From Individual Contributor to Effective Manager
A program designed to guide new managers through the transition from individual contributor to effective leader, covering essential skills, team management, and personal well-being.
Program Modules
Becoming a Manager: Foundational Skills
Master the foundational skills to succeed as a new manager. This module focuses on personal development and role clarity.
Leave Your Old Job Behind
DAILYCreate a clear separation between your old responsibilities and your new role as a manager. To aid in habit stacking, complete this reflection immediately after your morning coffee.
“As soon as you're in the new role, you need to create a separation between what you used to do and what you do now.”
Clarify Your Role and Deliverables
WEEKLYGain a super clear understanding of your role, deliverables, and how your performance will be judged. This builds upon the core principles discussed in the Riser video about defining success as a manager.
“Become super clear on your role and your deliverables as well as the deliverables of your team.”
Understand Key Processes
WEEKLYUnderstand your team's processes, upstream and downstream dependencies, and how success is measured. This relates directly to Riser's guidance on understanding team functions within the organization.
“It's extremely important to understand not only what your team does but also how they do it.”
Improve Your Effectiveness
DAILYEnhance your time management, organization, and communication skills. Implement the Eisenhower Matrix as described by Riser to prioritize tasks.
“Get to understand the basics of time management... bring structure to what you do, get organized, plan things out.”
Establish Your Authority
WEEKLYEarn the respect and trust of your team by demonstrating confidence, resilience, and getting to know them. This directly addresses Riser's point about being a guiding light for the team.
“Your people are looking to you, you're the Guiding Light... get to know your team.”
Team Management: Building a High-Performing Team
Learn how to effectively manage your team, build strong relationships, and foster a positive team dynamic.
Get to Know Your Team
WEEKLYIntroduce yourself, interact with your team in different ways, and have regular one-on-one meetings. As Riser suggests, this is crucial for building empathy.
“If you're new to the team... don't forget to introduce yourself... Interact with your team in different ways.”
Observe Your Team
DAILYObserve team dynamics to understand how your team thinks, behaves, and interacts. Link this to Riser's point about understanding team dynamics to improve performance.
“This is all about something called Team Dynamics... how your team thinks and behaves as a group of individuals.”
Communicate Your Expectations
WEEKLYCommunicate clear and structured expectations to your team. As Riser suggests, clear expectations improve employee engagement.
“Be clear and structured and make sure that your team knows exactly what's expected of them.”
Utilize Leverage
DAILYPrioritize deliverables and tasks based on impact and effort and learn to delegate effectively. This builds upon Riser's discussion of making the most impact with limited time.
“Leverage is all about making the most impact you can with a limited time that you have.”
Learn the Art of Leadership
WEEKLYUnderstand your leadership style and learn how to act and react in different circumstances. Explore situational leadership, as suggested by Riser.
“Leadership is a set of skills and experiences attained over a lifetime. Try to understand what kind of leader you are.”
General Tips and Well-being
General tips and advice for new managers to help them succeed and maintain their well-being.
Avoid Making Big Changes Too Soon
DAILYDon't make any big changes to your team or their processes until you have a good handle on things. Refer back to Riser's caution against disrupting what's already working.
“Don't make any big changes to your team or to their processes until you really have a good handle on things.”
Don't Speak Badly About Previous Manager
DAILYLead with strength and confidence and make your own mark. As Riser notes, maintain a positive environment even if the previous manager wasn't ideal.
“Don't speak badly about the previous manager... even if they've done a really, really crappy job.”
Don't Become an A-hole
DAILYTreat others how you'd like to be treated at all times. This reinforces Riser's emphasis on being conscious of your behavior and its impact.
“Be very conscious of your position and how your behavior and actions might be perceived.”
Remember to Have Fun
WEEKLYMake work more enjoyable for your team. If your team enjoys their time at work it'll energize them. This links to Riser's suggestion to make work enjoyable to energize the team.
“Remember to have fun and enjoy the journey.”
Look After Yourself
DAILYDon't let a job draw you away from the positive things in your life. This emphasizes Riser's point about self-care being essential for managing a team.
“Look after yourself... don't let a job draw you away from the positive things in your life.”
What You'll Accomplish
- Understand the key responsibilities and challenges of a new manager.
- Develop essential leadership skills to effectively manage a team.
- Improve communication and build strong relationships with team members.
- Prioritize tasks and delegate effectively to maximize impact.
- Maintain personal well-being and avoid burnout as a new manager.
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