Navigating Your New Role: A Guide for First-Time Managers

At the same time, you’re moving away from your previous role, with its familiar habits, responsibilities, and relationships. That shift can create some natural friction as you establish new ways of working and leading those who were your peers.

This guide offers practical tips and insights to help you find your footing quickly and thrive as you begin this next chapter in your career.

Your success as a manager largely depends on the strength of your relationships with your team members. Take the time to get to know each team member individually if they are new to you. Understand their strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations. Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to (Sir Richard Branson). 

If you've recently been promoted and are now leading a team that includes former peers, it's important to acknowledge the shift and set a foundation for success. Here are a few key steps to consider:

• Have an Open Conversation: Talk to your former peers about your new role. Be honest about the challenges ahead and share your commitment to the team’s success.
• Set Clear Boundaries and Expectations: Define your responsibilities and clarify how your role has changed. This helps prevent confusion and ensures everyone understands the new dynamics.
• Invite Their Support and Feedback: Let them know their input is valued. Encourage open dialogue and make them feel part of your journey, not left behind.
• Lead with Empathy and Respect: Recognise that the transition may be challenging for them too. Maintain trust by being fair, consistent, and transparent.

By fostering inclusion and clarity, you can turn a potentially awkward transition into a powerful opportunity for team growth and cohesion.

Effective communication is key to successful management. Ensure that you understand your own communication style and consider the perceptions and behavioural differences of everyone you’re managing. Tools like Insights Discovery are brilliant for this. Encourage open dialogue and active listening. View meetings as a process, not an event. 

Here's a quick guide to running a perfect meeting:

1. Before the Meeting

          Circulate the Agenda Early

• Include time allocations per item.
• Ask attendees to confirm relevance and suggest priorities.
• Clarify who needs to attend and who can opt out.

2. Know Your Audience

• Use tools like Insights Discovery to tailor communication styles.
• Consider how different colour energies (Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green, Cool Blue) might respond to structure, spontaneity, or detail.

3. During the Meeting

• Stick to a Fixed End Time
• Respect people’s time.
• Park unresolved items for follow-up or offline discussion.

4. Rotate the Chair Role

• Builds empathy and leadership skills.
• Encourages shared responsibility and engagement.

5. Use AI or Manual Minute-Taking

• Capture decisions, actions, and accountability.
• Tools like Microsoft Teams, Otter.ai, or Notion AI can help automate this.

6. Clarify Actions Before Closing

• Go around the room: “What are you doing next and by when?”
• This reduces misinterpretation and boosts ownership.

7. After the Meeting

Share a Summary

• Include action items, owners, and deadlines.
• Keep it concise and accessible.

Follow Up

• Check progress on actions.
• Use colour energy insights to tailor your follow-up style (e.g. Red prefers directness, Green prefers empathy).

As a manager, it's important to delegate tasks effectively. Trust your team members to handle responsibilities and avoid micromanaging. Delegation not only helps distribute the workload but also empowers your team and promotes their professional growth. Adopt a "fail fast" approach to learning and experimenting to learn from mistakes and adapt quickly. Take time to coach your team when new tasks, experiments or projects don’t meet the expectations you have set – you can’t judge someone against something they don’t know or haven’t been told.

To manage effectively using the principles of the One-Minute Manager, you need to shift your mindset from scheduled feedback to spontaneous, purposeful interaction. Instead of waiting for monthly one-to-ones, you make feedback a natural part of your daily leadership rhythm. You observe, you respond, and you guide—all in the moment.

When a team member does something well, you don’t just think it—you say it. You describe exactly what they did, why it mattered, and how it contributed to the team’s success. This kind of recognition reinforces positive behaviour and builds confidence. It’s quick, specific, and sincere.

When something doesn’t go as expected, you don’t delay the conversation. You address it immediately, focusing on the behaviour - not the person. Avoiding a difficult conversation allows the issue to fester, grow and it'll spread like wildfire. You explain what you observed, why it didn’t meet expectations, and what could be done differently next time. You make sure your feedback is actionable and clear, and you always check that your expectations were understood in the first place. After all, you can’t hold someone accountable for something they weren’t told.

This approach creates a culture of clarity and continuous improvement. Your team knows where they stand, what’s expected, and how to grow. They feel supported, not judged. And because feedback is regular and relevant, it becomes part of how the team operates—not a separate event.

Management isn’t a destination—it’s a journey of continuous learning. The most effective leaders understand that their development doesn’t stop once they’ve reached a certain level. Instead, they actively seek out opportunities to grow, refine their skills, and stay informed about the evolving landscape of leadership and team dynamics.

This means making time for professional development. It could be attending workshops, enrolling in leadership training, reading books and articles on management theory, or listening to podcasts from respected voices in your industry. It also means learning from others—connecting with fellow managers, joining peer networks, and sharing experiences. These conversations often reveal practical insights that formal training can’t always provide.

Staying current with best practices and industry trends helps you lead with confidence and relevance. It allows you to adapt your approach, introduce new ideas, and respond effectively to challenges. And if your organisation offers access to a business partner or HR advisor, make use of that relationship. They can help you navigate the more complex, legal aspects of managing people—whether it’s handling sensitive requests, understanding employment law, or ensuring compliance with internal policies.

Ultimately, investing in your own growth sends a powerful message to your team: that learning matters, that leadership is a craft, and that you’re committed to being the best version of yourself—for them and for the organisation.

Transitioning into a managerial role marks a significant turning point in your career. It’s a moment filled with pride, anticipation, and often a strong desire to prove yourself. You step into the role ready to take on more, eager to lead, and determined to make a difference. But success in management isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing things differently.

As a new manager, your responsibilities shift. You’re no longer just responsible for your own output—you’re responsible for the performance, wellbeing, and development of others. That means building strong relationships, communicating with clarity, and setting goals that your team can understand and commit to. It means learning to delegate—not because you’re stepping back, but because you’re stepping up to empower others.

You’ll need to provide feedback regularly, not just during formal reviews. The most effective managers give feedback in the moment—clear, constructive, and focused on behaviour, not personality. You’ll also need to lead by example. Your team will look to you to understand what’s acceptable, what’s valued, and what kind of culture they’re part of. Your professionalism, integrity, openness, and respect for work/life balance will shape the environment they work in.

And just as you support your team’s growth, you must invest in your own. Management is a skill that’s developed over time. Seek out training, read widely, and connect with other leaders. Learn from their experiences and share your own. If you have access to a business partner or HR advisor, use that relationship to understand the legal and procedural aspects of managing people - it’s part of your toolkit now.

Above all, remember that great managers are made, not born. You don’t need to have all the answers right away. What matters is your willingness to learn, to adapt, and to lead with purpose. This is the beginning of a new chapter - and with the right mindset, it can be one of the most rewarding journeys of your career.