7 Deadly Sins of A New Manager (Plus Tips to Avoid Them)

Read Time: 2 minutes.

Only 15% of new managers get any training.

We take our top performers and simply hope they’ll figure it out.

Some do. Eventually.
But most aren’t given that much time.

I got lucky. But it wasn’t without making a boatload of mistakes.

Now 20 years and thousands of leaders later, I’m not the only one.

I showed a draft of this to a founder yesterday, and she said:

“That’s like the new manager’s bible. And we were all sinners.”

Unfortunately, many of us still are.

1. Don't Set Expectations

You probably did the job you now manage. You take for granted the 100 lessons you learned through time. But when you make them guess what you want?

Your habits become someone else's heartache.  

Tip: Align on expectations for Goals (the What) & Approach (the How)

2. Don't Delegate

You keep your old work.
But now you have a new role too.  
4 tasks pile on for every 1 you finish.  

Meanwhile, your team waits.
Patiently at first. Then vocally. Then, with their feet.

Tip: Delegate faster than feels comfortable.

3. Don't Build Trust

Illusion: Believing you start with trust.
Reality: No trust Day 1, not even your old friends.

And w/o trust, small things (gestures, comments) have big impacts.
And big things (critical feedback) are crushing.

Tip: Lead with questions. Meet your commitments. Race to trust.

4. Don't Provide Clarity

You’re in charge, so guess what matters?  

• Your words

• Your habits

• Your actions

• Your priorities

• Your decisions

• Your indecisions

Yes, your words matter.
But what you do (and even what you don't do) matters more.

Tip: Slow is smooth & smooth is fast.

5. Don't Act Decisively

Should you lead with questions and humility? 100% Yes.  

Should you gather data and seek triangulation? Also wise.

But then you need to convert those inputs into a decision. And much to the new manager's surprise, that decision is usually: "No."

Leaders remove "maybe" from their vocabulary.

Tip: Be clear about which mode you're in: "Debate" vs. "Decide"

6. Don't Hold People Accountable

The magic formula for high-performing teams:

• Set ambitiously high standards

• Hire extremely talented people

• Believe they'll achieve them

• Challenge them to do it

Tip: Ask them first. A-players are their own harshest critics. They’ll hold themselves accountable. 

7. Don't Help Stars Outgrow Them

Leaders know they're only as good as the people they're leading. If you cap their upside, you'll only attract talent willing to settle.

Humble & Hungry >> Accepting & Average

Tip: Build a brand as a talent accelerant. Stars will come to you.

What You Missed

Here are a few posts that got outsized attention this week.

• The #1 New Manager Mistake: Tolerating Underperformers

• The 90-Second Fix For Your 1:1 Meetings

• Why Managing Up Isn’t The Real Problem

• 7 Essential New Manager Skills

• 15% of New Managers Get Training (Fast Company)

I’m looking for inspiration!

Hit reply and give me a leadership topic you’d like my take on.

Podcast Alert

This week’s podcast: The Daily Huddle

This was my first “live” show. Luckily, Marc’s been doing this for years and made it easy on me—except when we went into Overtime!

We covered a range of topics:

• Did the fans really boo Zach Bryan’s encore in Brooklyn?

• Why every company should watch “game film”

• How I got over calling myself a coach

Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave