Surviving the first 30 days as a new manager

Hi there ????. Ready to lead? "Acts of Leadership" helps people, (irrespective of title or tenure), expand their leadership range one experiment at a time. Each issue shares a [pro/e]vocative definition of leadership, an idea and an experiment.

Everything is connected

A recent client conversation was about confidence. Though it turned out it might have been about decisiveness, self-belief, or relationship to uncertainty. We may even have been talking about clarity of purpose.

Most likely, we were talking about all of these things because they’re all present and all connected. We are all connected.

Every decision you make sits within the ecosystem of your life. Like a child’s mobile hanging above the bed— you inject a little energy into one part of the system and watch the ripples spread. The system shifts. There is movement throughout.

I put energy into my system this week. I've started listening to podcasts again. And that has boosted my creativity, curiosity and appetite for learning. I’m reading again and soaking up ideas.

Then a friend landed a new role, moving from individual contributor to having people-management responsibilities for the first time.

Becoming a first-time manager is a BIG step. An injection of energy into the system.

Where do you start?

A Definition…

"Leadership is... ultimately about driving change, while management is about creating stability." ( – Claire Hughed Johnson)

An Idea…

How to fly solo without lessons

I’m reading “Scaling People: Tactics for Management and company building”. The author uses metaphor powerfully to describe what I’ve long felt.

It’s lonely.

The hardest parts of management are done in private, so you don’t get to observe.

“You’re asked to fly a very complicated aircraft, but you never get any time in the practice simulator.” – Claire Hughes Johnson

Make it a high priority to build your support network. A few people you trust. Space where you can talk through the challenges.

Then go collect ideas. We live in a knowledge-rich world now.

Some of my favourite go-to resources are below.

Oh, and of course, find a great coach to support you.

An Experiment…

?? - Ask your skip-level boss for time/lunch. Ask them to share their wisdom about entering into management for the first time. Use short, open-ended questions to promote discovery.

An invitation to explore…

Start here - super practical + actionable

?? Book: The Making of a Manager - Julie Zhou

?? Book: The Coaching Habit - Michael Bungay Stanier

?? Book: Great one-on-one meetings for busy managers - Nick Robinson

?? Book: The Advice Trap - Michael Bungay Stanier

?? Book: Debugging Teams - Brian Fitzpatrick & Ben Collins-Sussman

Important Themes

?? Book: The Fearless Organisation - Prof. Amy C Edmondson

?? Book: Radical Candor - Kim Scott

?? Book: Dare to Lead - Brene Brown

?? Book: Mindset - Carol Dweck

Books on my reading list

?? Book: Permission to Screw Up - How I learned to lead by doing (almost) everything wrong - Kristen Hadeed

?? Book: The Manager’s Path: A guide for tech leaders navigating growth and change - Camille Fournier

Watch and Listen

?? TED: Why good leaders make you feel safe - Simon Sinek (11:46)

?? TED: Everyday leadership - Drew Dudley (6:01)

?? Podcast: Coaching for Leaders - Dave Stachowiak : Awesome searchable index of past episodes

Leadership needn't be lonely!

Lead when ready!

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