A specialist's role and responsibilities are typically quite clearly defined and often relatively narrow in scope. You may be responsible for carrying out a set of tasks or responsibilities that relate to your specific position, where your success is defined by the results you achieve doing your work.

Things are different when you become a manager. You still have to achieve results, but the context becomes much broader, and the nature of your control changes. "Hands on" used to mean you rolled up your sleeves and did the work yourself - now it means being aware of what others are doing, and being able to provide support; having your finger on the pulse.

The first two "habits" Stephen Covey talks about in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are particularly important to your role as a manager:

• Be proactive - anticipate situations, take initiative and make things happen, rather than responding to situations as they arise, and
• Begin with the end in mind - always focus on the goals you want to achieve, and base your decisions on how the action you or your employees take will influence achievement of those end results.

Some of the results you need to achieve will be defined for you, such as sales targets, profit margins, staffing and compensation levels. Others, you and your staff can define, such as events within your department or office, professional development activities, cost control, and performance expectations.