10 Simple Tips That Turn New Managers Into Leaders People Will Follow

Read Time: 4 minutes.

The New Manager's Dilemma

You just got promoted. Congratulations. Now you're drowning in conflicting advice.

"Go back to basics," says one mentor. "Focus on fundamentals."

"Management is changing," warns another. "Big tech companies are asking managers to oversee 15+ people. Your leaders want you to delegate not just to people, but to AI agents."

So which is it? Timeless fundamentals or modern adaptation?

The answer is both.

Some management principles ensure. They worked 50 years ago and they'll work 50 years from now. Others are rapidly evolving as technology and organizational structures change.

Your job as a new manager is to master the timeless while adapting to the timely.

The 5 Timeless Principles

These were true 50 years ago. They’re true today. They’ll be true in the future.

When people talk about focusing on fundamentals, this is what they mean.

1. The Single Highest Leverage Skill is Clear Communication

Why it's timeless: Humans have always needed to understand what's expected of them and why it matters.

What this means:

• In a hybrid world: if it's not written down, it's not real

• It's almost impossible to overcommunicate

• Good writing forces good thinking

How to apply it:

• Write your thoughts before speaking them in important conversations

• Follow up verbal agreements with written summaries

• Create templates for recurring communications

• Ask for confirmation in their own words

2. No One Wants to Be Managed, They Want to Be Led Somewhere Meaningful

Why it's timeless: People have always wanted purpose, not just paychecks.

What this requires:

• Knowing where you're going (vision and strategy)

• Understanding what capabilities it takes to get there

• Finding and developing people who can build those capabilities

How to apply it:

• Connect every task to a larger outcome

• Explain not just what and when, but why

• Help people see how their growth serves the mission

• Regularly revisit and revise what success looks like with the team

3. Hiring is the Highest Stakes Decision You'll Make

Why it's timeless: One great hire can transform a team. One bad hire can destroy it.

What this means:

• Spend more time on hiring than any other single activity

• Hire for potential and cultural fit, train for skills

• A-players attract A-players; B-players attract C-players

• Act swiftly: the cost of a bad hire compounds

How to apply it:

• Always be building your talent pipeline

• Use structured interviews with consistent criteria

• Check references thoroughly (and ask specific questions)

• Have your team predict new hire success; review their predictions

4. Bad Delegation Dictates Tasks; Good Delegation Develops Capabilities

Why it's timeless: The goal has always been to multiply your impact through others.

What this looks like:

• Bad: "Do this task exactly as I would do it"

• Good: "Here's the outcome we need and why it matters. How would you approach it?"

How to apply it:

• Delegate outcomes, not activities

• Provide context and constraints, not step-by-step instructions

• Create opportunities for people to stretch beyond their current capabilities

• Build systems (people + tech) that can operate without your constant involvement

5. High Performance Requires Trust, Discipline, and Systems

Why it's timeless: Sustainable excellence has always required this foundation.

The three pillars:

• Trust to start: People must believe you have their best interests at heart

• Discipline to keep going: Consistency in standards and follow-through

• Systems to sustain: Processes that maintain quality without constant oversight

How to apply it:

• Keep small commitments to build trust for big ones

• Establish non-negotiable standards and mutual accountability to them

• Create systems that make good performance easier than poor performance

• Measure what matters and review it regularly

The 5 Timely Adaptations

Culture changes. Technology changes. Our understanding changes.

Leadership is not exempt from change. Here’s where you get ahead by staying ahead.

1. If You're Not Experimenting with AI Personally, You're Falling Behind

Why it's urgent now: AI is changing how work gets done faster than most managers realize. You cannot learn it passively.

What this means:

• Use AI for your own tasks first (writing, analysis, planning)

• Understand AI's capabilities and limitations through experience

• Model AI adoption for your team

• Stay ahead of the curve instead of reacting to it

How to start:

• Before you do anything ask, “Could AI help”

• Pick one weekly task and use AI to improve it

• Share what you learn with your team

• Set aside time monthly to try out new AI tools

2. Try to Make Your Next "Hire" an AI Agent

Why it's relevant now: AI can handle many routine tasks, freeing your team for higher-value work.

What this looks like:

• Identify repetitive tasks that consume team time

• Build or configure AI agents to handle these tasks

• Involve your team in designing and training the AI

• Treat AI like hiring: define the role, set expectations, measure performance

How to approach it:

• Start with data analysis, scheduling, or content creation

• Let team members "manage" different AI agents

• Create feedback loops to improve AI performance

• Celebrate AI wins like you would human achievements

3. You Need Data to Make a Credible Argument

Why it's critical now: Decisions move faster and stakeholders expect evidence-based recommendations.

What this requires:

• Collecting metrics that matter to your business

• Presenting data in compelling, visual formats

• Using data to predict problems before they happen

• Building dashboards that tell a story

How to build this capability:

• Identify the 3-5 metrics that best represent your team's impact

• Create simple tracking systems (spreadsheets work fine to start)

• Learn basic data visualization tools

• Practice telling stories with your data

4. Get Comfortable Being More Agile, Less Rigid

Why it's essential now: Change happens faster, and rigid structures break under pressure.

What this looks like:

• Tiger teams instead of strict hierarchies for special projects

• Exception-based meetings instead of recurring status updates

• Rapid experimentation instead of perfect planning

• Flexible roles instead of rigid job descriptions

How to implement:

• Form temporary teams around specific challenges

• Cancel recurring meetings that don't drive decisions

• Run small experiments before big investments

• Let people contribute outside their official roles

5. Player/Coach is Becoming the Rule, Not the Exception

Why it's happening now: Flatter organizations and bigger spans of control mean managers must contribute individually while leading others.

What this requires:

• Clarity about which hat you're wearing in each situation

• Transparent communication with your team about your dual role

• Time management skills to balance individual work with team leadership

• Boundaries to prevent individual work from consuming leadership time

How to manage it:

• Block calendar time for individual contributor work

• Communicate clearly: "I'm wearing my IC hat right now"

• Delegate leadership tasks when you need to focus on delivery

• Regularly assess whether you're spending time in the right areas

Integration: Timeless + Timely

The magic happens when you combine timeless principles with timely adaptations:

• Clear communication + AI tools = More effective, scalable messaging

• Meaningful leadership + Agile structures = Purpose-driven flexibility

• Smart hiring + AI agents = Expanded team capabilities

• Good delegation + Data systems = Capability development at scale

• Trust and systems + Player/coach model = High-performing hybrid teams

Just One Step

Pick one timeless principle and one timely adaptation.
Spend the next 30 days mastering both.

Because the best new managers don't choose between fundamentals and innovation.
They build timeless capabilities while adapting to timely realities.

The fundamentals give you a foundation.
The adaptations give you an edge.

And in management, you need both to succeed.

What You Missed This Week

Our Sunday AM posts:

📌 11 Uncomfortable Truths About Leadership (Dave on LI)
📌 The Optimal Way for Leaders to Spend 1 Hour Per Day (Mar on LI)
📌 The Delegate Everything Playbook (Dave on X)

And here are our most popular posts last week:

🔥 My 11 Promises as a Manager (Dave on LI)
🔥 5 Foolproof Ways to Manage Up Like a Boss (Dave on X)
🔥 10 Bad Leadership Habits I Had to Unlearn (Mar on LI)

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Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave