I recently broke down and bought a Blackberry. I would be considered a "late adopter" in marketing-speak, at least as far as technology goes. My friends at work still laugh when I fail to know the most obvious shortcuts or tricks on PowerPoint and even Word applications.

I have interviewed many people over the last several months to ask them about their experiences with Blackberry and all indicated that it is quite user-friendly. Now that´s a term I like to hear!

So, off I went to my local wireless phone store to purchase a unit. I was rushed for time, and couldn´t stay for the tutorial by the sales rep (big mistake number one). By the time I opened the package and took a look, I realized that I was a stranger in a strange land and needing to learn a whole new language and set of practices to be successful. There was a small manual to give me the basics and a website offered as a reference, so I took full advantage of both of these resources. I still could not get my phone to ring! It would vibrate, but not ring.

I continued to wrestle with understanding my new tool of efficiency as my blog deadline approached.  I was reminded that individual contributors who are promoted into management often feel like this -- strangers in a foreign land. I am amazed at the number of organizations that assume that individuals will just figure it out on their own, so they fail to provide any type of formal resources or support to these first-time managers. As I think back on my own experience, my transition to leader was full of learning, but that learning sometimes came in the form of hard lessons; lessons that could have been learned faster and less painfully if I had had some formal structure in place to help me transition smoothly.

Back then, I wondered:

• What do I need to do to be a successful leader in this organization?
• How is that different from what I was doing as an individual contributor?
• What changes do I need to make in how I manage my time and my priorities?
• What are effective ways to provide coaching and support to employees?

These and many other questions can be addressed through an effective new manager transitions program. If you don´t currently have one in place, I invite you to explore the possibility of making first time management a more "user-friendly" experience.

I have to go now. It´s time for my tutorial.