignments
themselves when they're frustrated by how their people approach
it. Giving up the tasks and responsibilities that earned them a
manager title in the first place is a tremendously difficult aspect