From individual contributor to new manager: A transition checklist

Having someone from your organization promoted into a manager role for the first time should be exciting for them – their skills and dedication have been recognized, and they’ve been given the responsibility of leading others. It’s a big step.

But it can also be intimidating for them. They have to quickly get up to speed on new projects while finding the time to acquire vital new skills. They have to oversee and direct the work of an entire team while still handling many tasks of their own.

New managers aren’t the only ones feeling overwhelmed, however. Managers across the world, and of all experience levels, are being asked to do more, with less, in an increasingly difficult environment – and, depending on their company’s L&D initiatives, they may or may not have access to management training to help them meet these high expectations.

But we know that for organizations to succeed, managers need to succeed. So, as part of our ongoing campaign to provide managers with better resources and support, we’ve compiled a checklist of tips and skills to help guide new managers as they go through this exciting (but demanding!) transition. We encourage you to share this with any and all new managers in your organization.

New manager checklist: 7 tips to keep at the forefront

Below are seven useful tips to help guide new managers to success as they embark on the next leg of their career journey.

Tip #1. Be ruthless with calendar invites

After just a few days in the new role, a new manager will probably notice their calendar becoming stacked with meetings. They’ll need to cut through the noise and only attend the vital ones – otherwise, they’ll likely end up putting in excessive overtime handling their own workload on top of those meetings.

This means being comfortable with saying "no" to some catch-ups. It’s vital for them to remember that refusing to meet isn’t being rude. It’s being discerning – making smart and responsible decisions about their time is in the best interest of everyone on their team.

This doesn’t mean they won’t be able to get involved in projects or initiatives they care about. Rather, they’ll need to learn how to clearly communicate their needs and establish firm boundaries about how their time is used. 

For example, if someone invites them to the kick-off meeting for a project that they aren’t essential to (especially if lots of other people are also invited), they could respond by saying something like:

“Thanks for including me in this project! I won’t be able to join you for the kick-off, but I’m happy to have a look at the meeting notes and provide any insights or context I might have. Feel free to ping me with any specific questions you might have.”

This will allow them to share their expertise without spending hours on calls that demand their undivided attention with little to show for it.

Tip #2. Shape your schedule

Becoming more comfortable with turning down meetings is a significant first step for a new manager looking to actively control their schedule – but it’s also a good idea for them to block off sections of time in their calendar and dedicate this time to their individual contributor tasks or general admin tasks (like answering emails or checking in with colleagues).

They should allow a little more time than they think they’ll need for each task because things rarely go exactly as planned, and emergencies won’t pay any heed to a “Do not book” message. 

If the administrative work takes up too much of their time, they should try automating some of their processes. For example, do they still schedule meetings manually? In that case, they should try an online scheduling tool like Calendly or share their Google calendar with people and ask them to find an open slot. Or do they receive notifications about the same information in multiple places? Instead of receiving an email, a Slack notification, and a mobile ping every time someone leaves a comment on Asana or Google Docs, we suggest choosing one place to receive all their notifications and changing their settings for the other channels. 

Tip #3. Cut yourself some slack

Mindfulness and resilience training can powerfully transform a person’s experience at work – but unfortunately, not everyone has access to that training. And if someone has just stepped into a new role as a manager, they probably have more pressing concerns than learning to meditate.

But they don’t have to sign-up for a three-day retreat to make some progress in this area. In fact, there’s one small thing they can do that will make a big difference: reminding themselves that being a manager is not supposed to be easy.

Being a manager is a famously stressful job. They’re accountable to many different people and objectives. They’re meant to look after their team’s engagement, performance, and well-being while also cultivating a healthy relationship with said team. They’re expected to strategize, report, and problem-solve every single day. It’s a lot.

They’ll feel the pressure coming at them from all directions, and in the midst of that, self-compassion will likely seem inaccessible. But they need to find self-compassion because it directly affects their ability to develop more emotional resilience.

To start rebuilding their self-compassion, they should begin by taking a deep breath and kindly observing any of their feelings that arise. Then, instead of telling themselves that they shouldn’t feel those things or that they wouldn’t if only things were different, they should say to themselves: “It makes sense, and it’s okay for me to feel this way.”

Once they’ve managed to do this once, they should go to their calendar and plan short breaks throughout their day to check in with themselves to remind them of this idea.

Of course, while self-compassion is essential to managing emotions at work, it won’t solve every problem. Sometimes, the pressure on managers will be overwhelming, and they’ll have more on their plate than they can handle. This is where the next tip comes in.

Tip #4. Know when to give away your "Legos"

Becoming a manager means having more tasks to deal with than ever before – so new managers will need to find a way to avoid becoming a bottleneck by prioritizing time management.

They should start by identifying their top three priorities for the week and rank these in order of priority. Some project management tools like Asana let them add priority levels and estimated time requirements to tasks, helping them get a clearer picture of why things feel chaotic (thus allowing them to better navigate the chaos.)

Once their priorities have been identified and they’ve started straightening out the chaos, it’s time to delegate. One way to identify tasks that can be delegated is by looking at any recurring items on their checklist and asking themselves: Can someone else do this? Or could someone else be trained to do this? 

This is where the concept of "giving away Legos" comes into play. If you’re unfamiliar with Molly Graham’s article "Give Away Your Legos" and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups, we highly recommend reading it. It has become central to our understanding of what being "culture first" means, so much so that we interviewed Molly on scaling culture in this episode of the Culture First podcast.

But, to summarize – if something can be delegated, it probably should be. New managers should try to avoid being a middle person unless essential. Sometimes, this can be emotional, as some things are hard to let go of. But it can also be an opportunity for them to empower their direct reports – or, in some cases, their peers – to take on more responsibility in areas that will offer them growth opportunities. 

Tip #5. Track down a mentor

It can be easy for new managers to think that the crises they face are unique – but the truth is that other people have walked in their shoes before. And thankfully, most of those experienced leaders are happy to help (especially when they can empathize with the struggle).

We encourage new managers to identify a couple of people they’d like to learn from, whether inside or outside the manager’s organization, and ask them to share their expertise or skills! If they’re unsure how to proceed, asking the potential mentor for an initial 15 or 30-minute conversation is an excellent place to start.

In this meeting, they can describe the kind of coaching or guidance they seek. The mentor might also possess knowledge that the prospective mentee is unaware of, so they could ask the mentor some open questions that will allow the mentee to get to know them a little better. The most important thing is that the mentee is willing to learn and follow through on commitments. They should let the mentor know that the mentor’s time is respected and will not be taken for granted.

After this meeting, if the prospective mentor agrees to start a mentor-mentee relationship, the new manager should propose the frequency and duration of meetings and some initial challenges they’d like help with.

Tip #6. Go hard on soft skills

Sure, practical, "hard" skills will still be a big part of the new manager’s work-life once they transition – but their communication and relationships with their team members will become the priority. That’s where "soft skills" come in.

At times referred to as "leadership skills" or even "life skills," soft skills are defined as the “personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.” And while they might sound light and fluffy, they enable us to develop as leaders, professionals, and people. Not only are they crucial to our performance at work, but they also significantly improve our experience of work.

Here are some key soft skills:

• Fostering psychological safety
• Active listening
• Assertive communication
• Stress management
• Critical thinking

Learn about the death and rebirth of soft skills

Hear from experts Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at Vayner Media, and Dara Blumenthal, Ph.D. and adult development coach.

Listen to the podcast now

Tip #7: Create a feedback loop

The best way for new managers to keep growing and improving is to continuously "check the pulse" on their progress and areas of growth. 

Similarly, one of the best ways for them to encourage growth and development in their direct reports is to give regular feedback, both positive and critical. Good feedback benefits everyone – so new managers need to cultivate a healthy feedback model and culture within their team.

Giving regular feedback, and explaining why they are doing so, will help the manager show their people that they care about team members. And while not every action requires feedback, it’s important to make feedback a habit. When positive feedback is given often, it prevents occasional constructive feedback from becoming an ordeal.

The hierarchal divide between a manager and their direct reports can make receiving candid feedback more difficult. This is why we have developed our 360° review template, which allows managers to receive specific feedback on areas of their choosing from direct reports, peers, and leaders.

While asking for this kind of feedback can be daunting, knowing where they stand, how their efforts are being perceived, and how their co-workers would like to see them grow will give managers a framework for their development. And this, in turn, could offer them peace of mind while they navigate the ups and downs of their new role. 

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