You, of course, could be among the fortunate ones who have had positive role models to guide your development as a manager. Or your company might have a training program for new managers. If neither of these is true for you (or even if they are), there are other ways for you to learn how to be a manager. You could do any of these things:

• Enroll in continuing education courses. Many universities and community colleges offer noncredit programs that cover a wide range of management topics, from legal issues to communication techniques. (Your company might pay, or reimburse you, for this.)

• Ask a manager you respect and would like to emulate for suggestions and advice. You might be able to “shadow” this person for a day or so, to see him or her in action.

• Ask your company to pay for you to attend management workshops, or at least allow you paid time off from work to go.

• Find out what professional magazines your company's executives and human resources staff subscribe to, and borrow them. This will expose you to the many dimensions of management from varying perspectives.

• If there are management certifications available in your industry or profession, find out what it takes to meet the requirements. Ask your company to sponsor your certification efforts, in full or in part.

• Read books like this one, as well as those that present specific management methods or issues. Read about your industry or profession as well as beyond it.

As an employee, your outstanding job performance convinced your superiors that you were worthy of promotion. As a manager, you must demonstrate your ability to transcend daily details and visualize the bigger picture. You can't learn too much about management, people, or communication. The broader your base of understanding, the better equipped you are to handle the unexpected.