How do you become the boss that you've always wanted to be, but never had? You managed to beat out the girl in marketing for the position, you've purchased your first designer suit and have finally felt rewarded for never taking a sick day. However, with a promotion always comes greater responsibility, including overseeing a bigger staff.

Promotions seldom come with handbooks, and even more rare is training for getting along with your staff. If your promotion is within your company, here are a few guidelines about establishing a new and healthy relationship with your previous office buddies.

Don't expect or seek to get your former peers approval. It's better to ignore the glares and try to do your best. Remember, your new boss is the person you should be worrying about.

If you are now in a disciplinary position, try to go easy at first, especially if last week you were the one taking an extended lunch.

Be an example to your employees. Come in on time, don't gossip, or spend more time at the cooler than you should. However, don't distance yourself by not doing some of the dirty work. Try not to act like you're the only one who really knows how it's done.

Once you've established a good rapport and clear boundaries with your group of employees, you can then deal with any difficulties occurring within the team. There's always one!

Don't get too involved. If two members of your team are arguing or not talking to each other, let them sort it out. You can however insist that the work get done and that it must be done on time.

If you find that your team is having a hard time with deadlines, make sure to be clear with them your expectations. Don't yell or beg for them to have the project in on time. This makes you look irrational, not to mention reduces your respectability.

Don’t favor one team member over another or allow someone to suck-up to you. Try and maintain the same relationship with each person.

Don't forget you can always turn to your boss for guidance or a progress report. However, if they offer to take care of the problem insist that you do it instead. You could loose what respect you have already gained. Being a better manager will take some practice but will reap a great reward. A successful team often takes a successful manager, which in turn makes for a happy boss.

-- Sarah Pinder