I need some advice from experienced managers. The past two years I've been working for my company at the bottom of the totem pole doing data entry. I was recently offered a promotion to join management as a Workflow Coordinator. I have absolutely no experience in management and there's a few things that I need advice on.1. I'll be working in an entirely new department. I've somewhat helped out in this department before, but I'm really going into it with no experience.2. The actual manager of this dept. is extremely busy with other tasks in the company, that the actual management of the department will fall on me.3. The one thing that concerns me the most is that I was told the department is currently in shambles. Apparently two employees, that worked there up until two months ago, cause a lot of strife in the department and divided the team. Now the team is having difficulties working together, and it was stressed to me that everything is behind. I was told that it is expected of me to undo the past damage, get the team working together again and catch us all up to speed.Being that I am new to the department itself and new to a management position, I would greatly appreciate any advice that anyone can offer me. Thank you in advance.

You cant polish a turd.This is someone else's mess that you'll be told to clean up, before this depart manager magically turns up and takes credit for 'managing' you through this clean up.Promoting you to 'management' with no training and development to get you there is a nonsense and will harm both you and your career.My advice is dont take the role, take the exit and go work somewhere you'll be developed properly.

It depends - do you feel you are likely to get better options to move upwards in the next year or so, or is this your one and only chance to shine?If other options are likely then politely decline and await a better, cleaner opportunity.If this is your one chance, then take it; work like a dog to turn the department around. If the manager takes the credit and his career progresses, he'd be stupid not to take you upwards with him. If he doesn't then start interviewing externally.At least you will have a good story to tell in interviews (with the credibility that goes withe the detail).Otherwise when you interview you'll be telling the interviewer all about how good you are at data entry.Sometimes early in your career you have to work hard and only get some if the credit' BUT GAIN EXPERIENCE.

You can consult with a career counselor.

Hmm. I have mixed views about this one. Basically you're being handed a turd and you're expected to polish it into a golden nugget. Now, maybe that's an opportunity to quickly go from "data entry clerk" to "business transformation guru".On the other hand, maybe it's setting you up as cannon fodder. Let's look at the red flags:1. It was stressed to me that everything is behind. [i]Nice... no pressure then![/i]2. The team is having difficulties working together. [i]Awesome, just what you want, a sh1tty team that has behavioral issues![/i]3. I was told that it is expected of me to undo the past damage, get the team working together again and catch us all up to speed. [i]And all with a smile on your face too - would you like fries with that, sir![/i]4. The actual manager of this dept. is extremely busy with other tasks in the company, that the actual management of the department will fall on me. [i]Yeah, that's right. All down to you, matey. The boss is busy, uh, distancing himself from this mess.[/i]5. I'll be working in an entirely new department. [i]Lovely, fresh cannon fodder. In comes the scapegoat, out goes the scapegoat.[/i]Now, some people can go in and give such a team a hard kick up the ass and get it sorted out. But you're junior, man. Do you really want all that grief? It [u]is[/u] an opportunity in many ways... but it's also a fast-track to potentially finding yourself being positioned as a scapegoat and then hung out to dry after a year of being at the top of an underperforming team.My advice is: - If you're planning to move on after 2 years anyway, then take the opportunity and at the very least you'll end up with an interesting story for your CV.- If you want a long-term career at the company (if such a thing exists anymore), then it would be less risky to pass over this one and wait for an opportunity that doesn't have quite so many red flags against it.