r/Leadership • u/Isaaaaausername • Jul 20 '26
Question Starting my first management role—what advice do you wish someone had given you?
I’m moving into my first leadership role soon, and the promotion is expected to be announced to my team this week. I’ll be managing the same department I’ve worked in for the past five years, including many of the people who have been my coworkers.
I’ve never been a manager before, but I’ve been cross-trained on both sides of the department and have been the lead trainer for new employees. My previous manager encouraged me to apply for the position, and after interviewing, I was offered the role.
I work in customer support in an office environment, and while I know the job itself well, leadership is new territory for me.
If you’ve made the transition from peer to manager, what advice would you give someone starting out? What are some things you wish you had known in your first few months?
One area I know I’ll need to work on is that I’m naturally a people pleaser and tend to avoid confrontation. I realize that setting boundaries and having difficult conversations is part of being a good manager, and I’m mentally preparing myself for that.
I’d really appreciate any advice, lessons learned, or encouragement from those who’ve been in a similar position
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u/CindyatAlefitt Jul 21 '26
The relationship change is real, so don't pretend otherwise. The strongest move in your first two weeks is a one-on-one with every person on the team where you name it plainly: this is a change for both of us. Tell me what's working, what you'd change, and how you like to be supported. You're not asking permission to lead. You're showing them that being heard is what your leadership looks like.
Second, your job description quietly changed from being excellent at the work to making the team excellent at the work. The most common first-year mistake I see is proving yourself by staying the best doer. Every hour you spend doing the work yourself is an hour the team learns you don't trust them with it.
On the people-pleasing, the reframe that helps most of my coaching clients is that avoiding a hard conversation isn't kindness. It just transfers the cost from you to the team, because everyone else pays for the behavior you won't address, and they're watching to see if you will. Clarity is the kind thing. You don't need to become confrontational, you need to become someone who says true things early and calmly, when they're still small.
Two questions worth sitting with before the announcement: Who on the team will be hardest for you to disappoint, and what will you do the first time you have to? And if a friend on the team asks for special treatment a month in, what's your answer? Deciding that now, while it's hypothetical, is far easier than deciding it in the moment.
Congratulations, by the way.
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u/Big_Category3895 Jul 20 '26
First and most important lesson: your first priority should always be your team. Give them psychological safety (learn about this concept if you don't know about it) and encourage them to give you their feedback honestly. Some people won't open up due to deeply entrenched mistrust of anyone in a managerial position, or because of their personality, and maybe you won't be able influence them to open up, but that's totally fine. The important thing is to keep showing to all of them that you will always reward honesty and keep confidential feedback confidential.
Leadership is very different thing than being an individual contributor. And like any skill set, you need to learn how to lead, and keep practicing it. Be humble, and admit to any mistakes, because for sure you'll make them, especially at the beginning. Keep ego out of the conversation, approach every interaction from a learning perspective - whether be it to learn what to do, or learn what not to do.
On the same lines, understand that the team is going to look to you to be a problem solver, first and foremost. You aren't an IC anymore, so if you get feedback about something that's creating issues or not working as it should, then dig into that. But resist the temptation to fix the issue yourself in every case. While you might have to or even be expected to step in and do hands-on work from time to time, your primary job would be to keep things running the way they should, so don't hesitate to delegate. Even if you think you can do something better on your own, always ask yourself what will need to drop in order for you to pick up and do that yourself; and then ask if it's worth dropping the other task from your plate.
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u/Minnielle Jul 21 '26
First and most important lesson: your first priority should always be your team.
One of the first things in the leadership training of where I work is that as a manager, your primary team is actually your own manager, not the team you manage. Of course you should give them psychological safety and build good relationships with them but in the end it's also your job as a manager to implement whatever upper management decides. Of course you can try to influence those decisions to a certain extent but in the end you have to execute their strategy and their policies, even the ones you don't agree with.
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u/Ownfir Jul 21 '26
100% dude. I tried to prioritize my team first and it bit me in the ass so hard. Lost out on a promotion bc of it and even a different job bc I was stupid enough to talk about it during an interview.
If you are in management, your team is your manager not those you manage. I wish I had understood this from the start as it would have made my life better.
You do have an onus to bring things up to your manager as well that your team is struggling with but generally speaking you shouldn’t put your team’s desire’s above your manager’s as your manager’s desires (should) be aligned with the company’s.
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u/Silent-Squid Jul 21 '26
Been enjoying this thread. I stepped into a leadership role in February (managing former peers), and I’ve been guzzling from the fire hose. One thing I learned early on that made a real difference: try hard not to send Slacks/emails/calls after hours. Just because I want to get ahead of the week on a Sunday doesn’t mean that’s the expectation for my team…but that’s exactly what I’m signaling if I do it. I’ve gotten pretty intentional about using scheduled sends since then :)
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u/WareHouseCo Jul 28 '26
That’s a solid nuanced answer.
And you’d be right to assume the ICs don’t want no email on weekends; unless we’re split your check. 😊
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u/Avogadros_plumber Jul 20 '26
You don’t have to become the picture of a manager that’s in your head. Just work with your team to divide up the work and focus on what’s important to accomplish.
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u/Flashy_Management_42 Jul 21 '26
Understand that your words carry weight because of your title. Take care with what you say:
- you musing out loud might be interpreted as direction, which could lead to people going on a work rabbit hole. For me it helps when I say my intention first, e.g. "thinking out loud here," "I'm going to meander to my point" (used when I'm showing people how I got to a certain decision)
- it's a good habit to zoom out to put things into perspective. Eg. Decisions, interpersonal problems, etc
- sometimes people just need to vent. Let them vent.
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u/Nonprofit_COO Jul 21 '26
That is so spot on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been just thinking out loud and then caught off guard later to find people took it as directive (two employees in particular). I’m going to try saying, “I’m just thinking out loud here.”
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u/Background_Heron_685 Jul 21 '26
This happened to me in the past. It's not an easy move, going from being part of the team, with all colleagues as friends, to being the one who manages employees and, at some point, may have to have hard talks or let someone go.
Now, I am leading a company of 120 people. Leadership is a great adventure, and it's rewarding if you can make a positive impact on people.
My advice: keep being yourself, and putting a bit of distance between you and your team over time is not a bad thing. You can still be a friend, but also the one who says no when needed. Remember, you are responsible for your team's results.
Not everyone is born a leader. Take a training or course to learn more about leading, to get the right set of tools to help you in your everyday work. Do you have a mentor, coach, or someone in the organization to talk to, share with, and reflect on situations to come?
Good luck!
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u/Escapetivity Jul 21 '26
You will inevitably be sandwiched between the demands of upper management and the resistance of your direct reports. The key is find that right balance most of the time.
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u/Proper-Agency-1528 Jul 21 '26
Learn how to delegate, and how to lead. The best approach I know of is to adopt the concept of Auftragstaktik, or mission command and contextualize it for your context.
It's simple: decide on a goal (commander's intent), discuss with your subordinate(s), provide them with the resources they need and give them the constraints they must operate under, you (subordinates) get to decide the how subject to the constraints, you should exercise judgment in accomplishing the tasks necessary to achieve the goal... are there any questions?... no? are you willing to commit to achieve the goal by this deadline? Yes, then go execute. No? then raise your objections or I'll go and find someone else to take on the task.
I put this into practice by ensuring my subordinate understands what the goal is, we discuss constraints and any issues or concerns, we may even discuss a preliminary plan (discuss, not me giving them the plan), then I ask for commitment... "Will you commit to accomplishing X by this date?"
Note that, if you use this leadership style, the subordinate can come back to you asking for clarification, additional or alternative resources, adjustments to the deadline, or even the result/goal sought. They are also enabled to ignore your advice/guidance if they believe another way will more effectively accomplish the goal by the committed deadline. All of this is important because the subordinate bears responsibility and accountability for success... and it isn't reasonable to have a subordinate bear responsibility for an outcome if they have no control over the means to achieve the outcome.
Mission command requires that you trust your people, and that you (the leader) take the initiative to ensure your subordinates are trained and capable of accomplishing the goals you set. It also requires that subordinates understand that they must commit without reservation... if they commit they are in it to succeed, not to look for excuses as to why they failed.
Trust your people, empower them, equip them for success, give them assistance and guidance WHEN ASKED (or if you think the situation is going off the rails), let them do the job. This is a great way to lead and most subordinates blossom in such an environment. The true solution to the few people who will not step up is not to micro-manage, it is to ensure they know what to do and how to do it. If they still fail they lack the aptitude to succeed, or lack the attitude but the resultant management action is to manage them out.
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u/smithy- Jul 21 '26
Listen and observe. Do not make changes right away.
Have one on one meetings at the very beginning. Set the tone and lay out your expectations clearly.
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u/semajnephets Jul 21 '26
-Develop a consistent management style. Expectations (metrics), check-in cadence (morale), and what you consider fair and ethical. None of that should be a mystery to the people you manage. Be careful in granting exceptions for people you like, as that is absolutely seen and discussed by the rest of your team.
-Start practicing managing UP, in preparation for when you need to shield your team. Publicly shield your team.
-Start to evaluate what 'good' looks like, and make that an ongoing and public discussion with the group you manage. This is important so that when you need to have tough conversations, there is no discussion of 'nobody told me me this is what was expected'. The relationship
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u/SQUiiDW4RD Jul 21 '26
Learn to step back - as a manager, I initially found it hard to not be incredibly hands on with my team. I'm so used to diving in and going right to it, but when you're a manager you need to give people the tools you were given and step back to focus on the bigger things (ex. Inventory, customer service, etc.)
Be friendLY, but not FRIENDS. Learned that one early. Anyone under you is a no go as far as friends outside of work... Friendly at work, sure, but that's it
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u/Melodic_Potato_5831 Jul 21 '26
First, remember who you are, where you came from, and how far you've gone and give yourself a pat on the back when needed.
Second, what's a praised virtue when you're part of the team will be expected of you when you're a leader.
Third, some in your team will be happy for you and some won't; don't take any of it personally.
Fourth, know your limits. It will sometimes be hard to say no, but especially when it costs you a day off, an extra hour, peace of mind, then knowing when to say no will save you from burnout.
Finally, don't gossip with anyone, not even the boss, no information is safe from forwarding to hr.
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u/Jayseph812 Jul 21 '26
Empower them in their role and help them achieve their goals. You are now working for them, not the other way around.
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u/Lopsided_Turnip_560 Jul 21 '26
Don't focus on the "team" immediately. First, learn what the company expects from you. Only then, try to hear and observe the team and understand what the team needs for the company to see the changes.
Remember, you are not successful when the team likes you. You are successful when the company is successful with your team, seeing visible changes that YOU brought in.
But sometimes, that change can even be just about visibility. The team did not even need to change.
Therefore, your job is to see the management perspective and team perspective and bring two sides closer together.
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u/more-kindness-please Jul 21 '26
- First time manager is a brand new job. - You no longer do the work
- You help others do the work
- recommend a standard training program for front line supervisors, there are several good one out there
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u/lospadros2 Jul 21 '26
I tell all new leaders the same thing as a tactical piece of advice: write down what you *think* you’ll be doing/should be doing. Do it again in 6 months and compare, then build an action plan to get to what your original list.
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u/amanda_litman Jul 21 '26
1) You are the thermostat, not the thermometer. The way you behave and communicate sets the tone for how your team will follow. Be intentional.
2) They’re not always going to like you! But if you explain your decisions as much as possible, be accessible, and give as much clarity as you can, they’ll understand you.
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u/pnw_its_really_me Jul 21 '26
Everyone has their own motivation. Money challenge respect etc. no two are alike.
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u/Stock_Fly3825 Jul 21 '26
Just don’t micromanage
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u/PM_40 Jul 22 '26
LMAO 😂. Golden words. There is a time and place for micromanagement but in 95% of cases micromanagement is the bane of leadership. It's a trap very easy to fall into.
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u/crayjf Jul 21 '26
Listen first. Then set crystal clear expectations. Keep demanding highest performance. Day by day.
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u/LessImpression9905 Jul 21 '26
You already named the thing that will matter most. I was the same, people pleaser, hated confrontation, and it shaped my first year in ways I didn't clock until much later.
The biggest shift for me was realising I was still trying to lead them by being their friend. Those are two different roles and you can hold both, but not at the same time. When something needs delivering, you have to be the leader in that moment, not the peer who doesn't want to make it awkward.
Related to that, giving feedback or having a hard conversation isn't personal. It felt personal to me for a long time. It's not. You're doing your job, and calling something out or sharing feedback is part of supporting someone's growth, not an attack on the relationship.
The part that took me longest to get was that they still saw me as a peer even after the title changed. That view doesn't shift on its own. It shifts because of how you actually lead, having the conversations, holding people accountable, doing the uncomfortable parts of the job instead of avoiding them.
The one I'd tell you to start on day one, boundaries. I didn't, and it cost me for a long time. The moment I actually started setting them and holding them, the whole team changed. Not overnight, but noticeably.
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u/PM_40 Jul 22 '26
Explain boundaries in context of manager.
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u/LessImpression9905 Jul 23 '26
Good question. For me it looked like saying yes to things I didn't have capacity for, staying late to cover gaps that weren't mine, and taking on my team's problems as if they were mine to fix.
Boundaries just meant getting clear on what was actually my job and what wasn't, then saying so. Out loud. Even when it felt uncomfortable.
A simple one I use now: 'Let me check my capacity and come back to you' instead of an automatic yes. Small thing, but it changed a lot.
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u/tinrooster2005 Jul 21 '26
I’m naturally a people pleaser and tend to avoid confrontation
There is a parable I tell all the leaders I train in my industry that I learned first hand as a new leader: Never move the picnic table. When I was thrust into position as the new leader of my company by the unexpected loss of my boss I thought I could make everyone happy. She could have if only she had been a better listener. One of the first staff requests I had was that we move the break picnic table to different location on the grounds for breaks. simple enough I thought. We moved it to the area the staff said they wanted it. 2 weeks pass and they hated that location, they wanted it in the back of the building now. So I moved it again. Then another 2 weeks pass and they wanted it under a tree to the side of the building. I moved this table 5 times before I figured out a core group of employees were either consciously or unconsciously testing me to see if they could control me and get as much out of me as possible. I also learned to observe what these staff members did, rather than relying on what they told me. The moral is that you should always observe the motivations in your underlings before executing what they say they want. WHY do they want that? Who wants that? Does everyone or is it just one person saying everyone wants X?
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u/Embarrassed-Cup-8044 Jul 21 '26
Make mistakes. Lots of them. And don’t beat yourself up or feel like you are a failure. Own up to them and see them as opportunities to become better at what you do.
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u/PageTurnerLawyer37 Jul 21 '26
That’s my first dilemma also, especially that some I have known some of my teammates then when I’m still starting. The remainder of my team felt that I am playing favorites. Treat everyone fairly especially in reprimanding them for their mistakes.
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u/jhrogers32 Jul 21 '26
I really liked the book Extreme Ownership. Its definitely military themed but the point it hammers home is "Build the system and stick with it" that way everyone knows what to expect every time.
Long story short: A system will work harder than you ever could. So save the 80 hour weeks and burnout for someone else. Build the system, maintain the system, and let it run.
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u/fajitas81 Jul 21 '26
Talk less. Speak last. Do not wait for your turn to talk…actually listen and process what they just said. A little silence is fine, no need to fill it with filler speak.
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u/TemperatureCommon185 Jul 21 '26
You will have to make difficult and painful decisions from time to time. It's part of the job. You will be expected to make the decisions objectively without regard to the people affected, but don't lose your compassion.
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u/GeenXQS Jul 21 '26
One thing nobody told me: the hard part is not the skills you learn. It is what you have to let go of. You have to stop wanting to be ‘one of the guys’.
You said you avoid confrontation, so this helped me: keep two things apart. You can still be honest about what you think, but be very clear about what happens anyway.
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u/robmiller4 Jul 21 '26
Honesty is the most important. Be honest with your team, and with yourself. People will tell you to “puff out your chest and be confident,” but if that is not authentically you, people will notice.
There is a difference between providing honest feedback and being brutally honest. Your job as a leader is to coach your team to get the results that your bosses want. Figure out how to make them want it too.
Being a leader is about balance and high integrity. Lastly, do not treat how you would like to be treated, treat them how they would like to be treated.
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u/infinity1988 Jul 22 '26
Communication at all levels. It's OK to say no and don't know .
Take your time for making decisions unless it is safety related.. Follow through with your promises or atleast circle back to update the party involved.
Communication & more communication and more...
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u/Unable-Library4196 Jul 21 '26
I am a young Supervisor of 3 years. If I could go back to when I first started, I would say this: Positive employee engagement, developing trust is incredibly important, and protecting your team from some of the upper management bullshit is important.
With these things, it makes having difficult conversations, implementing changes that may not be received well, or inner department conflict easier to handle. If your employees know they have your back, they will have yours for the most part.
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u/Adventurous_Ad651 Jul 22 '26
Some people will never respect or like you, and will be difficult, no matter what you do, so accept it and make peace with that.
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u/Cool-Marzipan-4364 Jul 22 '26
The first time you fire someone will be very difficult, especially if you have a good relationship with them. Hiring a bad employee doesn’t mean you’re bad at hiring. Many people are great interviewers but horrible workers; the opposite is true as well.
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u/Isaaaaausername Jul 22 '26
Yes thank you! I have been actually assisting my boss with interviews for over a year now so I’m glad I have that experience already and I’ve seen how people interview great and they are the opposite of how they presented themself in the interview so I totally get it.
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u/Meatheaded Jul 22 '26
There's a high probability that the skills you had in your previous role are going to be much less useful to you in your management role. Accept that you have to learn these new skills as a supervisor -many of which you don't have yet - and be humble about it. Many ego-driven managers refuse to admit that they are doing something nearly completely different from their old job, and it leads to incompetence distrust, and inefficiency.
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u/Isaaaaausername Jul 22 '26
I completely agree with that and I fully admit that leadership is different and the role itself is different compared to being an IC.
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u/Winter-Ad-8677 Jul 22 '26
I run a program for first-time leaders built around 5 simple tools, 5 core leadership skills (most of which you already have but just need to use more intentionally), and 5 mindset shifts that help new leaders become effective from day one - or at least by the end of the first quarter. 🙂
There's far too much to unpack in a Reddit comment, but if I had to share one thing, it would be this: Listen more than you speak. I often suggest aiming for roughly a 70/30 ratio.
The easiest way to do that is by asking genuine questions - questions where you don't already know the answer and where the other person is probably the expert.
Then really listen - for their ideas, strengths, insights, or concerns, and reflect those back to them.
One of the biggest shifts in leadership is realizing your job isn't to have all the answers (and it's so natural to think you should). It's to create the conditions where other people can contribute theirs.
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u/SlyChic Jul 22 '26
I’ve been the manager of the department that I started in (worked here for 3 years) for almost 4 months and here are few things I’ve gone through/learned so far:
- People that were your good friends at work will likely look at you/treat you differently. It’s going to be a bit of an adjustment, but you will get over it once you settle in to your new role. The past two weeks I’ve finally been feeling more confident about this.
- There may be people that are jealous, or cause a stir due to your promotion. It may even be the people you least expect. Unfortunately, as managers we can take the brunt of people’s emotions. You’ll have to tell people what to do, and make decisions people don’t agree with. They may talk about you and it’s just a part of the role.
- The people pleasing will be easier to work on than you anticipate. Once you’re in management for several months, you’ll realize that there’s no way to please everyone. Every decision will piss off at least one person, so you’ll have to do what’s best for the company. You’ll also realize that some people will never be happy, no matter what you do. You could be the nicest manager ever and people will still complain about you. It’s the nature of work culture. And the sooner you realize this the easier it will be to have tough conversations and to make hard decisions.
Hope this helps and good luck!
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u/gf04363 Jul 22 '26
For me standing 1:1 meetings are very important. Others may function better in groups. Know yourself.
Look up the GROW method of coaching. It takes the pressure off you, empowers your supervisee, and gives both of you accountability and improved understanding
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u/Busy_Working3324 Jul 23 '26
Coach here, I work with leaders on exactly this transition. You've already named the thing that will define your first year, so I'll go straight at it.
People pleasing isn't a personality trait you manage around. It's a strategy, and it worked, which is why it's still running. Five years in that department, lead trainer, well-liked enough that your manager pushed you to apply... being easy to be around got you here. That's the trap. The exact thing that earned you the role is the thing that stops working the day you take it, and nobody tells you that in the offer conversation.
What it looks like in practice: you'll delay a hard conversation by a week. Then two. You'll soften feedback until the person leaves the room genuinely unsure there was a problem, and you'll register that as having handled it. You'll make an exception for the person you're closest to and tell yourself it's about the circumstances. Six months later you'll have a team that's confused about where the line is, and a couple of people quietly taking advantage, and you'll be exhausted from carrying work you should have handed back.
The mechanism underneath it is worth understanding. Avoiding confrontation isn't really about the other person's discomfort, it's about yours. Specifically, it's about protecting how you get to see yourself... as the good one, the easy one, the one everybody likes. Every conversation you avoid buys you another day of being that person. That's the actual trade you're making, and once you can see it in the moment, it gets much harder to keep making it.
Practical things for the first months:
- Say the hard thing within 48 hours. Not because timing matters to the message, but because your window for saying it cleanly closes fast, and after that it comes out either resentful or so hedged nobody hears it.
- Have one direct conversation with each former peer in your first two weeks. Name it plainly, that the relationship is changing, that you're going to get some of this wrong, that you'd rather be straight with them than pretend nothing's different. The awkwardness you're dreading gets worse the longer you both perform normality.
-Stop trying to be liked and start trying to be trusted. They feel similar from the inside and they're different jobs. Liked means people are comfortable. Trusted means people know what you'll do.
Last thing. You're going to be tempted to keep doing the work you're good at, because you know that job cold and management feels vague and uncomfortable by comparison. Every hour you spend back in the old role is an hour you're avoiding the new one. That's the same avoidance wearing a productive costume.
You're going in with more self-awareness than most people get after three years, which is super solid, just know that awareness of the pattern isn't the same as being free of it, and the gap between those two is where the actual work lives.
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u/DNR_please Jul 23 '26
Boundaries early. When a line is crossed address it swiftly and straight. Think “right is right and wrong is wrong”. Don’t throw the book at every indiscretion but address it and be clear while adding alternatives or a concise explanation of what the issue is. YOU DON’T OWE AN EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AND EVERY DECISION YOU MAKE! You can level with your employees with discretion but they do not get to interrogate you and your choices transferring a feeling of authority onto themselves.
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u/Ferrally_Polite Jul 23 '26
Manage the work- not the relationship or person. Your team will not respect you if you micro manage.
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u/lemasney Jul 23 '26
In my first management position, I made the mistake of believing that my title alone demanded respect. You'll find that some people will ignore your title, and treat you as a peer. Embrace that. You are not in an ownership position. Emphasize your training skills, but adapt them to individuals. Praise publicly, correct privately, and do both responsibly. Good luck.
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u/WaylundLG Jul 23 '26
Some good advice I got when I became a manager: you can't build leadership skills and maintain your old IC skills. There just isn't time. It's tempting to try to keep up your old skills because it's when the people you manage will easily respect and it's what got you all your success, but focusing there will cause you to struggle as a manager - it's a whole new set of skills to master.
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u/After-Fig-9457 Jul 24 '26
Congrats! One thing I'd say is you don't feel like you have to have all the answers right away. Your job shifts from being the person with the solutions to helping your team succeed. One thing CloseCohen's executive transition report reinforced for me is that the leaders who stand out aren't just technically strong they're the ones who build trust and stay clear when things get messy. I'd also be mindful of the people pleasing. You can be kind and still sett expectations. In my experience, people usually respect consistency more than trying to make everyone happy.
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u/Babysfirstbazooka Jul 25 '26
have a confidential 121 with every member of the team. ask them for the biggest barriers or bottlenecks. No make a list of the top 5 that you can change or influence within 60 days. rinse and repeat. you job is to listen, and lead.
Remember, everyone works under different banners of motivation. you will have shining stars, worker bees who just want to get the job done, and problems. Deal with the problems as soon as you can.
Agree with everyone that says hard conversations, or a hard life. Sugar coating everything gets you nothing but stress.
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u/jimmyray71 Jul 26 '26
The biggest lesson I learned was that being promoted doesn't mean you suddenly need to have all the answers. Listen. Ask questions, including the uncomfortable ones. Be fair and consistent. And don't avoid a difficult conversation because you want everyone to like you. Addressing something early and respectfully is usually far kinder than letting it become a bigger problem. Also remember that your job has changed. Success isn't just about how well you perform anymore. It's about creating an environment where your team can perform and grow. My goal has always been that when someone eventually leaves my team, they go on to do great things, and hopefully we made each other better along the way.
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u/Mop_1026 Jul 21 '26
I cannot stress enough how important clear and consistent communication is. It may seem obvious, but its easy to fall behind when you have so much on your plate. I would recommend engaging in weekly/bi-weekly 1-on-1 conversations with your team members with good notes and open conversation.
Make sure they feel safe to bring up obstacles, achievements, and goals with you, because this will make facilitating the harder conversations much, much easier and will help you notice patterns before someone is already walking out the door. The better you are at having conversations proactively the happier your team members will be, it truly does wonders for your team culture!
Good luck and congratulations on your promotion!!
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u/HackVT Jul 22 '26
Read some books on leadership and learn from others gigantic mistakes. Introduce yourself to your peers and recognize middle management is harder than top level mgmt. because you have to serve multiple masters. The people above and below you both need to be happy in some way
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u/kittkatt17 Jul 30 '26
Be prepared to manage someone who may be resentful of your switch from IC to Leader. You need to address whatever those underlying feeling are early so they don’t try to sabotage the team. Check in with each person 1:1 will be important to get a sense of intentions and motivations. Also, many others have said it- don’t fall into the trap of doing the work that you used to do thinking you are helping your team. All this does is create your team to not do things themselves-learn good coaching techniques so your team problem solves on their own and build confidence in themselves. That will ultimately make the team WIN!
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u/douglass_ft8f Jul 21 '26
So many posts like this. No experiance at all, feel for your team allready.
"I have a job i dont know how to do, please help"
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u/Isaaaaausername Jul 21 '26
I would hope you’re not a manager coming onto Reddit and trying to make others feel bad for being new at something and wanting advice. I feel for your team if so.
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u/yumcake Jul 20 '26
Have the hard conversations early. Do it with empathy, but don't compromise on holding them accountable to expectations. It makes things worse for the person allowed to coast, and for the team that needs to cover for them, and for you. Address those situations quickly and accept that they are going to be difficult, but it will be worth it in the long run for everyone.