presentation for first time managers

The First Time Managers Handbook

“Congratulations. You’ve just been promoted to manager!”

Sounds like a dream come true, right?

That is, until all of a sudden you’re faced with decisions and duties and maybe even conflicts you never had to face before. Being a manager is an amazing opportunity, but it also requires skills and abilities that weren’t demanded from you before you were promoted.

This ebook will cover the skills a new manager will need, as well as helpful tips on some of the challenging situations that you will face. It will give you a better understanding of both what to expect and what you need to do, and actionable advice you can start on today.

Want to save this ebook to refer to later? Download your free copy of the First Time Managers Handbook now!

Chapter 1: How To Prepare For Your New Role

Here you are, a new manager. Did you know that only 15% of first-time managers get any training? That 59% felt that support and help for their new position was not sufficient?

In light of that, the best first advice we can give you is simple: find a mentor or role model.

We’ll be mentioning the concept of a mentor throughout this ebook, and there’s good reason for that. No book is going to have the perfect advice for your situation. No article will cover all the bases. Find a mentor in your industry, your region, or your actual company if possible. They’ll have had specific experiences that you can learn from. No need to reinvent the wheel.

It’s also a good idea to prepare in a few other ways:

• Set personal goals. What do you want out of this new job? What do you hope to achieve? What do you hope your team will achieve? Define what goals you want to accomplish.
• Educate yourself. We’ll talk briefly about some books you ought to read, but look online or for classes in your area that talk about management topics. Learn more about the different departments that you’ll be managing. Get to know the employees you’ll be managing.
• Clarify expectations. Discuss with your boss what they are expecting to see from you. Be sure that you understand. Compare that with your goals. Are you on the same page?
• Be professional. Develop a professional persona both in your behavior, language, and dress.

People follow as they are led. Prepare your team to be the best by preparing yourself in the same way.

Chapter 2: The 7 skills you need to be successful as a manager.

Some of what you need as a manager will be innate. There’s likely a reason you were chosen to be a manager.

There are other skills, however, you will need to learn and build. Even your natural gifts have to be strengthened.

1. You have to know how to get people to respect you.

This heading could have been phrased differently. It could have said that you have to get people to like you. But being respected is more important than being liked. Some employees like ineffectual managers for all the wrong reasons.

According to Psychology Today , the steps to gaining respect are simple:

• Respect yourself. Your own mental health and self-control are the foundation of others respecting you. If people see you don’t respect yourself in your behavior or how you talk about yourself, they will not respect you, either.
• It’s not about being nice. Feeling obligated to be nice leaves you feeling guilty. Nice people aren’t always respected. Instead of shallow niceness, be respectful of all people even in difficult situations.
• Don’t try to please everyone. You can’t please everyone, and you can’t please anyone all of the time. Your goal as a manager isn’t to please people, but to lead them so that their benefit is your concern and not whether they’re pleased about difficult decisions in the moment.
• Learn to say no. You can NOT say yes all of the time. Say no. Say it firmly, sincerely, kindly, but say it. Let those you manage learn to do the task or live with the outcome of decisions they’ve made.
• Their feelings aren’t your fault. Understand that each person you manage is responsible for their feelings. The decisions you make should be made for good managerial reasons, not to deflect or create certain types of feelings in people.

In time, if you are consistent and honest about how you deal with the team you manage, people will respect you for being fair and reliable. It is hard to respect someone who is easily manipulated because they are overly concerned with feelings of being liked. Your job is to lead, not be liked. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes they aren’t.

2. You have to be organized.

Your ability to be organized is crucial. Disorganization leads to wasted time, lost productivity, and frustration in your team. Your bottom line will also take a hit.

We’ll cover a list of tools later in the article that will help with organization, but no tool will replace a habit of disorganization. Tools don’t solve root problems.

• Make a habit of writing things down. Writing helps you retain information. It also means you’re thinking purposefully about what needs to be done.
• Be goal oriented. Goals have a way of lining up action and helping you shed what isn’t important to the goal. With goals, peripheral distractions fall away.
• Practice optimism. A can-do attitude makes being organized valuable. A negative attitude thrives in “why bother” disorganization.
• Give detail its rightful place. Pay attention to detail…but forget about being perfect. You can avoid sloppiness without being imprisoned by a fear of making mistakes.
• Use lists wisely. Make to-do lists, but have a system to purge them. If a to-do item never gets done and you move it from list to list, did it ever really need to be done?
• Avoid procrastination. Do the hard things right away. The more difficult a task is, the more it should be done when you know you have the most energy.
• Use technology to speed up tasks. These days, almost any tedious task that takes up a significant portion of your day likely has software or an app that can speed it up. Identify those time sucks (anyone spending too much time on the employee schedule ?) and search out solutions for them. In a lot of cases those solutions are free or have free versions.

3. You must understand the value of collaboration.

Your team needs to be able to work together as a team. If they remain autonomous units who refuse to work together, you will be trying to herd cats to get anything done.

To encourage collaboration among your team:

• Clarify the goal. Know what you want accomplished, and communicate that to your team.
• Help them stay on task. Don’t micromanage, but provide boundaries so your team can be creative within the boundaries without veering off course. These might be time constraints, tools or equipment limitations, periodic status updates, and so on.
• Make communication safe. For a team to collaborate well, everyone needs to feel they are free to share opinions without censure or ridicule.

Successful collaboration gives your team confidence and a chance to exercise their own problem-solving skills.

4. You must be able to motivate people.

Motivating people is the difference between dragging a horse behind a cart, and a horse pulling the cart.

When your team is motivated, all energy is focused on problem solving, collaboration, and forward motion. No energy is wasted on begging, pleading, and cajoling people just to get the bare minimum productivity out of them.

To motivate people :

• Stop bribing people. Rewards work, but mostly they make people work for…more rewards. The rewards stop, so do the people.
• Make them care. People are motivated when they feel passionate or care about the work. Show them why their work matters. Show them how they are making a difference.
• Make note of progress. Be able to spot progress your team is making, and make sure they know.

Here’s the catch: you must be able to motivate yourself, first. Unmotivated managers aren’t great at motivating their team.

5. You must have critical thinking skills as well as emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is, according to Psychology Today , the “ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.”

Emotional intelligence includes:

• Being aware of your own, and other’s, emotions.
• Controlling and harnessing those emotions in a productive, problem-solving direction.
• Regulating those emotions to keep them from destructive excess in either direction.

Without emotional intelligence, much of what is driving or influencing the relationships and lives of your team will be a mystery to you. The work place isn’t void of emotion. Remember, emotion is part of what you use to motivate people.

However, you can’t reside only on emotion.

Emotional intelligence is important because you’re leading people, but critical thinking skills are needed for identifying and solving problems.

Can you control emotion and make decisions to solve difficult problems that might create negative emotions in those you manage? Critical thinking includes :

• The ability to identify and analyze an existing problem.
• The ability to gather and interpret data relating to the problem.
• Determining a cause of action that solves the problem with the best result for your business.
• Communicating to your team that plan of action and why it’s the right one.

6. You must have communication skills.

Endless books have been written about how to be a better communicator . As a manager, you’ll never stop working at improving your communication. Absolutely everything you do has a communication component.

According to the Leader Communicator blog , there are five skills you must master:

• Clarify the context. Every person on your team comes to work with their own context from their upbringing, current situation, family life, and experiences. When everyone is listening through their own context, they are all hearing something different when you communicate. As a manager, you have to work on creating a shared vision, a big picture. You might have to explain or describe it from several different angles to cut through all the contexts in the room.
• Communicate to the individual. Even when you’re talking to the team, be sure everyone understands what’s in it for them, and why they should care.
• Repeat, and often. It’s easy, particularly when you’re busy, to have a checklist mentality. You communicated something important once, it’s checked off, and now you move on, right? Nope. You have to communicate the same thing multiple times in multiple ways. If you sent an email, bring it up again in a meeting. If you hung up a poster in the break room, remind your team at the start of a shift. We have to hear things multiple times to remember and process information.
• Listen. When you put information out to your team, you need to listen back. You need to check to make sure your team understands what you were communicating. Find ways to ask questions that get past team members who say they understand when they don’t but are unwilling to admit it, such as having them repeat to you what you have said in their own words.
• Provide action. Communication without a call to action is monotonous. Not all that you have to say to your team will have a call to action, but try to find something. Put into action what we hear helps cement it in our mind.

7. You must know your industry.

Every industry requires different management skills. What you need to manage a restaurant is different than what you need to manage a retail store.

This means you’re driven to keep learning. It means you’re self-motivated to pay attention to industry trends through training, conferences, and publications. It means you take every opportunity to learn from those who have been in the industry longer than you, or from your own boss.

Chapter 3: How to manage friends  

Everyone needs friends at work. It’s a miserable place to be if you have none.

Unfortunately, the challenges of being a manager of a friend make it an easy way to lose your friend. 60% of first-time managers say that transitioning from being friends and co-workers to being the manager is the most challenging hurdle.

• Be fair to everyone. The first few times will be the most difficult, depending on whether or not your friend understands the work relationship has changed, but you must be fair in dealing with everyone on the team and not show favoritism towards your friend. This is tricky; sometimes it’s just as easy to be harder on your friends in order to prove you aren’t showing favor to them.
• Use documentation. It’s always a good idea to document the good and the bad, but it’s especially so when you have friends on your team. Should anyone say you are showing favoritism, you will want the documentation to show that you are following policies fairly.
• Lose old grudges. Get rid of the tendency to use office cliques, gossip, and grudges that you might have been exposed to or participated in as an employee against any team member you are now managing. As a manager, you need to start fresh with everyone. Avoid asking your friends for inside information on other team members.
• Wear the uniform. While you may not have an actual uniform, remember that when you are on the job, you are wearing the manager “uniform” and not the “friend” uniform.
• Compartmentalize. Even when you’re “off the job” you must be careful to not talk about work or team members if you are hanging around with your office friends on your personal time. Work gossip and complaints are inappropriate conversations with your friend as long as you are the manager.
• Accept change. In most cases, your friendships will change. Some will cool off, some will end. Your previous friendship has most likely ended as you know it and you must accept that as the manager. Don’t expect people to treat you the same in the break room or the hallway. You’re the boss, not the buddy.
• Be friendly. You can still be friendly. You don’t have to close off from everyone. Just be aware of your position and consider having a meeting right away to address concerns that your friends might have and reassure everyone that your door is open.
• Get a mentor. If possible, find a manager or other leader who can help you as you navigate what will be a tricky time of learning and transition. You can’t go to your friends for advice or help; you need to look up the chain now.
• The good news? As you climb the management ladder, this challenge of managing friends that you’ll face as a new manager becomes less of an issue.

Chapter 4: How to deal with disciplinary situations  

Taking disciplinary action against an employee is no small thing. The absolute first thing you have to do is understand what the situation actually is.

Problems are going to come to you in different ways. Other employees will come and tell you about something. You’ll notice negative changes in productivity or sales. Customer complaints pop up. You see something happen first hand.

Know what the problem truly is first, so you know what disciplinary action is called for according to the employee handbook or company rules . Then, determine what approach you are to take based on those rules.

Let’s take a look at a few unpleasant aspects of employee discipline.

Identify Problem Employees

Problem employees can be divided into six different types according to Entrepreneur magazine:

• The Victim. They have no accountability for their actions. They view everything as happening to them, and that they have no control over their life or actions. You must clarify their accountability, that they are responsible for their actions no matter what situation they are in.
• The Hisser. Like a snake, this person seems to lie in wait and then lash out. They tend to rant and are provoked without warning. Unless this person cares about how their behavior is affecting others and agrees to make changes, they will have to move on.
• The Negative. For this person, everything is negative. Any changes, any ideas, any new policies or possibilities are quickly made into a negative. They can bring everyone down.  As a manager, this person can be valuable in terms of being a devil’s advocate (great in collaboration!). You must work with them on how they view and accept change, and you should avoid putting them in any leadership role unless they are able to control their negativity reliably.
• The Ghost. This person is constantly absent. They always have a reason for not being present at work or being willing to participate in projects. When there’s work to do, the ghost is gone. As a manager, you need to be direct. Speak frankly; perhaps this isn’t the job for them. If they don’t change their behavior, they need to find a job that’s a better fit.
• The Narcissist. This person is never part of a team. They care only about themselves in all situations. Change is difficult for a narcissist, but if they are extremely talented, you may want to find a way to turn that self-preservation and self-motivation into an asset for your business.
• The Einstein. This person is smart, knows it, and wants to make sure everyone else knows it. Their smarts are an asset, but the arrogance that goes with it, is not. You’ll need to talk to this person, and try to guide them to use their intelligence to build and encourage others instead of making them feel like less.

It’s valuable to identify which type of problem employee you’re dealing with. Most employees aren’t problem employees, but if they are, you need to deal with them in the right way for the-the issue they exhibit, and also be aware that you can’t let the behavior drag on. For problem employees, there must be a resolution (even if it is firing them) or the whole team suffers.

Disciplinary Actions

Your company’s employee handbook will outline what kind of disciplinary action to take in different situations, but there are a few methods that you’ll likely deal with.

Writing people up.

Documentation is crucial as a manager, both for good behavior as well as bad. Legal considerations (which vary in different states) require that you document employee interactions before you take further steps that may lead to firing.

What should you document ?

• Repeated or excessive tardiness or absence.
• Poor job performance or outright incompetence.
• Failure or refusal to comply with company policy.
• Violence or threats of violence.
• Sexual harassment complaints.
• Discrimination.
• Proven drug use or drunkenness while on the job.

Don’t forget to document when an employee, even (or especially) a problem employee, does something good. If you don’t, it may seem as if you only document the bad and it might seem like you are picking on or discriminating against an employee.

When writing an employee up:

• Be consistent. Follow your policies equally for everyone. If you write up one employee for being tardy, you must do it for all employees.
• Be specific. State what happened specifically. Don’t simply write “employee was late”; note how late and on what date. Note the reason or communication you had with the employee to show that the employee knew you had a problem with what happened.
• Be factual. Avoid inserting your own emotional feelings or conjecture about what happened. State the proven facts clearly. Note what policies were violated. Note the date and time it happened and any other information of that nature.
• Note consequences. Write down what will happen to the employee if the behavior continues, according to your policies. Note that you’ve informed the employee of these consequences according to what your policies dictate.
• Have the employee sign and date the write-up. The document is going in his or her personnel file. If the employee will not sign it, write that up, too.
• Allow for response. Let the employee respond in writing for their own file.

Firing an employee.

Firing an employee isn’t a light matter. Except in a few situations (zero-tolerance policies as outlined in your employee handbook), it is a last step in the discipline process. If you’re going to fire someone, you need to do it correctly to protect your business, other employees, yourself, and even the person being fired.

• Be sure your documentation is in place.  Don’t open yourself up for legal issues.
• Rely on that documentation, not your emotions. Follow your discipline process!
• Plan ahead for when the firing occurs. The employee may have to clean out their desk, locker, or office. They have to walk through the building. There are HR concerns to consider. Don’t fire someone and then make them sit there as you figure out the plan.
• Have someone present. Whether another manager, your boss, or someone from HR, have another person there to witness the firing so that accusations can’t be made against you.
• Be direct. Don’t be cruel and talk around the issue. Being gentle and direct is the kindest thing you can do to the person you are firing. If you followed the discipline process and rules in the employee handbook, they shouldn’t be surprised.
• Don’t argue. Getting fired is traumatic. Don’t argue with the person being fired, no matter how they react. Stay calm and on point. Let them vent if they need to, but don’t engage.
• Don’t let guilt control you. You might feel guilty or bad about the situation depending on how the person reactions. Don’t make promises to help or do something to alleviate the moment.

If you’ve had to let an employee go, finding a replacement is likely top of mind. Try these recruiting tools  to hire the right fit quickly.

Chapter 5: How to deal with managerial stress

The workplace is full of stress. A study found that 80% of workers feel stress on the job, and half admit they need help managing that stress. Some of that stress leads to actual physical pain , with 62% feeling neck pain.

Your employees will feel stress, and you will have your own workplace stress in addition to that which you pick up managing those employees. You must find methods to manage it or you’ll start dragging the effects of that stress into your personal life.

According to Forbes , there are a few key methods that work:

• Reassess your perspective. Some of what you feel stressed about isn’t the reality of the situation. You might be reading into what’s happening, or assigning emotions to it that aren’t necessary. Not everything is a crisis, even if it feels that way. Learn to step back, control how you feel, and logically look at whatever situation is overwhelming you. Is it as bad or impossible as you feel?
• Block and control your time. If you let continual crises or employees drag you around, your time is never your own. You are always on a wheel, never catching up. Set aside a regular period of time during the day or week in which you do not schedule meetings, calls, or any other interruptions. Too often you feel stressed because you’re not getting things done and they hang over your head. Use this time to catch up. You’ll feel better.
• Exercise, and pay attention to the physical. Staying healthy with exercise, diet, and drinking water is not just a trite admonition. Your physical health has a direct impact on how you react and manage stressful situations.
• Find a support network. As a new manager, your work friends (your old support network) aren’t people you can turn to with your management struggles. Find other managers, mentors, or people outside of work, that can listen and offer meaningful support and advice. You need someone to talk to. As a manager, you will be hearing about employee problems regularly. You need the same ability to turn to someone to talk to.

Chapter 6: Building a strong team

Your job as a manager will be much easier if you build a great team . That seems obvious, but it’s easy to fall into the habit of managing the status quo instead of building greatness. To build a strong team:

• Hire the right person . If you have any say or involvement in the hiring process, take it seriously. 75% of employers hire the wrong person, and that ends up being costly both financially and in human resources. Don’t hire in desperation. Run background checks. Talk to their references. Find out what you can and decide if that person is both right for the job and right for your team. Every team has its own personality. Hire wisely.
• Build on strengths. Take the time to discover the strengths of each team member. If an employee is lacking in an area, you aren’t likely to build that up. Give them work to do that fits their strengths.
• Be transparent. Secrecy and isolation make weak teams. Be transparent as much as possible about the big picture, the direction the business or project is headed, what you expect, problems, victories—don’t keep it hidden. Secrecy inspires gossip and division, not strength.
• Build trust and confidence. By being consistent and reliable in how you manage your team and relate to each person, you’ll help them trust you. You also make it easier for them to be confident in their work; they don’t have to wonder how you’ll respond since your consistency erases those kinds of doubts.
• Use mentorship. Good mentors are priceless. Set up a mentoring approach where more experienced team members can help those who are newer. Mentoring benefits both parties involved . They each learn from the experience.
• Skip gimmicks. There are a lot of methods some managers use to “trick” their team into being productive or work together. They might work for a while, but not over time. Focus on building a team that works great together no matter the situation, no matter if there’s a reward.

A strong team is one that works together and isn’t isolated from each other. Create an open team through meetings, communication, office layout, and whatever else it takes to build cohesiveness.

Chapter 7: Driving your team to success

Getting your team to move towards success is not like driving a team of horses. There’s no whips and yelling. You can’t force people to do what you want them to do, but by rethinking how you “drive” your team, you can help them to succeed.

• Their success is your success. Some leaders don’t want their followers to exceed them, which, frankly, makes them bad leaders. If your team members can outshine you, can exceed what you can do—all the better for the team. Don’t be afraid of that. Don’t try to put a stop to it. Give your team every chance to achieve more than you.
• Build leaders within. One reason for item #1 is this: you are always looking for leaders within the team . Give them a chance to lead smaller teams or projects. Find out who tomorrow’s leaders are.
• Take retention seriously. When people quit, it costs you. Stay on top of dissatisfied or unhappy employees, and fight hard to make the work environment one they want to stay a part of . Studies have shown that even “low-wage” workers are costly to replace. Replacing a $10/hour employee? About $3300. There are more costs than just financial, of course. When employees leave, they take their skills, knowledge, personality, and creativity with them.
• Be a motivator. Earlier we talked about how to motivate your team . Take that admonition seriously. Encourage them. Open every door possible to make their work more successful. Reward true achievement, particularly when the work is challenging.
• Use rewards, but cautiously. It is good to reward your team, but remember that rewards are not a substitution for real motivation. If the only thing keeping your team moving forward are rewards, the moment you take the rewards away your team stops. Reward them for great work, hard work, team accomplishments, and meeting goals. Don’t use rewards as a carrot on a stick just to get them to show up to work each day.
• Be goal-focused. You’ll be creating sales and productivity goals, and you’ll be leading your team to meet them. Break down those big-picture goals for individuals or groups on your team. Provide training to help them make their own goals that will help them meet those bigger goals you expect of them.
• Make it safe to be creative. Innovation doesn’t happen by fiat. It happens when people feel free to be creative and come up with solutions that might not seem “safe”. Create an environment where brainstorming, unusual problem solving, and out-of-the-box thinking isn’t mocked or pushed down. It’s easier to manage according to strict systems and structures, but innovation doesn’t flourish in that environment. Being free to innovate is highly motivating for your best employees.

Chapter 8: Recommended management books and blogs you should read

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” — Harry Truman

Want to be an effective leader? Be a reader. Constantly educate yourself.

These blogs will help you keep up-to-date on the latest employee management techniques and advice you need to know.

• 15Five is an employee engagement and performance tracking system. Their blog has tons of useful advice about how to engage and manage employees.
• SnackNation is a healthy snack delivery service that will deliver to home or office. Their blog tackles things like employee engagement, culture, and realistic approaches employee wellness ideas (i.e. not programs that are only attainable for large companies).
• OfficeVibe is a service that lets you easily survey your teams to collect feedback and real-time data that will help you build strong, connected teams. Employee engagement is a huge focus of their blog, and they provide a ton of helpful resources.
• When I Work . Not to toot our own horn, but the When I Work blog is a great resource for small business tips, management best practices, and leadership advice. You can download our free ebook The People Management Handbook to dive even deeper into one of the most important aspects of your new role.

Here are just a few books that will help you as a manager:

• The One Minute Manager (by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson)- This book presents common-sense management themes, but does it in a storytelling scenario-based manner which makes the concepts easy to understand and apply.
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (by John Maxwell) – Any book by Maxwell should be on your reading list, but read this one for sure. It takes common approaches to management and breaks them down into 21 easy principles to remember.
• Don’t Bring It To Work (by Sylvia Lafair) – This book focuses on why people behave so strangely at work, and how personal lives and personality types come into play in difficult work situations. It helps managers understand the underlying issues that create situations.
• How To Win Friends And Influence People (by Dale Carnegie) – There’s a reason this book is a classic: it is an excellent manual on how to get along with people and get them to move in the direction you want them to. As a manager, that’s crucial.

The list of books you should read is endless but look for books that cover both specific management techniques as well as the psychology of successful relationships. Along with books, build a collection of blogs or news feeds. They will provide you with the latest trends and innovations to consider (or reject) much faster than a book.

Chapter 9: Recommended tools

There’s no perfect tool, and what works for one setting might not for another. However, communication, organization, project management, and scheduling are the foundation of management. There are tools for each of those:

• Google / the cloud. No, not the search engine. We’re talking storage (Drive), document creation (Docs, Sheets), planning (calendar) — your basic software tools, except up in the cloud. The benefit of the cloud, whether you choose to use Google, Dropbox , or Evernote , is that you can make files available easily wherever your employees are at. Employee handbooks and forms, for example, are available everywhere. They don’t have to come into work to read them.
• When I Work . Scheduling employees and handling requests for time off and sick days is made much easier with the When I Work system. Employees and managers can access the work schedule, communicate, and make adjustments from their own phone.
• Trello . Think of a digital bulletin board with sticky notes. That’s the approach Trello takes to helping you manage projects or simply unify communication. The beauty of Trello is that it’s flexible in how you want to use it. Other project management apps, like Basecamp or Asana , are powerful, but are more geared for serious group project management.
• Slack. Communication is crucial, and sometimes emails aren’t always the best route. Chat rooms that are geared towards business, like Slack or HipChat , keep communication simple, categorized, and immediate.
• Any.do . Sometimes a simple to-do list is all you need. Any.do has a great interface that keeps things easy and uncluttered. Google Keep integrates with Google Docs, as well as works as a mobile app. Todoist and Remember The Milk are a couple of others in a rather large selection of to do apps.

Tools are industry-based. A restaurant manager won’t need what an office manager will need. Choosing the right tools means knowing what you need and not getting caught up in trying to change how you work to fit the tool. The tool must fit you and your goals, and not the other way around.

Chapter 10: Management Is A Tough Balancing Act

Management is tough.

You have to manage your team, but you also have your own work to get done. One of the toughest things new managers struggle with is balancing both of those two.

It’s a balance of personal and work life. Friendliness and not trying to be a friend. Managing but not micro-managing. Meeting goals without dehumanizing your team.

You’ll know when you start to lose balance. Tipping over is when your stress levels start to rise, your employees will seem unwilling or passive-aggressive, and you’ll feel like you’re behind the curve. Come back to this list, if that happens. What are you struggling with the most? What did you forget to do?

Talk to your employees. Talk to your mentor. Talk to those higher up the chain. Be honest and upfront. Management can be lonely; don’t let personal pride make it even lonelier.

BONUS Content: Advice from successful leaders

One of the best ways to become a great manager is to learn from other successful leaders. Before you go off and become the best manager you can be, take the time to learn from these three experts. Below they talk about why you should make mistakes, how to build a strong team, and learning outside the manual.

“The most important characteristics to look for in a new potential manager are passion and energy combined with business acumen and professionalism.  

The best advice I can give my new managers who are new to managing people is this: Your expectations won’t always be met, rather train employees to think on their own instead of always telling them exactly what to do.”

Suzanne Delica, Owner, Clothes Mentor

“The number one thing we instill in our new managers is the Servant Leadership Model . New leaders must understand that they are not a boss. We don’t boss people around. Nobody likes that. We are leaders. We support our team. We talk to them. We get to know them. We find out what motivates them. When our team under-performs we don’t tell them what they’re doing wrong. We ask them what we can do to help them get it right.”

Alex Thompson, Owner, Thompson Security, LLC

“Some of the biggest challenges a first time manager can face are determining priorities for responsibilities. As a new manager it’s crucial to determine what should be a primary concern and what can be secondary to keep your team on track. To help prepare new managers for these decisions, I meet with them as often as possible for training, but I also share a lot of practical advice. Simply sharing example emails or templates for how things have been done can lead someone down the path of success. If they take those templates and innovate off the way things have been done in the past, that’s great!”

Justin Gala, President and Founder, Certifications For Life Inc .

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7 Tips for First-Time Managers: How to Succeed as a New Manager

Congratulations!

You've been promoted. Or, maybe, you're starting a new job at a new company. Either way, you have a fresh start– and a new set of challenges.

You only get one chance to make a first impression as a new manager, so you want to make the most of it. 

That's why today we're helping you with a list of the most important things to do starting on your first day as a new manager.

How do I become a first-time manager?

Before jumping into our list, some of you reading this may be aspiring leaders looking for tips on how to become a new manager. 

If that's you, and you want to learn:

• What it takes to be a manager
• How to get management experience without being a manager
• And tips to help you get noticed and promoted to a leadership position

... Start first by reading our guide: How to Become a Manager: A Guide for Aspiring Leaders .

Now, assuming you have the job, let's get to today's list. 

As a new manager, or a manager in a new job, you've got a lot to do.

First-time managers can often feel overwhelmed by their new responsibilities and everything that comes with them, so we organized the below tips to help you hit the ground running. 

You can work on them in whatever order you choose, but we suggest you first digest the list in the sequence we have it below to get a clear picture of what you need to do to get started on the right foot. 

Here are seven things you should start working on in your first day as a manager: 

• Adopt a growth mindset
• Build rapport with everyone you can
• Start one on ones with your team right away
• Practice asking good questions & listening 
• Master the art of managing up
• Get to know your peers 
• Look for some quick wins 

1. Adopt a growth mindset

Adopting a growth mindset is the most important mental shift you need to make as a new manager. 

As a new manager, you have a lot to learn. It's a career change compared to being an individual contributor, not just a promotion. If you don't adopt a growth mindset, you won't be able to learn and develop the skills necessary to be a good leader. 

Even if you've been a manager before, recognize that being at a new company, you'll have a lot to learn as well. Every culture is different, so what worked at one company and one team, may not work at your new job. 

As Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck spoke about in her TED talk , belief is the key ingredient to improvement. If you have a fixed mindset – you believe that people can't change or improve – it directly impacts your ability to grow and develop.

However, it doesn't just change how you act and treat yourself, it affects how you treat your entire team.

A growth mindset makes you a better leader

With a growth mindset, you create a fertile environment for you to develop the necessary skills to succeed in your new role. When applied also to your team, you recognize they can grow and learn as well.

To better understand if you have a growth or fixed mindset, use the image below based on Dweck's research as a reference when facing challenges, responding to criticism, and other key scenarios. Study how you respond and how you can improve that response to start shifting toward a growth mindset.

Much of what we're going to talk about in the following tips is about placing yourself in situations where you have the chance to learn and grow from those around you. 

There are more opportunities to learn and grow than you may realize. In addition to books or a course, feedback from your team members or boss, situations your peers went through that resulted in a helpful lesson, or a useful tip a fellow manager shares with you all can help you grow. 

The key is to have an open mind. Look for opportunities to learn new things, and get feedback, so you know where to focus your efforts.

Further reading :

• Books are one of the best ways to learn and pick up new leadership skills. Check out this list for the best leadership books for first-time managers: The 8 Best Books for First-Time Managers on Leadership and Self-Improvement
• For many without it, developing a growth mindset requires a big mindset shift. Here are 6 Incredible Ways to Change Your Mindset to Succeed
• If you're a senior leader looking for ways to help your new manager, see: New Manager? 3 Tips to Help Them Succeed

2. Build rapport with everyone you can

Rapport is the foundation of great working relationships. 

The trust and understanding you develop through building rapport leads to: 

• Healthy, open communication
• A better understanding of what makes others tick
• Makes it easier to give those people the benefit of the doubt
• Creates a healthy environment to give and receive feedback between you and them

Rapport is the foundation of a strong relationship because of a simple idea: with understanding grows empathy and compassion.

Think about how your relationship with a friend or loved one differs from a stranger. Someone you know you will go out of your way to help, listen to what they have to say, and value their opinion. A stranger? Not so much.

Find each of your team members' rhythm

A key way to build rapport is to figure out the "rhythm" of your team members. This is a concept former Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer says is the real cause of burnout .

"I tell people: Find your rhythm. Your rhythm is what matters to you so much that when you miss it you're resentful of your work. ”

When your team members are thrown off their rhythm because you asked them to come in on their day off, or work late on Wednesday, their morale plummets and resentment begins to build up. 

But if you had taken the time to find out that those asks interfered with their rhythm, such as a habit of going rock climbing on Saturdays, or a family dinner on Wednesday nights, you would avoid their resentment.

Camille Fournier, former CTO of Rent the Runway, put it best when she said about building rapport:

"Treat your peers as interesting fellow humans, and you may be surprised what it does for their motivation, dedication, and engagement."

How to build rapport

There are a lot of ways to build rapport . The key is finding out what's important to them and what you may have in common, such as:

• A likeness in your upbringing or background
• Similar family or cultural background
• You like the same sports teams
• Enjoy the same hobbies
• Watch the same shows
• Or have similar goals or values

One simple thing you can do is ask to go out for coffee with those around you. Use it as a chance to speak with them in a less formal setting, and get to know them.

If you're reading this as someone hiring new managers, consider including a gift card to the local coffee shop in your employee onboarding package to encourage this.

Further reading: 

Want to learn more about building rapport, and get some ideas how to do so even with people you think you have nothing in common with? Start here:

• Read "Why You Should Build Rapport with Everyone You Manage."
• Learn 82 Ways to Build Rapport here

3. Start one on ones with your team right away

One on ones are the most powerful tool you have as a manager. They give you a way to: 

• Build rapport
• Give and receive valuable feedback
• Uncover and work through issues
• Develop your team members, and even
• Build future leaders

One on ones are the secret weapon of great managers , however, it takes a while to develop a solid one on one foundation with your team members. For that reason, it's important to start having one on ones with your team right away. 

The sooner you start having regular one on ones with your team, the sooner you'll have a strong foundation of rapport and a stream of feedback coming your way.

With those in place, you can start catching little issues before they become major problems. You can also then start working on being a multiplier for your team.

Ed note: You can learn how to have amazing 1 on 1s in our newest, bite-sized program 'The 1 on 1 Master Class' by using the link below.

How to start one on ones with your team

The value of regular one on ones change over time.

When you first start out, they help you build a healthy foundation with your team. You can build rapport in a private setting, while also finding out the most important things to help them thrive in their work.

Over time, your one on ones will then evolve based on the needs and the career of each team member. Some will need coaching to improve performance, while others will be looking for career growth and new opportunities.

To learn more and to find out how to anticipate that evolution, read our guide on one on one development: How to make the most of your 1-on-1s throughout you and your team's careers . 

If you want to learn more about these crucial meetings, so you make the most of them, learn more below:

• New to one on ones? Need more convincing? Read why they're so important: 25 Reasons You Should Have One on Ones with Employees
• Learn How to start one on ones with your team
• Here's an in-depth One on one meeting template to help get you started
• Read this before your first one on one: What to Expect In Your First One on One Meetings with an Employee
• One on one meeting tips: 30 Dos and don'ts for effective one on one meetings (including a printable PDF for you and your team)
• If you're a new manager at a company you already work for, then you may be managing former peers. If so, this post can help you with that awkward situation: What to Do When You Start Managing Former Peers .

4. Practice asking good questions & listening 

As we talked about in the last point, those one one one conversations with your team members are a valuable opportunity to build rapport and gather feedback, among many other things. 

Two of the most important keys to making the most of those one on ones, and any communication you have with your team members, boss, or peers, are asking the right questions and being an effective listener . 

A manager's job is to ask the right questions

Asking good one on one questions can unlock insights to improve your team's performance, or uncover an issue that you didn't even know existed. Some of our favorites for when you start managing new team include:

• What have your past managers done that you'd like me to also do, or not do?
• What are your career goals and where did your last manager leave off with them?
• How do you like to receive feedback? What works best for you?

Work on developing a habit of asking questions more than feeling like you have to have all the answers. This curiosity mindset will help you uncover insights that help you become a better leader and manager to your team. 

It's also about becoming an effective listener

To make the most of asking the right questions, you need to be an effective listener .

Most people are used to conversing in a way that they're just waiting for their next chance to speak. When they do this, they're missing out on truly learning what the other person has to say.

Instead, stay focused on the things the other person is saying. Pause and give them time to fully express themselves. Then ask a follow-up question or two to ensure you understand everything they're saying.

As you get comfortable with those habits, the final step is to practice Active Listening Skills :

When you think you've heard them out completely, take a moment to state what you think they said back to them using your own words.

They can then tell you if that's correct or not, and clarify anything. This ensures you understood what they communicated to you before you move onto the next thing you're thinking of. 

Asking good questions is a skill to develop like any other. Fortunately, we have a collection of the best battle-tested questions for a variety of situations to help you:

• Here's out mega guide of hundreds of one on one meeting questions for every situation you could have with your team
• There are also questions you should ask specifically when you're managing a new team
• Questions for managing your partially remote team: Remote Management: 41 Questions to Ask Your Hybrid Team
• Learn how to be a more effective listener here.

5. Master the art of managing up

Similar to investing time in building a strong relationship with your team, you also want to invest time in doing the same with your manager.

The reality is, in most cases, you can't pick who your boss is. That can make things difficult if they aren't the easiest to work with. In fact, Gallup found that more than 50% of people have, at one point or another, had a manager they disliked so much they quit their job over it.

Fortunately, the quality of you and your boss's relationship isn't entirely in their hands. You have the power to improve that relationship by managing up . 

By mastering the art of managing up and developing a strong relationship with your boss, you'll avoid your job becoming frustrating. You'll also set up your team to get more of the support they need as you'll have your boss's ear.

Even if your manager seems like they'll be difficult to work with, managing up will make that relationship better than it would have been.

Start off on the right foot

Now is your chance to start off on the right foot with your manager. Take advantage and build a good first impression.

Learn their management style, uncover their preferences and their pet peeves, and figure out the best way to work with them. 

Here again, asking the right questions is key (like these questions specifically for managing up ). They can help you learn essential things about your manager, and avoid moments where you say, " I wish I knew that before..."

Here are a few of our favorite questions to ask your manager:

• What are your priorities? What wins do you need?
• What have your best team members you've enjoyed working with done when working with you that you liked? 
• What's one thing I could do differently or better that would make your life easier?

Asking these kinds of questions at the start of your relationship shows your manager you want to work well with them. This gets you started on the right foot with the person who will decide your performance reviews, promotions, and compensation.

If you then really want to ensure success with them, consider presenting them a 30-60-90 day plan for your new job and asking for their feedback on it.

That will give you a way to make sure you're on the same page on your goals and priorities. It also paints a clear picture of success or failure in your work, so you're focused on what you both agree matters most for you.

Looking to crack the code to managing up well? Here's where to start:

• Advice for managing up at work from experienced leaders
• 18 Questions to ask your manager to improve your relationship and better manage up
• Creating High Performing Teams Podcast: Listen to our discussion on Managing Up: Advice for Managers & ICs to Master the most important relationship at work

6. Get to know your peers 

Developing a strong relationship with your team members and your boss are important as you start out. It's also important to work on building relationships with other teams and peers you work with regularly.

Entrepreneur and former VP Engineering & CIO Kate Matsudaira believes these relationships are critical as she said in an interview:

"You should have 1-on-1's with other groups, other teams, other organizations, and other managers that are doing work that interface with you. Understand how you and your team need to work with other teams."

Get to know your peers, especially the other managers of those teams, so you have a better idea of how you and your team fit with the other parts of the organization. 

Peer one on ones , like one on ones with your team, are a great way to build strong working relationships. This will help you fix any problems that come up as you collaborate, and make them more open to your requests if you need something from them or their team.

These meetings create open lines of communication that can reveal problems you'd otherwise never know about. Rather than letting another team quietly resent you or your team, why not proactively prevent it by regularly speaking with them?

Who you should be building these peer relationships with will vary depending on your role, department, and level in the company. A few examples would be:

• An engineering manager would benefit from peer 1 on 1s with product managers and designers their teams work with.
• A sales leader would benefit from building relationships with customer success and account management leaders in their territory.
• A customer success manager would benefit from building relationships with sales leaders and product managers for the product they support.

A simple rule of thumb is that if you depend on their work, or they on yours, you should have a peer 1 on 1 with them. It's also beneficial to meet with peers who would benefit knowing more about your work or vice versa (like customer success managers sharing issues with product managers).

If you want to learn more about peer 1 on 1s, here's good places to start:

• Read our guide to peer one on ones
• More on peer one on ones specifically for product leaders: Peer 1-1s: The Missing Habit Separating Good and Great Product Managers

7. Look for some quick wins 

Throughout all your discussions and meeting people, from your team to your boss and your peers, look for some quick wins to build momentum: 

• If there are small things you can do that will make your team happy, do it.
• If something small done by your team would help another team, do it. 
• If you can tweak a process to be better, get team buy in and do it. 

Whatever it is, any quick wins you can snag early on will help build momentum that you can build on.

That momentum is powerful as it can help prevent burnout, especially when that progress is related to things that are important to your team members. 

Quick wins = progress = a happy, motivated team

According to researchers at Stanford and the University of Virginia, the Progress Principle is key to long term happiness at work; small, incremental progress on what matters most is the main reason people feel satisfied at work.

It's an effective remedy to the learned helplessness that often develops in teams and companies when employees feel like nothing they do makes any difference.

As you speak with your team and get to know their processes, look for small wins that can give your team a sense of momentum.

If you listen carefully, you'll find that your team members will often bring up issues and ideas, so it's not all on you to figure things out. Also, by acting on what they tell you, you'll build more trust and support from them; they'll know you're truly listening and care.

Further reading:

Listening is a very important trait for a manager, and so is taking action. If you want to help your team build momentum on what's important to them, start here:

• The two words leaders should fear most that cause employee disengagement
• How to help your team achieve their goals

Get started on the right foot

Whether you're a first-time manager, or you're a seasoned manager getting ready to jump into a new role, everything that comes with that new job can be overwhelming. 

How you approach it can make all the difference .

Our seven tips will help you transition smoothly into your new job, and help you start planting those critical seeds that will make you a successful manager long-term.

And don't forget to keep developing your growth mindset by investing in new learning on a regular basis.

A good place to start is with these further reading topics from the Lighthouse blog that will help you or someone you know that is a first-time manager become an even better leader and manager:

• Know someone recently promoted? Help them be successful: How to Ensure a New Manager Succeeds .
• Make sure you're a manager for the right reasons: Signs of a Bad Manager .
• Consider this the first-time manager survival guide: Creating High Performing Teams Podcast: The Most Important Skills for Managers to Master .
• Avoid the pitfalls that can come from promoting from within so it works out: The Top 10 Reasons Companies Fail at Promoting from Within .
• And a great first-time manager training resource: Creating High Performing Teams Podcast - 8 Essential Things You Must Consider When Becoming a Manager .

Want to build up your management skills? Lighthouse Lessons can help you. Our bite size, highly actionable programs are perfect for even the busiest of managers. Become a better leader like Jonathan Silva did by learning more and signing up here .

What should a manager do in their first 30 days?

You only have one chance to make a good impression as a new manager, so you need to make it count. How do you do that?

Here are a few things you can do in the first 30 days as a new manager:

• Start building rapport with everyone, including both your teammates and peers
• Begin having 1 on 1s with everyone on your team
• Ask lots of good questions and practice your listening skills to learn about your team and their challenges
• If you're starting at a new company, learn about your manager and figure out how you can best work with them

This is just the beginning. For a more comprehensive list of tips for first-time managers, read the rest of our guide: 7 Tips for First-Time Managers: How to Win as a New Manager .

Why do first-time managers fail?

There are several reasons why new managers fail. Not everyone is cut out to be a manager, but if it's your goal, here are things to watch out for:

• Not building a feedback loop: Learn about your team through regular 1 on 1s and create an ongoing feedback loop. That way, you can find out about issues early, before they snowball.
• Burning out their team: It's a sense of progress that makes our work fulfilling. So, look for some easy wins early on to build a sense of momentum and keep building on that as time goes on to help keep your people from burning out.
• Not developing a growth mindset: To be a great manager, you need to be constantly learning and growing. A growth mindset ensures you see constant learning as an opportunity to grow and become better.

What should a first-time manager not do?

There’s a lot to learn and take on as a first-time manager, but what about what you shouldn’t do? Here are a few mistakes to avoid making:

• Don’t take the job for the wrong reasons (i.e. money): Without the proper motivation, you won’t be a good manager.
• Stay focused on individual contribution: Shift your focus to becoming a multiplier of your team’s capability.
• Fail to adopt a growth mindset: Being a great manager requires constant learning and the development of new and better skills. Without it, you’ll struggle and stagnate.

Learn something today? Share it so your friends can, too:

Jason Evanish

As the founder and CEO of Get Lighthouse, Inc , Jason and the Lighthouse team have helped managers grow their leadership skills in dozens of countries around the world. They’ve worked with a variety of companies from non-profits to high growth startups, and government organizations to well known, publicly traded companies. Jason has also been featured in publications including NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company.

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The Hands-on Guide for First Time Managers

Let’s get this out of the way:.

As a manager, you will fail, make mistakes, hurt feelings and most likely have employees get upset at you. No matter how talented or experienced of a manager you are, these are the realities of the journey you’ve just embarked on. Best to square yourself away on these now.

Steady your resolve and fix your gaze on the prize ahead. Developing potential, maximizing engagement and growing high-performing teams; a great manager, unlike any other position on a team, has the ability to influence these three things. More than the CEO, more than the most talented or skilled individual, more than the board members - it’s the manager-employee relationship that drives growth, performance, and engagement.

In light of the risks and rewards at hand then, we must cast away the constraints of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and crippling perfectionism. Be done with them. Say goodbye and let’s embark together on the dangerous, messy, exhausting and yet altogether glorious campaign that is management.

As you read through the article, pay close attention to these two call-outs when you see them.

Ask a Mentor: We’ll suggest questions or topics for you to bring up in the next meeting with your mentor or manager. These questions are designed to help you grow, manage up, and see beyond any subconscious bias.

Put it into Practice: We’ll suggest practical ways to put the principle into practice. The words on this page only become transformational when you take the time to wrestle with their application in the real world. This moves you from the theoretical to the training ground.

Table of Contents

What is a manager? Or what have I gotten myself into?

The most common management styles and how to develop yours

A manager's most important skills and how to nurture them in your own life

Your first 100 days as a manager

The top 10 mistakes new managers make and how to avoid them

What to do in unique situations

What Is a Manager?

Definitions matter because our definitions determine how we define success. So, before we get into the advice, let’s take a step back to examine your existing definitions and then our suggested descriptions.

How would you define a "manager?"

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Our answer: A manager is the person responsible for delivering outcomes from a specific set of people and resources.

What makes a manager effective? Or, what makes a manager successful?

Your Answer:

Our Answer: A team's performance reveals its manager's effectiveness. There is no such thing as an under-performing team with an over-performing manager. Instead, high-performing managers lead high-performing teams. Not every high-performing manager was handed a tier-one team to lead from the beginning. In fact, many of the best managers started out with unenthusiastic or unprepared performers. But over time, these managers built teams that functioned at the top of their game.

Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design for Facebook and author, says in her book, The Making of a Manager :

“This is the crux of management: it is the belief that a team of people can achieve more than a single person going it alone...Your job as a manager is to get better outcomes from a group of people working together. It’s from this simple definition that everything else flows.”

At Leadr, we wholeheartedly agree with Julie. Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll refer back to this definition with a shorthand phrase, ‘high-performing teams.’

Remember, definitions matter. If management is primarily defined as the execution of tasks, then the best managers will be the ones who can prove the highest volume of work-related activity. But if managers are measured by the performance of their teams, then the best managers are the ones who can consistently deliver high-performing teams regardless of the situation. See the subtle yet important distinction?

What are a manager's responsibilities?

Our Answer: Managers spend time doing things employees often don't do. Things such as: reporting information, developing team competency, meeting 1:1 with staff members , encouraging their team members, assessing outcomes and giving feedback to their team members. We’ll share more specifics on this later in the article.

Words and definitions matter when it comes to titles as well:

Which word best describes the relationship you have with your team? __________________

Each of the terms above conveys a supervisory relationship, yet each carries its own subtle meaning. Not surprisingly, there are many ways to be a leader. Typically, these ways are called management styles, and whether you actively choose a style or not, you have one.

There are six common management styles, but we’ll focus primarily on four:

Autocratic: In this style, the manager makes the decisions, and the employees follow directions. (Boss)

Laissez-faire: Employees make their own decisions with managers providing guidance. (Mentor)

Consultative: Every member of the team can offer input, but the manager makes the final decision.

Democratic: The majority rules when decisions come under consideration.

Additionally, here are a few more nuanced styles we see in the workplace:

Servant leader: These managers lead by example, jumping in from time to time to take care of unpleasant tasks.

Constant learner: A manager that leads by learning focuses on growth. On this leader's team, mistakes are not fatal, rather they are opportunities to get stronger.

Expert leader: This manager holds employees' respect as the foremost expert on the team. Their voice supersedes all others, and employees choose to work for them because they hope to learn first-hand from this manager's experience. We call this style, leading by expertise.

Most likely, you’ll grow into your management style over time, and perhaps it’s a blend of a couple listed above, but it is helpful to take a conscious look at a few of your choices as you’re getting settled into your role.

Ask a Mentor: This is actually a great spot to stop and ask a mentor or your own manager for advice. Ask this, “I just read a post describing popular management styles. What would you say your management style is and how has it changed over time?”

The most important skills required for management

Skilled individual contributors don’t necessarily make effective managers. Practice and management require two different skill sets. As a manager, you’ll need to build up proficiency in the following areas:

Time management: To get the most out of your work time, you'll need to learn time management skills for yourself and others. These skills include delegating, setting deadlines, drawing personal boundaries and getting more done with less.

People management: Management requires moving beyond focusing on your personal achievement to investing in the success of others. You'll need skills such as listening, coaching, building rapport, developing potential and maximizing performance by fitting all the parts together.

Budget management: Successful businesses control their finances. At least a portion of that control now lies in your lap. You'll need skills in budget management from projection and planning all the way through to reporting and execution. Can you be trusted with little in order to be entrusted with more?

Task or project management: Efficient and effective project management saves companies time and money. As a manager, your leaders probably hold you accountable for getting tasks done on time and on budget. So you'll need to make sure you have the right accountability structures in place and you are ticking all the boxes.

Career management: Ultimately, your career is your responsibility. It's not your manager's or your company's or your mentor's responsibility. It's yours. So decide the trajectory you want it to take, determine the skills and network you need to make that happen and execute on your plan.

These are all different skill sets and require diligent focus for improvement, pointing to the need for active focus and growth in each area individually. Too often there is passivity in management or a focus on general management skills rather than digging down to this level of detail. However, if you desire to be a leader of high-performing teams, it’s time to start going deeper than surface-level advice.

Put it into Practice: Most likely, your company has software in place to help you execute on some of the tasks above. For example, a project management tool, an excel spreadsheet for budget planning, or a people management software that provides you with the structure to coach your employees .

Ask around internally to see what tools are available and then, if your company doesn't already use software for each of the skill areas listed above, find a free or low-cost SaaS platform for at least one area and train yourself in how to use it.

Your first 100 days as a new manager

Your first 100 days as a manager are critical to your success in the role. Not only do they lay the foundation for your success in this job, but it’s also much easier to set routines in place than to change them. In her book, Your First 100 Days: How to make maximum impact in your new leadership role , Niamh O'Keeffe writes, “The primary task for the executive targeting first 100 days success is to set out the right strategic priorities and stay focused on them.” Consider these 8 items to be part of your strategic priorities. Stay focused on them and refer back often!

Free downloadable infographic checklist for your first 100 days a new manager

[Right click on the infographic and select ‘save image’ to download it for free]

8 Ways to Succeed in Your First 100 Days as a New Manager

Learn the basics

Build rapport

Create structure & routines

Establish a baseline

Align your team

Emphasize diversity

Remove these items

On-going coaching

Learn the Basics

Learn your company’s policies, review the training manuals, familiarize yourself with the tools your company uses, and know your objectives and how you'll be evaluated. If any of these don’t exist, go to your manager or HR department and suggest the research and information you would find valuable. Doing so lets you immediately add value to your organization and is a first step towards a concept called ‘managing up.’

Managing Up: Consciously working to your manager's benefit by essentially managing your manager.

Keys to learning the basics:

Learn about your organization’s goals and team goals. Knowing your goals will provide you with motivation and increase your and your team's performance. Goals also allow you to fairly and accurately provide feedback to your employees.

Learn how others have managed in this position before. Transitions are tough. No matter how your team members feel about their previous manager, it's going to be a challenge for them to get used to a new one. The more you know about how they've been managed, the smoother you can make that transition.

Learn how managers in similar roles at other organizations do their jobs. Knowledge sharing both inside and outside your company will help you work faster and be more productive.

Build Rapport

Building strong bonds with your employees will lay the foundation for leading high-performing teams. Make an effort to show your team members that you care about them as individuals, without losing sight of the outcomes on the line. This approach lets employees know they can trust you, making them more likely to give you insight into non-work related pieces of their lives that may affect their job performance. Your openness and respect is a form of relational equity that will pay you dividends throughout your time as the team's leader.

Relational Equity: The goodwill and value you invest in others.

Keys to building rapport:

Be consistent. Respect people's time, don’t reschedule 1:1’s, and follow-up on outstanding items. Being consistent in simple areas like these is one of the most effective ways to show you genuinely care about them.

Be prepared. No one wants to show up to a meeting or a 1:1 session to discover their manager isn't prepared. Asking your employees to create the agenda can relieve you of a task and increase employee engagement.

Be focused. Be friendly, but don't waste too much time in chit chat. People appreciate clear, succinct and actionable communication.

Collaborate. You and your team are in this together. So make sure the conversation flows both ways.

Get into the details. It’s not micro-management to give attention to the finer points of an employee’s project, adding value to remove blockers, brainstorm, collaborate, etc. where you can.

Ask a Mentor: This is actually a great spot to stop and ask a mentor or your own manager for advice. Ask, “What did you do to build rapport with your first team?”

Create Structure and Routines

Routines establish culture. They set boundaries. They let employees know what behavior is rewarded, what is tolerated and what is unacceptable. Without structure and routines to guide them, your team members will be guessing how to prioritize their work and how to conduct themselves at the office. During your first 100 days as a manager, it's a good idea to establish consistent patterns for communication, 1:1 and team meetings , file sharing and storage and the delivery of learning content.

Feedback mechanisms: A system that takes information related to an output and uses it as an input. In companies, this term usually refers to the systems by which managers keep employees informed about the ultimate results of their work.

Keys to creating structure and routines:

Learn about existing channels and standards.

Establish your own communication channels and standards.

Create mechanisms for feedback.

Put in into practice: Add this as an agenda item for your first round of one on ones. Ask them, “What routines does our team have right now? What would you change about them?”

Establish a Baseline

You may want to break this into two deliverables: establish a baseline for your team and then one for each employee personally. A team's baseline typically includes a budget, KPIs, goals and a general sense of culture. Each employee's baseline might include something about personality, skills, engagement level and past performance reviews. Think of this exercise like creating a baseball card for each of your team members.

Establishing a baseline helps you understand your team members' optimism, frustrations, personalities, communication styles and hard and soft skills fitness. It also helps you to measure progress over time. Each person is on a different part of the journey and high-performing teams are led by managers who understand this fact rather than applying a singular standard of success for everyone.

Hard and Soft Skills: Hard skills have to do with capabilities. Do you have the technical capacity to do the job? This could be described as the ‘what.’ Soft skills have to do with culture. Do you have the people skills to do the job? This could be described as the ‘how’ and the ‘why.’

Keys to establishing a baseline:

Review past performance evaluations for each of the people you’ll be leading.

Review the budget.

Review the team's key performance indicators.

Listen candidly to each employee.

Send out pulse surveys to the team. Assess results against other teams in the company.

Assess the competency (technical skills) of each employee. Does that employee have the necessary training and experience to perform well in their role?

Put It Into Practice: Learn about each one of the people you will be leading by taking a look at their past performance reviews, existing goals, and any personality, culture or skill assessments. Review your findings with them in your next weekly one on one.

Align Your Team

On effective teams, members share a common goal and mission. Your team needs a clear reason to exist, and its members need to know how their individual jobs contribute toward the achievement of that goal and mission.

Keys to aligning your team:

Understand the key objectives, milestones and metrics of the business.

Everything your team does should align to success for the company. Can you define what success looks like?

Put it into Practice: Ask each team member individually, "How does what you do help the organization achieve its mission?" Many people may not be able to answer the question. Now you know whom you need to coach for alignment.

Create Diversity

Build a team full of diversity of thought and voice. This can mean the demographics of the people you hire, but also the past experiences they bring to the table. Hiring an entire team from the same past company just because you know them doesn’t always result in the diversity required for high-performing teams. Think of the human body. If features many parts taking different functions but, all working toward the same purpose - the health of the body.

Additionally, diversity of thought and voice comes from the mechanisms you put in place to solicit feedback and share ideas. The mechanism should encourage all employees, even those who shy away from the group spotlight, to participate. Get a handle on this early on and find a way to get at least a loose measurement on the percentage of voice contributed by each person.

For example:

Employee A - ~65% of the ideas and speaking time

Employee B - ~25% of the ideas and speaking time

Employee C - ~10% of the ideas and speaking time

Based on this anecdotal data, you can now coach each of these employees appropriately: employees B and C to contribute more often and employee A to allow others to speak before they do.

Lastly, in a widely referenced internal study of its teams, Google found that the common denominator of all effective teams was psychological safety. As you build a diverse team, remember to make that team a safe place for each member to share their distinct perspectives, biases, opinions and insights.

Keys to creating diversity:

Understand and appreciate differences. (Personality tests like Strengths Finder can help with this)

Work to create psychological safety.

Reward and recognize employees in a way that validates your commitment to diversity.

Remove These Items

Inevitably, things will get in the way of your team's success — obstacles, distractions, excuses, low performers and poor culture fits. While it’s not often best practice to make big changes too quickly, eventually you'll have to remove or neutralize these barriers. At the beginning of your tenure, some team members will have trouble with the transition. They may temporarily create obstacles, give excuses or perform below expectations as a way of dealing with the challenges of change. In these instances, it's your job to help them discover healthier ways to manage the transition and to succeed in their jobs.

Keys to removing inhibitors of success:

Analyze your team's effectiveness.

Determine what's getting in the way of accomplishment.

Ask team members what they think is acting as a barrier to success.

Draw ideas out of your team for removing those barriers.

Ask Your Mentor: "How can I coach an employee who is inhibiting our team's success through low performance or poor soft skills?"

On-going Coaching

On-going coaching will provide tremendous value to your individual employees and your team as a whole. Very early in your tenure, you'll want to set expectations with employees for on-going learning, growth and coaching. This process should begin with new employee onboarding and continue throughout an employee's tenure on your team.

Keys to on-going coaching:

How will you conduct performance evaluations?

How will you manage coaching conversations?

How will you implement an employee recognition program?

How will you do new employee onboarding? Who owns the responsibility for this in your organization? Does it make sense to record any of this, perhaps in video, audio, or book format?

How can you build your culture, standards and unique team DNA into your hiring and interview practices? How can you involve your employees in hiring and interviewing as a way to aid in their development? How can you make sure to hire and interview for diversity of thought and voice?

People will always focus on the negatives, regardless of how many positives you bundle along with them. To minimize this focus, move to a strengths-based coaching style that helps employees refine and make better use of their strengths, rather than rounding the edges on weaknesses.

You're no longer a peer. Now, you're a manager, so employees will no longer tell you the whole truth. Get used to it. Instead, train yourself to look and listen for clues that give you a better idea of what’s going on under the surface. For example, when you hear an employee answer, “I’m fine,” dig deeper with a follow-up question like, “What’s one thing I could do this week to make your job easier?”

The ‘fine’ answer may not mean anything sinister, but it could indicate that you haven’t yet established a foundation of trust with this employee, and as such, they hesitate to share with you the real issues. Trust comes most in handy during tense situations. Wise leaders know to invest in trust before they absolutely need to rely on it.

You'll need to get on-going coaching yourself during this process. We can't overstate the importance of having a mentor. A coach or mentor can help you grow and improve as well as offer advice and helpful connections to other leaders. A mentor could even be your own boss or another manager at the company.

Like everyone else, first-time managers make mistakes, often predictable ones. What are the most common mistakes of new managers?

Not regulating their own emotions. Employees don't want to walk on eggshells around the boss and will soon withhold bad news from you because they are afraid of your reactions. That means you won't have access to your most critical data points.

Taking credit for their employees' ideas. If your employees feel like you are stealing their ideas, they will resent you and undermine you. Fast.

Making excuses for habitually bad behavior — their own or a team member's. Yes, you want to give yourself and your team members grace. But no, you don't want to coddle or enable consistently poor choices.

Trying too hard to be relatable or a personal friend to their employees. Watch a few episodes of "The Office" to see how this approach worked for Michael Scott. (It didn't.) Employees want you to be friendly, but they also want you to guide, support and protect them.

Micro-managing leading to co-dependence. Your team members need you to fulfill your role, not theirs, in order to succeed. If you are micromanaging, it may mean you miss your work as a technician and aren't really interested in the business of management, which is mostly coaching people.

Overemphasizing personal preferences. Don't let the work become an extension of your personality, rather than an expression of true diversity.

Focusing on activity metrics rather than impact metrics. It's tempting to make sure your team is busy without noticing if that busyness is producing the desired outcomes. Don't fall prey to this temptation. Keep an eye on the impact your team is having. Sometimes a slow, steady and consistent team creates more value than a group of fast-paced high flyers.

Rewarding everyone equally rather than rewarding those who truly deserve it. In the workplace, people don't get performance trophies. Reward only the team members who deserve it. If you honor everyone equally, your best performers will either start to slack off or find someone who appreciates their work ethic and skill.

Avoiding unpleasant conversations, especially confronting poor performers in the areas of culture or competency. Very few people relish conflict and it's probably one of the top fears of first-time managers. But part of a manager's job is holding up a mirror for employees to see where they are falling short. You can do this in a helpful, gentle-spirited way that builds up your team. You can't duck the responsibility to do it, however.

Allocating too much time to issues that impress the boss but don’t actually lead to the organization’s success. Managing up means you get to help your boss align their expectations of your team with the organizational outputs you're responsible for. Don't let yourself get sucked into vanity exercises.

Ask Your Mentor: "What is one common mistake you think I should be especially careful to watch out for?"

What to do in unique management situations

What if you are facing an unusual situation? What do you do when things at your job aren't straightforward and simple? Here are some tips:

Managing a team that used to be your peers. You'll need to establish your credibility as a leader. That means swallowing your pride and asking your former co-workers for honest feedback about your leadership. It also means being fair and earning their respect instead of their friendship.

Managing employees who are older than you. Showing respect for an older employee's experience, soft skills and workplace wisdom is a great way to grow yourself as well as build a high-performing team. At the same time, don't be afraid to be the boss.

Managing employees who are younger than you. Much has been written about managing Millennial and Gen Z workers, and it's worth your time to read up on the subject. In general, trust them, encourage them to take responsibility and help launch them into their next phase of career development.

Change management. It's easy to get lost in the emotions of organizational change, but the most effective policy is to stick to your principles, use your tools and access your resources. Let the data form your plan and the plan guide your actions.

Recovering from past manager mistakes. When you replace an ineffective leader, you may inherit a team that is dispirited, inept, or poorly trained. These issues can't be solved in a day but will take time, patience, diligence and focus to turn around. Spend time listening before speaking. Show them your investment by the level of attention you devote.

Turning around a culture. Leading cultural change is hard because culture is self-perpetuating. You'll have to change habits, which are often driven by beliefs, before you can change values and attitudes. Spend time defining the new beliefs and habits which will become the new non-negotiables. Be prepared to lose some team members during this process.

Scaling a small business from a solopreneurship to a multi-person operation. Growing your personal business by adding team members means you take on the role of manager in addition to wearing every other hat in the company. Before hiring your first employee, standardize your processes and figure out your financials. Also, make sure you can fill that employee's schedule with regular work for at least 20 hours a week over several weeks.

Succeeding as a first-time manager doesn't mean never making a mistake. You'll make mistakes, probably many of them, maybe even big ones. Everyone does. That's okay, because your mistakes shouldn't define you. Becoming a successful manager is actually about adopting a purposeful, people-centered mentality that helps you build a high-performance team for maximum impact.

Ready to empower all the managers at your organization with the tools they need to effectively engage and develop their teams? Following the advice in this guide is just the beginning. At Leadr, we’re building a new kind of people management software to help managers become coaches, creating high-performing teams all across your organization. Request a demo now.

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A Guide to Onboarding New Hires (For First-Time Managers)

• Gleb Tsipursky

Set your team members up for success.

Despite evidence that good onboarding matters, most managers and organizations don’t get it right. A recent survey found that only 52% of new hires feel satisfied with their onboarding experience, with 32% finding it confusing and 22% disorganized. A poor onboarding experience can leave employees feeling uncomfortable, confused, and dejected. It could also make your employees less engaged at work. Reports show that disengaged employees cost businesses the equivalent of 18% of their salary. Addressing these gaps is vital for first-time managers to retain their teammates and maintain productivity.

• Prepare them for the role. Start by preparing a detailed job description including any specific tasks, responsibilities, and expectations you have for your new employee within the first three months. Next, put together performance metrics that align with the job description. These metrics should be measurable, relevant, and achievable. Design a training schedule that progressively helps your new hire understand their responsibilities and achieve their goals. Finally, check in with your new employee frequently to assess their progress, address any challenges, and provide support as needed.
• Help them integrate. Fostering a sense of belonging is a critical aspect of this integration. Organize in-person or virtual activities that range from games to virtual workshops, all aimed at promoting interaction and engagement among team members. Designate a member of the team to be the go-to mentor or “buddy” for your new hire. This mentor can also provide guidance, answer questions, and offer support, making the new hire feel welcomed and valued.
• Re-onboard when necessary. As a first-time manager, it’s crucial to recognize the signs of ineffective onboarding so you can address an employee’s needs before it’s too late. Red flags include your employee underperforming or seeming disinterested and disengaged, or asking too many questions and seeming confused.

Starting a new job is like jumping into a swimming pool. A refreshing and invigorating dive can make for a memorable experience, but a belly flop can cause a lot of pain and embarrassment. Whether employees dive gracefully into a new job, or belly flop into their role, can depend on their onboarding.

• Gleb Tsipursky was lauded as “Office Whisperer” and “Hybrid Expert” by The New York Times for helping leaders use hybrid work to improve retention and productivity while cutting costs. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. He wrote seven best-selling books, including Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams . His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox, and over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist at UNC-Chapel Hill and Ohio State.  

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Blog Human Resources 4 New Manager Training Program Templates

4 New Manager Training Program Templates

Written by: Cristian Oana Oct 21, 2021

Managing a company is hard work. A new manager is important for every company because they bring new ideas and new ways of improving productivity.

Companies expect certain management skills, particularly leadership skills, the ability to motivate, and team-building skills.

Want to create impactful training plans ? Venngage has easy-to-edit training plan templates that will help you improve the professional development of new managers.

Click to jump ahead:

Why are new manager training programs required?

4 new manager training program templates and tips.

• Basics of new manager training

FAQs about new manager training

They can often improve on areas that were previously unproductive for the company, such as customer service,  employee training , and employee relations.

Unfortunately, new managers who have worked from the ground up may not have the experience necessary for the position.

For this reason, new manager training programs are necessary so they can learn how to be the type of manager the business needs.

It’s best to use visuals in training , such as this mind map on company goals.

We’re giving you four great manager training programs, but before that, we know you want to learn the basics of holding a first-time manager training.

With these objectives in mind, let’s jump right into our list of ideal first-time manager training plans and the Venngage templates that you can use to craft them.

This new employee onboarding checklist will make it easier to track the efficiency of new manager training programs.

Easily edit the text in a template with the Venngage editor. Highlight the text you want to change and rewrite over it.

Change the font to suit your style from the numerous options in the menu. You can also change the text color and size with the click of a button.

New manager training courses must be personal

Personalized manager training courses that are specifically designed for the individual are much more effective than non-personalized ones.

When courses are tailored to provide specific skills, knowledge, and strategies, they address the learner’s needs directly.

The management skills and knowledge you learn through a personalized training course can help you improve team performance, project management, and meet the specific challenges the manager faces on a case-by-case basis.

Include new manager classes and training sessions as part of the  employee handbook that is presented to every newcomer.

In short, personalized new manager training courses equip learners with essential skills and knowledge about their strengths.

A manager training program will also help the new manager overcome their weaknesses, and identify opportunities for growth and learning.

A skills training matrix like the below can be personalized for managers of different departments.

Training matrixes are useful for trainers to assess and monitor their learner’s progress. Trainers can assess how much their learners have improved and how far they still need to go.

It is also helpful for the trainer to see which lessons did not work to avoid doing the same thing again.

This training matrix from Venngage might tie itself to marketing skills first, but you can use the template for other skill development programs.

Or, you can give an overview of the skills the program will provide trainees and measure their performance accordingly.

Once you create your materials, you can share them online. And with a Venngage business account, you can download and print training visuals to share with new managers.

On-demand classes for new managers can give the best results.

On-demand learning has been a popular option as an employee training module in the last half-decade.

It offers new managers the freedom of learning when and where they wish. They can learn in shorter bursts or longer at their own pace.

New managers can also receive feedback from their trainers, have access to documents and training resources such as self-examinations at any time, and even interact with other trainees to enrich their learning experience.

This microlearning menu is a great way to onboard new managers using short, sharp lessons.

Why use microlearning? It’s a great way to teach new managers and employees a variety of skills and tips.

The benefits of microlearning are numerous, including greater personal development, more flexibility, and lower rates of stress while learning.

Using this handbook template to provide on-demand training to managers at the exact time that they need it should work.

You can fully customize this in the Venngage editor by adding your branding. The My Brand Kit  feature makes it easy to add your logos, colors, and fonts to all designs with a single click.

Related:  Change Management Process: Gaining Buy-in and Overcoming Resistance with Infographics

First-time supervisor training programs should use the Training-Application-Assessment-Training cycle

The training-application-assessment-training method is a training method in which a person learns a skill and is allowed to apply that skill in a controlled environment.

Then, they’re assessed before and after training, allowing their trainers to adjust their lessons and identify their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.

This training method allows trainers to measure their learner’s performance quickly. On the other hand, it allows learners to apply their new lesson while it’s still fresh.

It has a controlled environment that allows them to fail and turn their errors into valuable learning experiences.

A performance review quadrant will be beneficial for assessing the effectiveness of training programs. This Venngage template is simple to use and edit.

You can tweak this Venngage review template to equip new managers with the tools to address their weaknesses and improve on their strengths.

Related:  Creating an Effective Performance Management System with Visual Communication

New manager training programs should cover ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills training.

There are various job skills that are considered to be either ‘soft skills’ or ‘hard skills’.

Soft skills are the qualities that are more subjective to the individual. These are the personal attributes that make you unique.

They are often intangible, and can’t be measured or quantified. Examples of soft skills are creativity, courage, empathy, problem-solving, and others.

For example, soft skills such as empathy could be fostered through employee counseling sessions, as outlined in this program guide.

Hard skills can be taught to someone else so they can use them in their field. These skills are easily measurable and can be used in a variety of careers.

Most hard skills pertain to technical knowledge that you can learn in universities, new manager training programs, seminars, and other sources.

These management skills categories are crucial for creating well-balanced, capable and dependable new managers for your business.

Related:  How to Ensure Team Participation in Training With Engaging Visuals

Basics of new manager training

As a first-time manager, you need a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a manager and an understanding of how to delegate tasks and work with other departments.

Managers are different from executives because the former work much more directly with their team members.

Here’s a  leadership infographic  that visualizes the difference between management skills and leadership skills.

A leader is someone who creates an emotional connection with others, and a good one has excellent skills and extensive experience.

The best way to develop leadership skills is by going through every challenge with your team.

Managers should foster leadership within their teams by leading by example and providing clear goals, objectives, and feedback.

Generally, managers oversee team members’ daily activities, measure their performance, and ensure that everything is running smoothly.

For example, managers might use a flow chart like the one pager below to follow the necessary steps for earning revenue.

In other words, a manager is in charge of the team’s overall direction, creating goals for each member, and overseeing operations as well as team building.

Employees can take the path to management and leadership by following a career roadmap, like this example.

Therefore, new manager training should include these general objectives to improve learning and development :

• Be aware of the company’s values and mission statement
• Create an HR plan that you and your team can implement right away
• Be open to learning new skills
• Have a list of people to talk to, including employees, managers, and customers
• Establish trust with employees

Related:  8 Ways to Use Visuals in Strategic HR Management

Find out more about training programs for new managers as we answer some of the most common questions from trainers.

Why is new manager training important?

Training managers are important to the long-term success of a company. It not only improves their skills but also establishes better work relationships with employees.

This creates a cohesive team that is more likely to meet its goals and produce quality work.

How important is new supervisor training on performance evaluations?

As companies continue to adopt new technologies, it becomes even more important for supervisors to adjust their performance evaluations and manage employee performance.

Performance evaluations are an important part of the management process.

They help supervisors and co-workers understand how they are performing and what they can do to improve.

Companies should set clear goals and expectations, and measure performance to create a positive work environment.

Your new managers will get a headstart after using these tips and templates

We believe that you can easily create the best new manager training program possible with these tips and templates.

Keep in mind that new managers can shape themselves through learning, by embracing their failures and earning more victories.

You’ve got all the materials and data together. Now, all you need is a good visual layout to present your training module. It takes time to create a beautiful and compelling presentation.

With Venngage’s training templates, can create better visuals and documents to onboard new managers and build a better employee environment.

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Data & Finance for Work & Life

Management Presentation: 8 Tips, Examples & a Template

In a corporate context, presenting works wonders for a career. Most professionals get exposure to presenting to informed colleagues and department managers. It’s an ideal way to get visibility and show value. But a management presentation to senior executives who aren’t familiar department nuances is a different ballgame.

A management presentation is a high-level summary to senior executive that optimizes reports to include only the details relevant to directorial decisions . They are notoriously difficult to navigate for two reasons: 1. most executives do not have working knowledge of the nuances in each department , 2. presenters rarely have time to understand executives’ preferences .

More than anything else, good management presenters learn how to strike a balance in the degree of detail: they provide enough detail so executives make informed decisions, but not so much detail that they cause confusion.

This article explores how to make a good management presentations in PowerPoint using 4 management presenting best practices , 4 management presenting techniques , providing examples for each, and finishing with a management presentation template you can apply in real life. You can use it as a jumping off point for deeper communication curriculum .

5 management presenting best practices are:

• Ask what managers prefer ahead of time.
• Have 1 message, and 1 message Only.
• The only words should be “Thought Starters.”
• Keep it short.
• Practice 7 times in advance.

4 management presenting techniques are:

• Use a CSP model – Challenge, Solution, Progress.
• Begin with a summary of exactly 3 points.
• Use only these 3 chart types: bar, line, scatter.
• Design slides with the company logo.

I will use a financial analyst perspective in this article, but everything here applies to data and business analysts as well.

Ask Executives Their Preference Ahead of Time

If you’ve ever taken a class on presentation techniques, you’ve heard the old adage “know your audience.” It’s true, the best way to deliver a great presentation is to align your message with what your audience already understands. The same applies to a management presentation.

The challenge is that, more often than not, executives are too busy for you to get to know them well. This means you hardly get the chance to understand how they like presentations. So what can you do? Well, ask them! There’s no harm in sending an email to understand better. And what’s more, once you know, you can always defer to their preferences in the future.

For a financial management presentation, common questions to ask include the following:

• Do you prefer to see raw data, or only visualizations?
• Do you prefer charts or table summaries?
• Would you like a written explanation on paper for each slide?
• Do you like averages alone, or do you prefer means, or standard deviation?
• What interests you most in a presentation?

If you gather some helpful insights, then your presentation will be that much better. That said, you may not get a response, or it may be quick and not insightful. But most senior executives will appreciate you asking .

The best part is you will be able to surprise them. Using the best practices and techniques below, in additional to any insights gathered form your email, will work wonders for you.

Have 1 Message, and 1 Message Only

The easiest mistake to make on a management presentation is trying to deliver multiple messages. Senior executives go through loads of meetings every day, and each meeting they have includes a wave of information. Your mission should be to deliver 1 essential message so they can easily understand and compartmentalize it.

This is no easy task. When I try to narrow down the focus of my management presentation message, it seems like I leave out critical information along the way. The key is to tell a story to incorporate critical information as part of a story towards the essential message.

For example, imagine you work for a wholesale watch company called Batch Watch . You want to explain a financing operation in which the company has the option of two loans to fund the initial costs of 10,000 watches. These loans have different interest rates and maturity dates. Loan A is better if the company expects to sell the watches within 3 months, while Loan B is better if the company expects to sell over more than 3 months. Each has cancellation fees and cash flow impacts.

Instead of showing the cancellation fees and cash flow impact of the each loan, all you need to say is “ we expect the company to sell them within 3 months, and we recommend loan A for that reason.” If the executives disagree on the sale timeline, they will ask for more information.

This is how you keep senior executives engaged, by integrating them in the story you tell. Ultimately, the essential message of your presentation should be how much profit the company will make from the watch funding operation. Senior executives should leave feeling like the project is in good hands with you, and they only feel that way when you tell a story around the essential message .

Whatever the Message, Use Data

Whatever message you want to send, it needs to be backed up by data. In the example above the data was financial, but it’s not always that simple. Context may require you to provide KPIs and perform extensive data analysis that culminates in a small output that your viewers can easily digest.

You need to be strong with data to deliver a good management presentation. To get started or refresh your memory, you can read AnalystAnswers’ free Intro to Data Analysis eBook .

The Only Words Should be “Thought Starters”

As a general presentation principle, you should not write many thoughts down on presentation slides. Words have two negative impacts on the audience: they demand energy from the reader, and they make the reader feel compelled to read, lest they misunderstand.

If you can avoid putting text blocks altogether, do. If you don’t need any writing at all, don’t. However, if you need guidance as you speak or want to provide reminders for a later data, use “Thought Starters.”

Thought starters are phrases of 3 words maximum that contain ideas leading to the essential message. People often call them “bullet points,” which is common for list-style thought starters. Personally, I prefer to place thought starters at different places on a slide. When I use a chart, for example, I put thought starters at relevant places on the slide.

Keep it Short

Your presentation should never consume more than 80% of the allotted timeframe. This means that if you plan a 5 minutes meeting, deliver the presentation in 4 minutes. If you’re given 30 minutes, do it in 25 minutes. If you have 1 hour, do it in 45 minutes.

By keeping the presentation short, you relieve the audience and you allow for some question buffer. Have you ever sat in a meeting planned for 1 hour, and at 45m it ends early? It’s a pleasure for everyone. Most of us feel like we’re running behind — when you put us ahead of schedule, we love you!

At the same time, senior executives may bombard you with questions throughout the presentation. If you planned to fill the whole timeframe, you won’t finish. But if you planned to finish early, you still have a chance.

And if you use the rest of these best practices and techniques, those senior executives shouldn’t need to ask too many questions!

Practice 7 Times in Advance

There’s a mix of opinions on the number of times you should rehearse a presentation before doing it live, but most people agree that it’s somewhere between 5 and 10 times. If you take nothing else from this article, take this. To deliver a good presentation, prepare excellent slides; to deliver a great presentation, practice presenting them 7 times.

To deliver a good presentation, prepare excellent slides; to deliver a great presentation, practice presenting them 7 times. AnalystAnswers.com

But just practicing isn’t enough, there are a few criteria you must meet:

• Practice in the room you will present in. There’s something about envisioning yourself live that really makes a difference. When you practice in a space other that where you’ll present, it’s good. But when you practice in the “live” room, you’re able to sensitize yourself to the environment, which calms nerves so you can focus on the message.
• Have an audience. We all behave differently when there’s stimulus of other people around. Whenever possible, get one or two people to whom you can present. In addition to getting used to having an audience, you’ll also get some feedback.
• Use the same volume of voice. When we’re not “live,” we have a tendency to hold back on our voice. This is detrimental to the presentation because you feel taken off guard by your own voice. Make sure to envision yourself in front of the senior execs when you practice.

Best Practices Recap

We’ve addressed 5 best practices — now let’s turn our attention to 4 specific techniques you can easily implement. And when you do, that work wonders for management presenting.

Use a CSP Model (Challenge, Solution, Progress)

Every presentation needs structure, but it’s easy to forget that we need to guide our audience. A great way to structure management reports is using the CSP model. CSP stands for Challenge, Solution, Progress, and it’s exactly what it sounds like.

You need to explain the challenge or goal, explain what the solution to the challenge is (or how to achieve the goal), and show where you are in the steps to completing that goal.

For example, let’s look at our Batch Watch case. Imagine you need to find funding for a new product launch — $100,000 to be exact. A sample CSP model for this would be a slide that shows:

By using the CSP model, you guide the audience. However, it’s important to note that the CSP model is not a summary . It’s an overview of the process, but a summary should always come before. Let’s talk about it now.

Begin with a Summary of Exactly 3 Points

Any good presentation begins with a summary. And a good summary communicates the essential message simply in 3 points. However, the summary is not the same thing as the CSP model. Instead, it provides an alternative view on the challenge and and solution.

For example, using our Batch Watch case of funding a new product, you could address a summary in the following way:

• Challenge, Solution, Progress
• Funding acquisition
• Project Timeline

This provides additional details that are most relevant to the project and carry added value to the CSP model.

Use only Bar Charts (aka Column Charts), Line Graphs, and Scatter Plots

Whether it’s for data, financial, and business analyst topics , management presentations should only ever have bar charts, line graphs, and scatter plots. They are common, rich in information, and well understood. Any other kind of graph is distracting more than anything else.

A bar graph is useful when you want to compare like variables. For example, if you want to show the average size of Canadian trout versus American trout. A common mistake, though, is to use bar graphs to show change over time. While it’s not incorrect to do so, line graphs are better for this purpose.

A line graph is useful when you want to show change in one variable over time (we call this time series data). For example, if you want to show the progression of revenues over time, line graphs are the perfect way to do so.

A scatter plot is best when you want to compare a set of observations of one variable to a set of observations of another. It’s the ideal way to quickly visualize the relationship between two variables. For example, if you want to see how company revenues compare to GDP, you could use a scatter plot like this:

For example, let’s look at our Batch Watch case. If we want to see how our company is performing compared to the economy as a whole, we could use this scatter plot. As you can see, we have a positive (bottom left to top right) relationship, but a weak one (points not clustered closely).

Design Slides Using the Company Logo

When you’re presenting to senior executives, you want your slides to look professional. The best way to do that is by putting your company logo on them, including any corporate design standards (colors, fonts, etc). Show through your presentation that you belong to the same company, and that you’re in it in spirit. For example, let’s add the AnalystAnswers.com logo to our CSP slide:

Techniques Recap

Here’s a sample management presentation template below. I hope you understand after reading this article that management presentation is more about your delivery than it is about the slides you prepare.

Download Management Presentation Template for Free

While the techniques we’ve discussed will help you build a good presentation, your success really depends on how well you deliver the ideas needed to help senior executives make decisions. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance.

If you only remember two things from this article, remember that great management presenters give enough detail to inform senior executive but not too much that they cause confusion, and great management presenters make sure they do so by practicing 7 times in advance. You’ll have to practice, practice, practice.

About the Author

Noah is the founder & Editor-in-Chief at AnalystAnswers. He is a transatlantic professional and entrepreneur with 5+ years of corporate finance and data analytics experience, as well as 3+ years in consumer financial products and business software. He started AnalystAnswers to provide aspiring professionals with accessible explanations of otherwise dense finance and data concepts. Noah believes everyone can benefit from an analytical mindset in growing digital world. When he's not busy at work, Noah likes to explore new European cities, exercise, and spend time with friends and family.

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First Time Supervisors and Managers:

The guide for making the transition to leadership.

The transition from peer to leader is one of, if not the biggest, career moves. While it's exciting, it can also be daunting. To help ease those feelings and prepare you for the transition, the following guide contains the common mistakes first-time supervisors and managers make, the hard truths about leadership, and finally, the key leadership behaviors and skills that one needs to be successful.

Download the PDF (English & French Included)

Introduction.

The challenges you will inevitably face as a first-time manager or supervisor are very well-known and documented - just do a quick Google search on the topic. It’s unfortunate then that so many making the transition from peer to leader are thrown into the deep end and left to sink or swim in their newfound role. As you can imagine, this makes an already daunting transition that much more difficult; not just for you as the leader, but for those you are now leading as well.

Being a manager or supervisor is not an elevated version of the individual contributor role you were promoted from. The skills and strengths that helped you excel as an individual are quite different from those needed for effective people management . As a first-time manager, you will be faced with new challenges you have never had to deal with before. Yet, in a study of 500 new managers in the United States, it was found that 43% received no leadership training. As a result, 42% of first-time managers said they developed their management style by imitating a previous manager, independent of quality or leadership training their manager received.

If you are on track for a promotion to management or have already received one and are now officially a first-time manager or supervisor, then continue reading as this guide covers what you need to know about becoming the leader you want, and need, to be.

Table of Contents

Individual contributor vs. manager, 4 first-time manager mistakes to avoid.

• The Hard Truths First-Time Managers Will Face
• What Does it Mean to be a Leader? 7 Behaviors to Adopt

Conflict Resolution

Communication, accountability, team management, developing employees, change management.

There’s no honeymoon period when you move from an individual contributor to a manager or supervisor. One day you’re responsible for your own tasks and projects, and the next you are responsible for the productivity, performance, and engagement of others. According to an IMD survey , it’s one of, if not the, biggest transition a professional will make in their career as everything from your mindset to your behaviors must change. 

According to Michael D. Watkin’s Harvard Business Review article, “How Managers Become Leaders,” there are seven seismic shifts that occur during a leadership transition. They are as follows and highlight the key differences between the role as an individual contributor vs. a manager or supervisor.

Whether you like it or not, your transition to management will be closely monitored and even scrutinized, not just by your boss but your employees as well. While mistakes are human and part of the learning process, any first-time manager will want to minimize the number and severity of mistakes they do make. Fortunately, if you know what not to do, you can then monitor your own actions and behaviors to actively avoid such mistakes. To help you do so, here are some of the most common mistakes new managers and supervisors make and what to do instead.

❌ Don’t let the authority you now have go to your head

✅ do support your employees and be humble.

As one Medium author put it, managers and supervisors who secretly enjoy having their employees come to them to make every decision (no matter how inconsequential), get a bit of a rush when they’re able to point out a flaw, or feel validated by their team’s inability to function without them, have let their formal authority go to their head and are on a power-trip. Not only is this a dangerous mistake, but it is also one that sticks with people and is hard to shake without time and serious effort. 

Instead, strive to be a humble leader. As this Forbes article puts it, “Humble leaders understand that they are not the smartest person in every room. Nor do they need to be. They encourage people to speak up, respect differences of opinion, and champion the best ideas.” In fact, by supporting others and using that formal authority for the good of those around you, you can spur an increase in engagement and job performance.

❌ Don’t act like a know-it-all

✅ do check your ego and adopt a learner’s mindset.

When a first-time supervisor or manager feels insecure, unworthy, or unprepared, it is not unheard of for them to adopt a know-it-all attitude as a way to avoid being questioned or protect themselves. While understandable, this is a common mistake first-time managers and supervisors make that can eventually lead to unwanted tension. To avoid this, be mindful to keep your ego in check, be honest with yourself and those around you about the things you don’t know, and be prepared to be uncomfortable as you learn new things. 

❌ Don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back

✅ do believe in yourself.

“Who do you think you are?” 

“You just got lucky.” 

“You don’t belong here.” 

This type of internal dialogue is a hallmark of impostor syndrome (also referred to as impostor phenomenon). Coined back in the 70s, it refers to a “faulty belief system wherein one chronically doubts his or her abilities in spite of rivaling external evidence.” Today, research has found that this is common among men and women alike, with 7 out of 10 people experiencing it . 

While it is common, it is still a mistake to indulge in it as a first-time supervisor or manager. That’s because imposter syndrome tends to result in long-lasting repercussions that can ultimately limit your ability to reach your full potential as a leader. You must believe in yourself. If not, how can you expect those around you to? As one professional who overcame imposterism said, try not to dwell on your self-doubt and instead quickly replace such thoughts with more positive ones. You may even try to keep track of these instances so you can identify triggers and note which solutions worked. Finally, she recommended finding an ally that you can talk openly to and be authentic with, whether that be a boss, coach, mentor, or friend. 

❌ Don’t Expect to Change Things Overnight

✅ do take the time to understand.

Many first-time managers and supervisors are eager, ready to prove themselves and brimming with ideas and changes. While this is not inherently bad, it is a mistake to assume those things can be implemented overnight. No matter how well-intentioned you may be, doing so can quickly alienate those around you. 

Instead, take the time to understand your new team, their challenges, and the environment they are working in. Ask them about their experience and really listen to their ideas. Given that they’re the ones “working in the trenches,” employees often have incredibly valid and insightful feedback, complaints, and ideas that you can then use to implement meaningful change and secure buy-in.

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The Hard Truths First-Time Supervisors and Managers Will Face

Of all the advice new managers and supervisors receive from fellow leaders, friends, thought leaders, and even strangers on the internet, we often find the following five hard truths are left unsaid.

You May Not Be a Great Leader on the First Day

If you’ve been looking forward to becoming a leader, you probably have a vision in your mind of what it will be like and in doing so, have created expectations for yourself. As you can imagine, it can be disheartening if you don’t live up to those expectations right out of the gate. In reality, transitioning into a new leadership role often presents a steep learning curve that will challenge you for weeks and even months. So, be gentle with yourself and manage the expectations of not only your employees, but yourself, because believe it or not, it’s okay if you’re not a great leader right away. 

It May Be Awkward At First

As you transition into your new leadership role, you might find yourself managing friends and peers, which can be awkward for all involved parties. Rest assured, these relationships can evolve. According to Amy Cooper Hakim , an industrial-organizational psychology practitioner and workplace expert, here’s how you can alleviate the awkwardness or tension that may be present as you transition from friend to boss: 

• Negative emotions can only be quelled by talking them through
• Show vulnerability by saying, “This could get weird, but I don’t want it to and I am looking for your support.”
• Lead by example by being positive, speaking with clarity and kindness, and holding people accountable

Leadership Can Be Lonely

It can be hard to see the group of peers you were once a part of grab coffee after a meeting or meet after hours for drinks. But the fact is, in a management position you are privileged to conversations and information that demand a certain level of distance from the informal discussions your former peers partake in. 

If this makes you feel rejected or lonely, you aren’t alone. Many first time supervisors and managers feel this way. According to a survey that examined the main challenges of nearly 300 first time managers, almost two-thirds cited the transition from friend to the boss as the biggest. To ease the transition, seek out guidance and mentoring from someone who has lived this experience. This could be a fellow team leader, your direct supervisor, a senior leader in your organization, a leadership coach , or someone outside of your organization who you trust and admire. 

You Have to Let Go of “Your Way” of Doing Things

After years of working as an individual contributor, it can be surprisingly difficult to let go of your way of doing things. But the hard truth first time leaders must accept is that employees rarely do things exactly as you would have. Just remember, it matters less how employees get the job done, and more that they actually get the job done . If you don’t accept this and instead try to force “your way” of doing things onto employees, then you’ll run the risk of becoming a micromanager , which could compromise any other positive leadership behaviors you exhibit. 

You Won’t Always Be Liked

At some point, you may have heard, “leadership is not about being liked.” Which is true - to an extent. At the end of the day you have been hired to do a job; one where you’re inevitably going to have to make tough calls and decisions that those around you don’t agree with. In which case, a fear of not being liked could seriously impede your effectiveness as a leader. On the other hand, not putting any effort into building healthy working relationships based on trust is also a mistake. All of which is to say that you’re going to have to find just the right balance, which will take time, experience, and energy.

What Does It Mean to Be a Leader? 7 Leadership Behaviors You Should Adopt

What does it mean to be a good supervisor or manager? Every first-time leader will contemplate this question in their first weeks and months in their new role. What you’ll eventually come to realize though is that the answer will depend on the type of leader you want to be and the type of leader your team needs you to be . This means that every manager or supervisor will have to slightly adjust their leadership style to be optimally successful. 

Of course, there are a number of underlying leadership behaviors that typically define a “good” leader. We have outlined seven in particular that you should consider adopting as part of your own management style going forward. 

You Prioritize Relationships

What sets great managers apart from average ones? It’s their ability to build and foster trusting, open, and positive relationships. When managers and supervisors build deep-rooted connections, the individuals on their team are much more open to take risks, accept stretch assignments , and be open to coaching, constructive feedback, and development from their leader.

You Lead by Example

As a first-time supervisor or manager, you are quickly going to realize that your employees use your actions and behaviors as a benchmark for their own. This means the “do as I say, not as I do” leadership model is out of the question. Instead, a good manager or supervisor will lead by example by embodying the ideal qualities, modelling the behaviors, following the rules and procedures, and taking responsibility for their actions or part in a problem or mistake. 

You Make Unpopular Decisions

Becoming a manager or supervisor means being the one to make unpopular decisions or tough calls. While this can be difficult, especially for those who want to be liked, a good manager or supervisor will be decisive and rip off the bandaid when a difficult decision needs to be made, and will then actively manage any consequences or fallout.

You Set People Up For Success

Going forward in management, your success will be judged and assessed based on the success of your employees. As best-selling author, Jon Gordon put it, “Great leaders don’t succeed because they are great. They succeed because they bring out the greatness in others.” You can set people up for success and ensure it is possible for them to do their best work by harnessing their strengths, supporting their weaknesses,   granting them autonomy , giving them   stretch assignments , removing roadblocks, and standing up for them.

You Provide Constructive Feedback

If you're nervous about providing feedback to your employees, you’re not alone. A Harvard Business Review survey of over 7,000 managers, found that 44% find delivering constructive feedback stressful or difficult, with 21% altogether avoiding it. Despite your personal reservations though, employees need feedback as it clears up ambiguity, helps them make fewer mistakes, encourages ongoing learning, and builds trust. If you want to continue learning about this topic, Constructive Feedback: A Manager’s Guide To Giving Feedback That People Actually Want , should be your next read. 

You Break Down Silos

You’ll be hard-pressed to be able to complete projects, meet deadlines, and hit goals without collaborating with other teams and individuals across the organization. Yet, a silo mentality, where certain departments or teams do not wish to share information or resources with others, is prevalent in many organizations. When you’re in a management role, you’re now the delegate for your team or department in the organization. That means it’s up to you to break down silos by bringing others together, sharing your vision of why it is beneficial to all work together, and modelling the behaviors of collaboration and teamwork with your peers.

You Lead Up

Leading up, a concept developed in a book by Michael Useem , is one’s ability to influence the decisions made by more senior leaders in the organization, especially the person they report to, to help you achieve your goals. To be successful in management, you’ll need to build the influence you have on superiors in your organization. As Useem puts it in his book, “Leading up is the act of working with people above you – whether one boss, several bosses, a chief executive, a board of directors or even stockholders – to help them and you get a better job done.”

8 Skills First Time Managers and Supervisors Should Learn ASAP

First time supervisors and managers have cited the three biggest leadership challenges they face as the adjustment to people management/displaying authority (59%), developing managerial and personal effectiveness (46%), and leading team achievement (43%). This makes sense seeing as the skills that once made you successful as an individual are vastly different from those you need in your newfound leadership position. 

Fortunately, leadership development is a thriving 166 billion dollar business , which means that if you don’t have the leadership skills you need yet, there are countless leadership development programs available to help get you there. 

Of course, with so many options at your fingertips, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. It can also feel like there’s so much to learn and so little time. If this is how you feel, bear in mind that leadership is a lifelong learning journey. From here on out, you will always be honing and developing your supervisor skills in an effort to become a better leader. But to start, we recommend focusing on the following leadership training topics and skills: 

When the results produced by your team rest on your shoulders it is easy to fall into the trap of not delegating tasks that should be done by others. When you do this, those around you feel disengaged, not empowered, and that you do not trust them to do the job they were hired for. 

For that reason, it is important for first-time managers and supervisors to develop their delegation skills as you shift from being the one doing the work, to the one leading the people doing it. Through delegation training, you will gain the skills and knowledge you need to determine what tasks should be delegated, clearly explain your expectations, and set boundaries on how much freedom employees have and when they need to involve you.

In the workplace, when you, your employees, and your colleagues are passionate about achieving results, conflict is bound to happen. Differing opinions, ideas, resource allocation, and personalities require you, as the leader, to step in, mediate, and turn what many feel is a negative situation into a positive one. 

Given that conflict typically stems from the way someone responds or reacts to a situation, it’s important to have conflict resolution skills that will allow you to successfully defuse conflict when it happens. This knowledge and skillset will also help you in the long-term to create a team culture where the behaviors of those on the team are ones of listening, asking questions to understand, and respect.

The ability to communicate clearly and in a way that inspires those around you to take action is among the most vital skills for management success. Yet, the majority of supervisors and managers struggle with communication. So much so that in a survey , 91% of employees said their leader lacked communication skills. When this happens, it results in leaders giving unclear expectations, not providing constructive feedback, avoiding coaching, and pulling back on communicating altogether. To avoid this, one of the first things you should seek out as a new manager is communication training . The best programs will help you develop the communication skills you need to lead in situations and scenarios such as in one-on-one meetings , performance reviews, and team meetings.

Being accountable and holding others around you accountable is a skill often overlooked by first-time managers and supervisors. When you lead your team to be accountable, it means they take responsibility for their own actions and the success or failure which comes from those actions. As Canadian self-help author Bob Proctor puts it, “accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the results.”

When teams and employees are accountable it eliminates finger-pointing, missed deadlines, and possibly lackluster results. To drive accountability in an individual reporting to you, you will need new knowledge and skills. These include communicating expectations clearly, gaining commitment from the employee that they will be accountable to the task, establishing frequent checkpoints to ensure accountabilities are progressing and providing any coaching if needed, having difficult conversations when accountabilities are not met, and addressing performance issues when they arise.

When your team members have a wide range of differing personalities, experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, collaboration and teamwork may not come naturally. According to the author of How to Build a Successful Team , an article featured in the New York Times, if this is the case then “Leaders have to play a far more hands-on role to make sure the group works well together and remains focused on the right priorities.”

Remember you’re now the one who needs to think about and cast a team vision , set goals and targets, and decide on the type of team culture you want. You’re also the one who must create an environment where each team member feels safe and motivated to share their ideas, try new things, and collaborate with others. Given that all of this is new to many first-time supervisors and managers, a fundamental leadership development program can be a huge contributor to your competence and confidence. 

Your role as a manager or supervisor isn’t just to deliver results, it’s also up to you to bring out the best in each of your team members. This requires deliberate effort in developing others by providing motivation , coaching , and feedback. You should be their biggest cheerleader, invested in seeing them grow, and believe in their ability to succeed. 

However, you cannot expect an employee to be open to and willing to apply coaching and feedback without first building a relationship that is built on mutual respect, trust, and honesty. Learning the skills to develop interpersonal relationships, provide coaching , and deliver feedback is crucial to not only your success but the success of those you lead.

One of the greatest things a manager can do for those around them is creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong. An environment where team members feel safe, accepted, welcomed, and valued. When this happens, team members are more engaged and connected to achieving team and company goals.

Attending leadership training focused on diversity and inclusion is the first step to creating an inclusive team environment. The knowledge, understanding, and skills gained will enable you to lead a team where the core value is inclusion.

New policies, procedures, initiatives, systems, and strategies are disruptive to your team’s engagement and productivity; there’s no way around it. Change is going to happen. While you may think it is the change your employees dread, in reality, it is the chaos that comes with it. 

Fortunately, if you develop your change management skills before change happens, you will be more capable of mitigating the chaos everyone fears. This is done by communicating why change is happening, how it is beneficial to your team and the organization, and a timeline for what exactly will be changing.

It’s not an overstatement to say every day on the job in the first few weeks and months as a new supervisor or manager is an adventure. You’ll be presented with challenges you never could have anticipated that will stretch you far beyond your comfort zone. Needless to say, it’s a humbling, exciting, and nerve-wracking experience.

Given the magnitude of this transition, you should receive adequate leadership training for managers to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. More specifically, a DDI study found that it was the new managers who received the following leadership training that experienced the smoothest transition.

Open-Enrollment

With open-enrollment training , you don’t have to wait for your company to offer the training program you want to take. Instead, you sign up for the program and date that works best for you and then attend a virtual session alongside leaders just like yourself from anywhere in the world to learn the skills you need, when you need them.

Team Training

When you have a group of team leaders or frontline managers, providing a team training program that is customized to the realities of your organization may be the best fit. Luckily, Niagara Institute has you covered with our Supervisor Training solution.

One-to-One Coaching

Working with a one-to-one coach is a truly personalized development experience as it is entirely focused on you. Based on your goals and personality, a coach with the experience, tools, and approach will be selected. They then work directly with you over a set period of time to further develop your skills, provide situational advice, act as a sounding board, and navigate challenges or roadblocks.

Leadership Assessments

With Niagara Institute's extensive network of training and development partners who are top in their field, we’ll be able to source you the leadership assessments you need to personalize your leadership development plan and get the training or coaching you need most.

Whatever steps you take to gain the competence and confidence you need as a first-time manager or supervisor, the Niagara Institute and our team of partners look forward to supporting you along the way! 

Leadership tips for first time managers

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• 2. 1. Accept that you still have lots to learn: You have worked hard to reach this point and have proven expertise in your chosen field but may find that you lack self-confidence in your ability to lead. Be prepare to learn from others – including your new team.
• 3. 2. Communicate clearly: Always keep your team fully informed of project goals, priorities and those all-important deadlines. Effective communication will be essential in both establishing your credibility and gaining the support of your team so make sure you provide clear direction and always welcome questions and feedback from others
• 4. 3. Set a good example Demand from yourself the same level of professionalism and dedication that you would expect from others. If you expect the team to be upbeat and friendly then make sure you are! If you expect written reports and documentation to be error-free – then double check your own!
• 5. 4. Encourage feedback Sometimes staff are unwilling to speak up about certain issues unless prompted. Canvas opinion on issues such as support, training and resources and maintain an open door policy so that your team knows that you are willing to listen and help provide solutions to any problems
• 6. 5. Offer recognition By publicly recognising the efforts and achievements of your team you not only build up their confidence but also encourage future contributions and effort. Praise does not always have to be formal – praising staff can be very informal and part of your day-to- day communication with your team.
• 7. 6. Be decisive A quality leader needs to make decisions and stick to them. People do not feel comfortable with someone who constantly changes his or her mind. You only have to look at public opinion on government u-turns to see how easily confidence in a leader can be knocked or lost altogether
• 8. 7. Help your team see the ‘big picture’ Take time to explain to your team how their work fits into the overall aims and objectives of the organization. This will help to demonstrate that every task they complete will have an impact on the company’s reputation and success.
• 9. 8. Create an environment of constant learning and development (and include yourself in this process) Encourage the team to explore new methods for reaching their individual and the organisation’s goals. Allow them to make – and learn from – mistakes and make a point of recognising new and innovative ideas.
• 10. 9. Provide professional guidance A good manager, and leader, will also be a mentor so make yourself available to staff members and show interest in their career development within the organization. Don’t overlook the motivational power of positive reinforcement – your staff will appreciate your commitment to their progress.
• 11. 10. Be patient with yourself Developing strong managerial skills takes time – especially as you adjust to your new position. Seek guidance from colleagues, your line manager or your professional network when you need it. In doing so you will enhance your leadership abilities and make strides to becoming a truly great manager
• 12. THANK YOU ASIF EBRAHIM

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The Ultimate Guide to New Manager Training

Develop New Managers Without Old-Fashioned, Expensive Workshops

LEADx overcomes the “Knowing-Doing Gap” with nudges and micro-coaching.

“How do you design and launch a great New Manager Training Program, without spending a lot of time or money? What makes great manager training?”

Those are the questions I’ve asked dozens of Directors of Leadership Development as part of my series on Forbes. (See case studies with Groupon , Deltek , NextGen Healthcare , Ping Identity , Novartis , LA Public Library ).

The secret is that great manager training includes three things:

• Increased self-awareness with a personality assessment (e.g., DISC, Five Factor Model, MBTI, etc.).
• Include the five core competencies required to build high-performing teams: Effective Feedback, Delegation, One-on-One Meetings, GROW Coaching, Interviewing.
• Deliver the training “in the flow of work”, in bite-sized pieces.

Why Bother Training New Managers?

You want to make sure all of your managers are successful, right? After all, managers have a huge impact on their entire team.

A bad manager could cause a whole host of problems to start in your company, including unproductive staff. Managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement, which could be the reasoning behind why just a third of employees in the U.S. are engaged.

There’s more to it, though.

Low productivity levels, a lack of engagement, and unhappiness at work could cause health issues—something American companies spend $360 billion treating each year as a result of bad managers.

Ever heard the phrase, “people join a company, but they leave a boss?”

It’s true. A study found half of all employees admit to leaving their companies because of a bad boss, which could result in high (and unnecessary) staff turnover; not to mention the loss of high-quality talent that could be more expensive to replace.

11 Key Skills a New Manager Should Conquer

Now you know the importance of new manager training, it’s time to build a program that’ll teach them how to be a fantastic role model in your workplace.

But what skills need to be built through their training program?

Here are five essential skills your new manager training curriculum needs to work on to set them (and your business!) up for success:

1. Making the Switch from Individual Contributor to First-Time Manager

It’s easy to work independently as a member of a team. You’re in control of the work you complete, not others, and it’s not your job to hound or motivate other people to meet their own deadlines. In fact, you were probably rewarded or even promoted because you were so productive as an individual contributor.

That’s not the job of a leader—which is why it’s so difficult to go from individual contributor to first-time manager.

You’ll need to teach your new managers how to deal with this change . They’ll need to learn how to get results through others, and paradoxically why they don’t want to quickly answer questions and solve problems.  

This is perhaps the most difficult transition for people to make, yet with the proper framework, awareness, and training, it can be done.

2. How To Give Effective Feedback

Employees thrive on feedback. It’s the best way to provide actionable advice that’ll help them improve in their job, especially when 92% of employees believe redirective feedback improves performance. In fact, not giving feedback will actually disengage team members as they feel that they don’t matter, or they are not advancing in their skillset and career.

But there’s a difference between just criticizing someone and giving effective feedback. Instead of shying away from giving constructive criticism, or unknowingly de-motivating staff with the negative wording of their suggestions, educate your first-time managers on the basics of delivering actionable, effective, and meaningful feedback. They need to learn when and where to give the feedback and an effective 3-part strategy for making the feedback a positive experience for all involved.

Their entire team, and your organization, will benefit!

3. How To Delegate Effectively

“Why should I delegate when it’s so much easier to do it myself?” is a common question that many first-time managers might ask. Granted, they do have a point. We all want to simplify our to-do list, right?

And in fact, it often is faster and easier for the manager to just do it. After all, in most cases, they have more experience or talent than their direct reports.

But new managers need to realize that delegating isn’t just to save themselves time; delegating develops their team members. It increases the future capacity of the entire team.

And effective delegation is different than just dumping assignments on people. New managers need to learn how to prepare the task, assign it to the right person, do appropriate check-ins, and conduct a final evaluation.

As a result of delegation, the relationship between both can develop since trust is being built. That’s something you’ll need to focus on, considering just 20% of the workforce trust their management team.

4. One-on-One Meetings

Somewhere along the road, meetings have gained a reputation for being a huge waste of time.

While you don’t want to be the type of company having meetings about meetings, first-time managers need to understand the power of weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with each team member.

One-on-ones or O3s have the dual benefit of engaging the team member and increasing work results. As the O3 is considered the direct report's meeting, communication scores increase, and feelings that the manager cares about them as an individual skyrocket.

The meeting is also great for alignment. Has the team member been working on the wrong thing? Have they been delivered the wrong information? Are they waiting for a co-worker to complete something, but a mismatch in communication means the project is stalled for no reason?

All these questions, plus many other common team problems, can be highlighted—and more importantly, resolved—with productive one-on-one meetings.

5. Coaching

Old school management was about setting expectations and measurable objectives and making sure employees were meeting or exceeding them. Falling short was often handled with stern warnings and “progressive discipline.”

Today, managers need to move from performance management to performance development . Managers need to be continuously coaching their team members to higher and higher levels of performance. This means new managers need to master a new skill set: coaching. How can they use goals, accountability, and questioning to elicit the performance they need while engaging their team members in a positive relationship?

Coaching can come in a variety of forms. But whether they’re helping staff with their own professional development or career growth (something 87% of millennials say is very important) or addressing a more acute issue, it’s critical all new leaders work on this skill.

Open to Further New Manager Training? Develop These Other 6 Skills

We all know there’s more that goes into a managerial role than just five skills.

Although each five are extremely important (and could make or break the success of your first-time manager), you could also consider building these six management skills into your onboarding process:

• Excellent communication : Deadlines, budgets, and to-dos keep a team in sync, but you can’t achieve perfect harmony if your new managers can’t communicate effectively. Productivity improves by up to 25% in organizations with connected and informed employees, which is why your new managers need to learn how to listen, explain things clearly, and make sure their team understands what they’re saying.
• Team building : “Teamwork makes the dreamwork,” right? It’s true: Companies and organizations that communicate effectively are 4.5x more likely to retain the best employees. Your manager’s department won’t meet deadlines (or do the work) if they don’t work together. They need to learn what motivates their team and understand how to foster a community of teamwork.
• Reflective and problem-solving skills : Has something gone wrong? Whether it’s a mismatch in expectations or an individual’s fault, managers should be able to spot the problem by reflecting on it and find a way to prevent it from happening again.
• Resilience : All leaders should be role models for their team, but that can’t be achieved if your new managers aren’t resilient. In the words of Amy Modglin , “the true grit of a leader is not how they perform during the good times but rather how they display emotional strength, courage, and professionalism during the most trying times.”
• Adaptability : It’s not uncommon for things to go against plan (It’s why plan B is so popular!). But, if that happens, your new managers should know how to adapt. This is something 91% of HR directors predicted would be a major recruitment goal in the future.
• Restorative practice : Have two team members fallen out, or suffering with a bunch of employees that aren’t listening to their manager? Your new managers should learn restorative practice and understand how to resolve conflicts in the workplace—something that causes 385 million working hours to be lost every year.

What Should My New Manager Training Program Include?

Now you know the skills a new manager should learn, but what should the new manager curriculum look like—what delivery options should it have—to be effective?

Here’s what your onboarding process for first-time managers should include:

1. Personality Assessments

Leadership actually begins with self-awareness. All of the critical skills are made effective with a proper understanding of individual differences, communication styles, and how to modulate inappropriate behavior. Before you begin to offer courses for your new managers, it’s wise to make them more self-aware and understand themselves.

This can be done through personality tests such as:

• Five Factor Model (The “Big 5”)
• Myers-Brigg
• 16Personalities

The results of your new managers’ personality assessments could also give you a better indication of the type of manager they’ll be and give them a roadmap for further self-development.

2. Strengths Profiles

Personality is an effective starting point, but it should be built upon with a good strengths profile.

These psychological assessments will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your managers, giving you insights into managing them, and giving them insights into how to work in a style that will give them the most results and the most energy.

You could use strengths profile tests such as:

• VIA Character Strengths
• Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI)
• CliftonStrengths(R)

…to do this, and help your first-time managers be one of the people who’re 6 times more likely to be engaged at work after understanding their strengths!

3. New Manager Curriculum Courses

When you’re building your onboarding program for first-time managers, it’s important to pick courses that cover the fundamentals that’ll set them up for success.

New manager courses could come in the form of in-person workshops, virtual remote workshops, or on-demand videos for self-paced learning. But regardless of the format you choose, you’ll need to make sure they cover everything a first-time manager needs to learn.

That includes the five key skills we discussed earlier:

• Making the switch from individual contributor to first-time manager
• Effective feedback
• One-on-one meetings

So, are there any pre-built courses you can refer staff to when they’re completing your new manager training program?

Here are five companies that offer courses for first-time managers:

• LEADx – Leadership Development for the Modern Workforce : Built to be the ultimate online resource for new managers, this online academy houses lessons on everything a new manager should know—from management essentials to more advanced courses on leadership, communication, and productivity. LEADx is the only new manager program that is powered by IBM Watson artificial intelligence to offer a truly hyper-personalized experience.
• Helmsley Fraser : This live in-person program takes two days to complete, and provides new managers with real-life insights on what it’s like to be a manager, along with practical examples of issues they may be dealing with in their role.
• BPP Professional Development : Another two-day workshop, this new manager training program is designed to build the confidence of your new hires, and guide them towards being motivating, empowering leaders.
• Ken Blanchard : Built for staff considering the transition into management, or first-time managers without much experience, this workshop covers goal setting, praising, redirecting, and wrapping up.
• Advantexe : Using a unique, “simulation-centric” program, this training course gives managers the chance to react to real-life problems they might face in the workplace. They’ll receive personalized feedback on the way they react to events, make decisions and resolve issues.

How Do Your New Managers Learn Most Effectively?

Along with the curriculum you’ll need to build for a first-time manager, you’ll also need to put some thought into the way you deliver it. There are seven main learning styles most adult learners rely on.

But with the average age of the first-time manager being 30, most new managers today are in the millennial generation—a group of people who have wildly different learning styles, preferences, and demands than other generations.

In fact, the Global Leadership Forecast recently discovered these millennial managers loathe the long, traditional PowerPoint-driven lectures. They specifically ask that any training they’re receiving be:

• Personalized
• Coaching-based

Could that be the reason why new mobile-first and online formats of content are becoming increasingly popular?

Podcasts, short on-demand webinars, book summaries, and even AI-powered chatbots are revolutionizing the online education world, which is why you should investigate whether emerging forms of training should form part of your new manager leadership training.

The Importance of Ongoing Coaching

Did you know that 87% of companies admit to not doing an excellent job at developing leaders at all levels? The training and support you’re delivering to first-time managers shouldn’t stop when they’ve completed their training.

You need to coach your leaders—even if they’ve passed their first few months of management with flying colors.

Here’s how to coach your first-time managers, and make sure they’re leading your team effectively in the months (or years) that pass their initial training.

1. Pick the Right Coach

There’s no use in assigning a coach to your first-time manager if they don’t get along and choose not to confide in them.

The aim of coaching is to support and develop them into an asset to your company, right? That’s tricky—and almost impossible—if there’s a poor relationship between your new manager and their mentor.

So, focus on picking the right coach for your first-time manager.

Ideally, it should be someone with experience managing a similar team. For example: A senior marketing manager could be the perfect coach for a new social media manager since they have experience within that field.

2. Set Regular Check-ins

The “sink or swim” method shouldn’t be your motto throughout the first few months of your new managers’ role. Why? Because your new managers might be struggling with something and not realize there’s an easier way to do it until their mentor shows them.

However, setting regular check-ins can prevent this from causing problems in your workplace. By setting weekly or bi-weekly (but no longer than monthly) catch-ups, you can spot and solve them before their entire team suffers.

3. Get Feedback from Their Team

It’s hard to self-evaluate. Even if your first-time managers know what they need to work on, they might not be as good at confidently saying the things they’re proud of.

However, supporting their sessions with feedback from the team they’re managing can help them quickly improve—and give them confidence they’re doing a good job!

That’s why you should regularly ask the mentor you’ve chosen to survey the new manager’s team for feedback. What are they doing well? What can they improve on? The answers to these questions could give them a confidence boost, while also creating a list of next steps to make them even better.

How to Measure Your New Managers’ Success

Your new manager and their mentor have had weekly meetings for the past six months. But, you might still be questioning: Are there any other methods I can use to determine how successful my new managers are?

The short answer is yes.

Here are two types of surveys you can use to get a broader take on the performance of your first-time manager:

Employee Engagement Survey

After your managers have at least 6-12 months of experience, you should establish a quantitative measure of their performance.

One reliable measure is to include them in your employee engagement surveys. These feedback forms help you to analyze how engaged your entire workforce is , their happiness at work and discover how effective their managers actually are.

But, don’t keep the results of your employee engagement surveys private.

Once your staff has filled in this survey, give your first-time manager their own score. That way, they’ll be able to see their performance, and how it stacks up to other managers.

360 Surveys

You could also factor in 360 surveys as a way to measure the success of your new managers.

Robust multi-rater 360 surveys gather feedback from the manager’s team members themselves—giving individual managers personalized feedback on their work.

A 360 survey typically includes feedback on:

• Overall team satisfaction
• Manager effectiveness
• Performance against a variety of competencies

Affordable Manager Training That Works

Effective manager training, delivered in a way that leaders actually enjoy using it, is the key to higher employee engagement and productivity, and less conflict and turnover. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. 

At LEADx, we are legendary for turning millennial managers into legacy leaders, and for creating great places to work. Request a demo and see how we can help.

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Guide to Inspiring Time Management Presentation (+ Free Template) in 2024

Astrid Tran • 05 April, 2024 • 8 min read

One of the biggest challenges with time management is that there are only 24 hours in a day. 

Time flies. 

We can’t create more time, but we can learn to use the time we have more effectively.

It is never too late to learn about time management, whether you are a student, researcher, employee, leader, or professional. 

So, an effective time management presentation should include what information? Should we put effort into designing a compelling time management presentation? 

You will find out the answer in this article. So let’s get over it!

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• Spin more fun with top title ideas
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Table of Contents

• Time management presentation for employees
• Time management presentation for leaders and professionals
• Time management presentation for students
• Time management presentation ideas (+ Downloadable templates)
• Time management presentation FAQs

Time Management Presentation for Employees

What makes a good time management presentation for employees? Here is some key information to put on the presentation that certainly inspires employees.

Start with the Why

Begin the presentation by explaining the importance of time management for personal and professional growth. Highlight how effective time management can lead to reduced stress, increased productivity, better work-life balance, and career advancement.

Planning and Scheduling

Provide tips on how to create daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Encourage the use of tools like to-do lists, calendars, or time-blocking techniques to stay organized and on track.

📌 Brainstorm your planning with idea board , by asking the right open-ended questions

Share Success Stories

Share real-life success stories from employees or colleagues who have implemented effective time management strategies and witnessed positive outcomes. Hearing relatable experiences can inspire others to take action.

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Time Management Presentation for Leaders and Professionals

Presenting about time management training PPT among leaders and professionals is a different story. They are too familiar with the concept and many of them are masters in this field. 

So what can make the time management PPT stand out and attract their attention? You can learn from TedTalk to get more unique ideas to level up your presentation.

Customization and Personalization

Offer personalized time management recommendations during the presentation. You could conduct a brief survey before the event and tailor some of the content based on the participants’ specific challenges and interests.

Advanced Time Management Techniques

Instead of covering the basics, focus on introducing advanced time management techniques that these leaders might not be familiar with. Explore cutting-edge strategies, tools, and approaches that can take their time management skills to the next level.

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Make the most of your 5 minutes with a free interactive presentation tool!

Time Management Presentation for Students

How do you talk to your students about time management?

Students should equip themselves with time management skills in early childhood. It is not only helpful to help them stay organised, but also leads to a balance between academics and interests. These are some tips that you can make your time management presentation become more interesting:

Explain the Importance

Help students understand why time management is crucial for their academic success and overall well-being. Emphasize how effective time management can reduce stress, improve academic performance, and create a healthy work-life balance. 

The Pomodoro Technique

Explain the Pomodoro Technique, a popular time management method involving the brain working in focused intervals (e.g., 25 minutes) followed by short breaks. It can help students maintain focus and increase productivity.

Goal Setting

Teach students how to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. In your time management presentation, remember to guide them in breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps.

Time Management Presentation Ideas (+ Downloadable Templates)

To add more effectiveness to the time management presentation, don’t forget to create activities that make it easy for the audience to retain information and engage in discussion. Here are some ideas to add to the time management PowerPoint.

Q&A and Interactive Activities

Good ideas of time management PPTs with activities can be interactive elements like polls , quizzes , or group discussions to keep employees engaged and reinforce key concepts. Also, allocate time for a Q&A session to address any specific concerns or questions they might have. Check out the top Q&A apps you could use in 2024!

Time management presentation PowerPoint

Remember, the presentation should be visually appealing, and concise, and avoid overwhelming employees with too much information. Use relevant graphics, charts, and examples to illustrate the concepts effectively. A well-designed presentation can ignite employees’ interest and drive positive changes in their time management habits.

How to start a time management ppt with AhaSlides?

Leverage AhaSlides to deliver creative time management slides. AhaSlides provides all kinds of quiz templates and games that definitely enhance your slides. 

How it works:

• Log in to your AhaSlides account or create a new one if you don’t have it yet.
• Once logged in, click on the “Create New” button and select “Presentation” from the options.
• AhaSlides offers various pre-designed templates. Look for a time management template that suits your presentation’s theme.
• AhaSlides integrates into PowerPoint and Google Slides so you can add directly AhaSlides into your ppt.
• You can set a time limit to your questions if you tend to create interactive activities during your presentation.

Looking for time management templates? We have a time management template free for you!

⭐️ Want more inspiration? Check out AhaSlides templates right away to unlock your creativity!

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Time Management Presentation FAQs

Is time management a good topic for presentation.

Talking about time management is an interesting topic for people of all ages. It is easy to add some activities to make a presentation engaging and captivating.

How do you manage time during a presentation?

There are several ways to manage time during a presentation, for example, set a time limit for each activity that engages with participants, rehearse with a timer, and use visuals effectively

How do you start a 5 minute presentation?

If you want to present your ideas within 5 minutes , it is worth noting to keep slides up to 10-15 slides and use presentation tools like AhaSlides.

Ref: Slideshare

Astrid Tran

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Ryan Salame, part of the ‘inner circle’ at collapsed crypto exchange FTX, sentenced to prison

Ryan Salame, 30, who was a high-ranking executive at FTX for most of the exchange’s existence, leaves Federal Court, in New York, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Salami, the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, pleaded guilty to illegally making unlawful U.S. campaign contributions and to operating a unlicensed money transmitting business last year, was sentenced to 7.5-years in prison, plus 3 years of supervised release. (AP Photo/Lawrence Neumeister)

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NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced former FTX executive Ryan Salame to more than seven years in prison, the first of the lieutenants of failed cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried to receive jail time for their roles in the 2022 collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange.

Salame, 30, was a high-ranking executive at FTX for most of the exchange’s existence and, up until its collapse, was the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets. He pleaded guilty last year to illegally making unlawful U.S. campaign contributions and to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.

The sentence of 7 1/2 years in prison, plus three years of supervised release, was more than the five to seven years prosecutors had asked Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to impose on Salame in their pre-sentencing memo.

While Salame was a high-level executive at FTX, he was not a major part of the government’s case against Bankman-Fried at his trial earlier this year and did not testify against him. In a bid for leniency, Salame said during the sentencing hearing that he cooperated and even provided documents that aided prosecutors in their cross examination of Bankman-Fried, as well as in his own prosecution.

Along with helping Bankman-Fried hide the holes in FTX’s balance sheet that ultimately led to the exchange’s failure, Salame was used as a conduit for Bankman-Fried to make illegal campaign contributions to help shape U.S. policy on cryptocurrencies. On the surface, Bankman-Fried mostly gave political contributions to Democrats and liberal-leaning causes, while Salame gave contributions to Republicans and right-leaning causes.

But ultimately the funds that Salame used for those contributions came from Bankman-Fried.

Kaplan said Salame “knew precisely what he was doing … and the whole idea was to hide it from the world. Astonishing!”

The judge also chastised Salame for pulling $5 million in cryptocurrencies out of FTX as the exchange was failing.

“You tried to withdraw tens of millions more,” Kaplan said. “It was me first. I’m getting in the lifeboat first. To heck with all those customers.”

Salame apologized to FTX customers and his family, saying that he and others had good intentions, though he added: “I fully understand that the means I sought to achieve these goals were illegal.”

Before he was sentenced, Salame gave brief remarks saying he was “beginning my path to redemption.”

“I accept what’s next,” he said.

Three other high-level executives at FTX are awaiting sentencing for their roles in the exchange’s collapse: Caroline Ellison, who was CEO of the FTX hedge fund Alameda Research, Gary Wang, the co-founder of FTX, and Nishad Singh, FTX’s head of engineering. All three cooperated with prosecutors and testified at trial against Bankman-Fried in exchange for potentially suspended prison sentences.

Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

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Milwaukee Brewers Fans Troll Chicago Cubs and Craig Counsell on Monday

Brad wakai | 2 hours ago.

• Chicago Cubs

Monday wasn't the first time the Chicago Cubs played their rival Milwaukee Brewers this season, but it was the first time that Craig Counsell returned to face his old team.

It was shocking to everyone across Major League Baseball when the all-time winningest manager in Brewers history decided to not re-sign and departed for the rival Cubs as a free agent.

Chicago made him the highest-paid baseball skipper ever in hopes that he could elevate this roster and future iterations into becoming a perennial contender.

That looked like the case early on as they had to navigate multiple injuries to key contributors while still putting together a winning season and holding a lead in the NL Central at one point.

However, things have fallen off a bit for the Cubs, having lost five straight and eight out of their last 10 games to put them at .500 on the year.

Milwaukee fans were ready for Counsell's return, booing him during the video tribute put together by their organization.

After they put up five runs in the eighth inning to hand Chicago the loss, their fans decided it was time to get some revenge of their own, taunting Cubs fans on their way out of the ballpark.

Brewers fans were flying the L at Cubs fans who were headed home from Milwaukee today pic.twitter.com/plpwLnOyTk — Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 28, 2024

This is what makes sports great.

Rivalries between franchises and their fanbases fuel regional battles and make divisional races that much more interesting, especially when things could be tight like in the NL Central.

There are still three more games to go in this series, so there is plenty of time for Chicago to get the last laugh before heading out of town.

But, it's safe to say Brewers fans are savoring this moment as one person on social media dropped a diss track aimed at Counsell.

🎶 "A Cubbie That We Used To Know" 🎶 If you enjoy this, please make sure to follow us and share! Thanks so much! #ThisIsMyCrew 📷 #staycrispy #Brewers #MLB #Youhavetoseeit 📷 pic.twitter.com/R5HTsPh2KT — The Crispy Brothers (@BrothersCrispy) May 28, 2024

Even Cubs fans have to applaud the effort that went into this.

Here's the other thing, though.

While Milwaukee fans are clearly bitter about Counsell leaving to take a job with their rivals and are having a little fun at the expense of him right now, it's not going to change the fact that Chicago got their guy.

Counsell will be on the North Side barring something completely unforseen.

Now, hopefully the Cubs are able to get out of this series with a victory.

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai