{"id":4036,"date":"2019-04-19T10:27:16","date_gmt":"2019-04-19T17:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=4036"},"modified":"2025-02-13T20:26:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T04:26:35","slug":"a-different-kind-of-new-manager-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2019\/04\/19\/a-different-kind-of-new-manager-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"A different kind of new manager checklist: The 4 essential questions to ask yourself as a leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Instead of promising you quick ‘n easy answers, this new manager checklist probes deeper with 4 questions to help you become better as a leader.
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You want the answer. The silver bullet, the trick, the hack, the leadership best practice, the new manager checklist. There\u2019s got to be some secret point of leverage that you don\u2019t yet know about to becoming a better leader\u2026 It has to be out there, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re obsessed with wanting to know the answer. The 1\u20132\u20133 steps to follow so we can right our wrongs and make progress faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet when it comes to becoming a better leader, I\u2019m not convinced there\u2019s is one. Scholars can hardly agree on the definition of leadership, alone. As Ralph Stogdill famously wrote<\/a> in 1974, \u201cthere are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the sheer number of articles I\u2019ve written on this blog is further proof of the variance and nuance involved in figuring out how to become a better manager. Sure, I\u2019ve shared stories, data, and insights. But I\u2019ll be the first to admit that none<\/em> of what I\u2019ve written contains some singular, sweeping answer to the question, \u201cHow do I become a better manager?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, I think any attempt at an \u201canswer\u201d to becoming a better leader lies in the questions we can ask ourselves along the way. We\u2019re each vastly different, operating in distinct environments, interacting with unique people and dynamics and obstacles. The \u201canswer\u201d is more complex than any new manager checklist could hope to capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I\u2019ve got a different kind of new manager checklist for you. Rather than providing answers, I\u2019ve got questions<\/a>\u200a\u2014\u200afour in particular. Questions to ask yourself that reveal what action you need to take, what shift in mindset you need to make. From the thousands of leaders who use Canopy<\/a> and the many leaders I\u2019ve chatted with on my podcast<\/a> and beyond, it\u2019s an accumulation of the best questions they\u2019ve asked themselves. I hope you\u2019ll find your own answers to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question #1: How can I create an environment for people to do their best work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A leader doesn\u2019t shape people\u200a\u2014\u200aa leader shapes an environment<\/em>. This distinction is critical. When you\u2019re focused on influencing an environment instead of people, you concentrate your efforts on the inputs within your control: How you communicate priorities, the decisions you make, the gestures of care and support you show. You no longer try to manipulate inputs outside of your control, and that frankly don\u2019t matter: How a team member chooses to accomplish a task, or if a team member likes you. You\u2019re not as susceptible to letting fear or your ego get in the way of serving your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question #2: How can I create as much clarity and coherence about what needs to get done and why?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The vision, the mission, the goals are crystal clear to you. But are they only<\/em> for you? \ud83d\ude42 Remember that no one can read your mind, and you\u2019re the one person on the team whose job it is to say where<\/a> you\u2019re trying to go, and why getting there is important. Reflect on how you\u2019re communicating the long-term vision of the team, and how it\u2019s relevant and connected to your team. Yes, the work is meaningful to you\u200a\u2014\u200abut how is it meaningful to each individual team member?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question #3: How can I personally model the behavior I want to be true across my team?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t expect your team to behave in a certain way if you don\u2019t exemplify those actions<\/a> yourself. Want your team to be on time for meetings? Consider how on-time you typically are yourself. Want your team to give you more honest feedback? Consider how honest you are in the feedback you give, and how you react when they share tough feedback with you. When you walk the walk, instead of paying lip service to platitudes, you earn the trust and respect of my team. Trust and respect are only earned, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question #4: How can I see things for what they are, instead of what I want them to be?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our biggest problems as leaders arise when didn\u2019t realize that the problem was going to become a problem. We were blindsided<\/a>. Our model of reality didn\u2019t match reality, itself. Rigorously examining what is actually true\u200a\u2014\u200arather than grasping for what we\u2019d like to be true\u200a\u2014\u200ais how we avoid being surprised by a key team member leaving, or when team member\u2019s performance starts to suffer. As management theorist Peter Senge wrote in The Fifth Discipline<\/a>: \u201cThe most effective people are those who can \u2018hold\u2019 their vision while remaining committed to seeing current reality clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try asking yourself these questions<\/a> every now and then. Perhaps before you head into your new job as a manager. Or, reflect on these questions at the end of the month, or every week\u2026 maybe even building up to asking them at the end of every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can serve as different kinds of new manager checklist: A personal reference point for new things to discover about yourself and new commitments to make to yourself to become the leader you\u2019ve always wanted to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deeper learning comes from this inquiry\u200a\u2014\u200aposing questions, instead of imposing answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding your own<\/em> answer is where the real answer is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udc4b\u00a0Want a hand with the other responsibilities you face as a manager? Then you\u2019ll want to check out\u00a0<\/em>Canopy<\/a>.\u00a0Our software\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>helps you nail the fundamentals of leadership:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0We help you run effective\u00a0<\/em>one-on-one meetings<\/em><\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>get<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>honest feedback<\/em><\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>share\u00a0<\/em>team progress<\/em><\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>build\u00a0<\/em>team rapport<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Try\u00a0Canopy<\/a><\/em>\u00a0for free, yourself, today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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