{"id":5004,"date":"2019-12-12T10:27:33","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T18:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=5004"},"modified":"2024-07-10T14:10:23","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T21:10:23","slug":"6-mistakes-to-avoid-during-your-first-30-days-as-a-new-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2019\/12\/12\/6-mistakes-to-avoid-during-your-first-30-days-as-a-new-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"6 mistakes to avoid during your first 30 days as a new manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You’re bound to make mistakes as a new manager \u2013 but here are the biggest, most common pitfalls to avoid in your first 30 days as a new manager. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019ve never quite known the proper word to describe the feeling of being simultaneously elated and<\/em> terrified\u200a\u2014\u200abut your first 30 days as a new manager is that feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t want to mess this up. You\u2019ve been reading The Effective Executive<\/a> and High Output Management<\/a>, googling \u201cmanagement 101\u201d and \u201cfirst 30 days as a new manager\u201d, and talking to mentors about the \u201cshould\u2019s\u201d and \u201cshould not\u2019s\u201d of leadership\u2026 all in hopes that you won\u2019t make any egregious blunders during your first month on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But quite frankly, it\u2019s bound to happen. You\u2019re going to make a mistake, or two, or twenty. When we\u2019re new as leaders, we operate out of instinct. It\u2019s an instinct formulated from what our former bosses have done, honed by our own value system of what we personally prefer, and our best guess for \u201cSo I think this will work?\u201d But we don\u2019t really<\/em> know if it\u2019ll work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where I can help \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the conversations and data we\u2019ve collected from 30,000+ people over the last decade-plus at Canopy<\/a>, I\u2019ve assembled the most common mistakes that leaders make during their first 30 days as a new manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the six most important things NOT to do during your first 30 days as a new manager:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: You talk to the team as a group, but not one-on-one.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time. As the new manager, you\u2019re given an opportunity to address the entire group during an all-team meeting. While you\u2019re a little nervous, you enthusiastically share who you are, how excited you are to be in this new role, and how things will change for the better. This is good\u2026 Right? Well, not quite. Don\u2019t forget that a critical part of communicating well as a leader is not just talking with everyone\u200a\u2014\u200abut talking with each person, individually. Your individual relationship with each team member sets the tone for how the entire team will interact with one another\u200a\u2014\u200aand so focusing on establishing a positive relationship with each of your team members is critical. During your first month, be sure to schedule one-on-one meetings<\/a> with each person, so you can better understand: Where are they stuck? What are their concerns? What is their work style and preferences? Here are 8 best one-on-one meeting questions<\/a> you can start with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nLooking for more detailed guidance on one-on-one meetings?<\/strong>\nMake sure to check out our 1:1 module in Canopy.\n<\/div>\n
\nLearn more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

#2: You embark on a \u201cHere\u2019s what I think\u2026\u201d stump speech, instead of a \u201cLet me listen and learn\u201d tour.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a new manager, it\u2019s tempting to want to be seen as \u201cThe Person with a Plan.\u201d We have a penchant for forward progress, and sharing vision and a plan of action seems like the most efficient way to get there. However, this inclination can counterproductive in your first 30 days as a new manager. Remember that as a new manager, you are new<\/em>. You need to first understand where folks are at, what\u2019s on their minds. You need to observe and absorb the full context of the situation before charging ahead. As a result, instead of espousing, \u201cHere\u2019s what I think\u201d or \u201cHere\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do\u201d straight out of the gate, take the first month to do the opposite. Ask questions. Actively listen. One manager in our leadership community, called it a going on a \u201cListen and learn tour.\u201d The time for stump speeches comes later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: You optimize for likability\u200a\u2014\u200abut not for trust.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Who doesn\u2019t want to be liked? Being liked feels good, after all. The problem though with optimizing for being liked as a leader<\/a> is that it often prevents us from being honest as leaders. We hesitate to be frank, direct, and transparent with folks if all we want to do is preserve someone\u2019s image that they have of us. Rather than focusing on \u201cHow do I get my team to like me?\u201d ask yourself, \u201cWhat can I do to earn their trust?\u201d Trust and likability are distinctly different. Likability is about feeding your ego, about you feeling good because people like you. Trust<\/a> is about giving people a reason to put their faith in you. It means making your intention clear, and following through on requests that people make of you, early on. Focus on building trust during your first 30 days as a new manager, rather than currying favor, and you\u2019ll create a foundation for your team to more strongly believe in you, the work, and the vision that you\u2019re building toward. Here are the top 3 ways to build trust in a team<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4: You forget to interview fellow leaders in similar positions.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Other people have been in your shoes before. Don\u2019t forget this. Take advantage of the fact there are other managers in your organization that have been new managers, at some point. Ask to grab a 15-minute coffee meeting with them, and hear about their experiences first hand. What about the organizational culture should you know about that\u2019s harder to pick up at first brush? What are regular meetings or best practices for things they do with their own teams? What were the biggest challenges in their own roles that they didn\u2019t anticipate? While having these conversations, keep in mind that you also have an incredible opportunity to show how much you appreciate the wisdom of folks who are also working alongside you in the same organization, toward the same goal. Be gracious and grateful\u200a\u2014\u200atheir advice for you can make your first 30 days as a new manager exceedingly better than what it would have been otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5: You express your desire to be the best manager for your team\u200a\u2014\u200anot to be the best manager for each team member.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was recently on the phone with a CEO who I\u2019m coaching one-on-one<\/a>. He very recently had become the CEO in his organization, and as we discussed his first 30 days on the job, there was one piece of advice I shared that particularly resonated with him. He told me, \u201cClaire, you know, I was planning on letting the team know that, yes, \u2018I want to be the best CEO possible\u2019\u2026 But what you recommended was even better: You suggested I emphasize that \u2018I want to be the best CEO possible for you<\/em>.\u2019 That distinction is important.\u201d And he\u2019s right\u200a\u2014\u200athat distinction is massively important because of the degree that each individual on your team varies. Each person you work with has different work preferences, communication styles, past work experiences, personality dispositions\u200a\u2014\u200aand so be the same \u201cbest manager\u201d for all of them doesn\u2019t really work. Instead, during your first 30 days as a new manager, zoom in on being the best leader for each individual, if you truly want to support each team member in the best way possible. Effective leadership is not one-size-fits-all<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6: You avoid saying \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The last thing you want anyone on your team to think is that you\u2019re the wrong person the job. And so, as new managers, we avoid muttering \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d as though it\u2019d be the kiss of death on our career. However, our reluctance to admit that we don\u2019t know something can backfire. Why? Because face it: As a new manager, you don\u2019t<\/em> know everything. It\u2019s impossible. And everyone knows this. So instead of puffing up your chest with non-answers or scrambling to make rash decisions, own up what you don\u2019t know\u200a\u2014\u200aand then, of course, figure out what you need to know so you do know \ud83d\ude42 As a new manager, saying you know more things than you do only hurts your decision-making\u200a\u2014\u200aand your credibility. Get comfortable admitting that you don\u2019t know everything. That you\u2019re learning. Your honesty will make not only for better team outcomes but also show your team you\u2019re worthy of their trust. They\u2019ll know you\u2019re being real with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accept that you won\u2019t be perfect in your first 30 days as a new manager. No one is. So instead of wringing your hands while reading this list, thinking \u201cOh man, how am I going to remember to not do all these things,\u201d come to terms that you are going to be learning throughout this entire process. You likely are going to make mistakes that aren\u2019t even on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, you can begin by perhaps focusing on one of these leadership tips for new managers here. One by one, you can start to apply them, and put them into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One by one. Step by step. That is how we all<\/em> get better as leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nLooking for more detailed guidance on one-on-one meetings?<\/strong>\nMake sure to check out our 1:1 module in Canopy.\n<\/div>\n
\nLearn more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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