First time managing a team — Where do I start?
So you are managing a team for the first time. Scared? Don’t be
Chances are that if you are reading this article, you are about to take on a team leadership position or have recently been promoted to one. Or, perhaps, becoming a manager is your next career goal.
Leading a team for the first time is a big milestone in our careers. We transition from being an individual contributor to being responsible for other people’s performance, development and motivation.
While it’s certainly an exciting time, there are doubts and thoughts that will inevitably cross your mind. In my case, this transition came with a few existential questions:
Am I ready to lead a team? What if I don’t have the right answers all the time? Will they respect me? How should I behave in front of them?
I was not new to the impostor syndrome but I had never experienced it at such level. The good news is that you are not the first person going through this journey.
My advice to others in a similar situation is to stop and think. It is important to bear in mind that you have been trusted with this responsibility for a reason. You can do it.
There are a few distinct stages in the transition journey. Let’s break them down, shall we?
Before your first day
External hire or internal promotion, it doesn’t matter. Let’s face it: having a new manager is always stressful. We have all been there. Therefore, it’s important to be proactive about communication.
It is generally a good idea to reach out to your team before your start date. You can do this via email, although ideally try to meet the team via videoconference or in person (if possible due to Covid-19). They’ll like a chance to openly ask questions.
During that first interaction, I advise you to cover these points:
- Who are you (as a person)?
Tell your team about your background and how you’ve gotten here.
Make it personable: we are humans, not robots. Don’t be afraid to disclose details about your family, your hobbies or your favorite movie!
- Why have you decided to join the company/team?
There are many companies/teams with great missions out there. Explain why you chose to join this team in particular and your motivation behind it.
- What do you stand for as a manager and team leader?
The team will want to know what type of manager you are. Be as transparent as possible.
Explain what your stance is on leadership: what type of leader are you? Think of your previous experiences with good and bad managers. What did you like/dislike about the good/bad ones? Start there.
First 7 days
One key difference of being a manager is that you have to deliver through others all the time. That’s how your performance will be evaluated. Hence, your first week should be almost entirely spent with your core team.
For most, it will take some time to adjust to the fact that your output may not be something tangible that you can show at the end of each day (e.g. a financial model or a Python script). Your focus, however, will be on the team’s deliverables and how to meet critical company goals as a team.
Schedule meetings with your team on your first day — Keep these pointers in mind:
- Get to know each member of the team on a personal level
- Ask lots of questions about the business and their roles
- Listen. Listen. Listen
- Compile a list of pain points and improvement ideas based on your discussions – The Start/Stop/Continue framework is a useful tool for this
- Resist the urge to make changes right away — Let your team guide you
First 30 days
Now that you have spent some time with your team, we’ll focus on your first month. During your first 30 days, take the chance to connect with the rest of the company. It’s time to learn how your team fits in the grand scheme of things.
As a manager, part of your responsibility is to reduce silos and find ways to work more efficiently with other teams. Do not just focus on your team’s output.
Develop a system thinking approach.
- Spend time with your manager and your manager’s manager to establish strategic priorities
- Connect with other team leads and gather their views on how your team can contribute to the company’s success
- Spend time learning more about the organization: What do the different teams do on a daily basis? What are the friction points?
- Based on your conversations and findings, establish quarterly goals to work on with your team – I recommend OKRs as a way to prioritize projects and keep focus
- Start progressively implementing a few of your ideas with your team’s help – Score a couple of quick wins if possible
As you start making changes, it is critical that you get your team behind your ideas. Explain the why behind your strategy and how they can help and learn.
Change management is not easy, but you’ll strengthen your team if they feel part of a mission to elevate the business to a new level. Empower them to become change-makers.
First 90 days and beyond
You have been 90 days in your new role as a manager. Take a moment to celebrate this big milestone.
Even though it’s only been three months, by this time you should have a rough idea of:
i) Where your team spends most of their time
ii) The main priorities for your team and the business.
Ask yourself: How much alignment is there between these two areas?
Here is what to think about after your first 90 days:
- Assess the team accomplishments versus the strategic priorities set at the beginning
- Ask your team for feedback: How do they feel the first three months went? Did they feel supported? Is there anything you can do better?
- Communicate with your manager to establish the next set of strategic priorities
- Align each team member’s strengths and interests with projects and opportunities — Motivation and development is key
- Develop a long-term view of your team and identify potential hiring needs based on existing capacity and future demand
- Incorporate the feedback into your planning and kick off the quarterly goal-setting cycle again
Key takeaways
Striking a good balance as a first-time manager is not easy but it definitely comes with time. You’ll eventually find your own management style and it will keep evolving over time as you grow professionally.
Going through the process for the first time, I obviously made tons of mistakes but I learned from them (and I still am). All in all, I have to say that leading a team is one of the most rewarding activities I have done in my career to date.
Here are my main recommendations for someone going through the first-time manager journey:
Do:
- Always have your team’s back. Always. At all times
- Empower your team and never micromanage
- Communicate with your team regularly – Aim for weekly/bi-weekly cadence in your “one-on-ones”
- Have your team’s development as a top priority and acknowledge when they do a good job. Praise them often
- Constantly ask your team for feedback on your performance as a leader
- Build a diverse team — Hire people with different backgrounds and personalities
- Have a growth mindset — See failure as a learning opportunity and never punish your team for making mistakes
Don’t:
- Try to have all the answers or feel bad when you don’t have them
- Take constructive feedback personally
- Pursue a single management approach — Each situation and person will require a slightly different approach
- Criticize your team or an individual in public — Always provide feedback in private and in a constructive way
In my opinion, one never is fully ready to become a manager for the first time. So don’t be scared. Just do it. Take the plunge.
Embrace the challenge. Listen to your team. Ask for help. But, most importantly, believe in yourself.
Resources
- High Output Management — Andrew S. Grove
- The First 90 Days — Michael D. Watkins
- The Team that Managed Itself: A Story of Leadership — Christina Wodtke
- What New Team Leaders Should Do First — Harvard Business Review
