The New Manager’s Survival Guide

Knowing what to expect as a new manager is one thing. Knowing what to actually do with your first few months is another. This is the practical half: a straightforward approach to your first ninety days, and some guidance for one of the more uncomfortable situations you are likely to run into early on.

Here is what I have found actually helps: you do not need to have everything figured out in week one. In fact, trying to prove that you do may result in a credibility hit and will probably make things harder.

A simple 30-60-90 day plan can remove a lot of that pressure.

First 30 days: listen

In the first thirty days, your job is not to come in and fix everything. It is to listen.

Sit down individually with each person on your team. Ask what is working, what is not, what they would change if they could, and what they need from you specifically. Listen to the answers, even when you think you already know them. The value in this is twofold: first, and probably most importantly, the employees in your charge feel heard. Second, you will likely gather a great deal of useful information to inform your next steps.

By the end of that first month, you will probably have two general categories in front of you: the “low-hanging fruit” you can address fairly quickly, and the larger, more entrenched issues that are going to take some time.

Days 30–60: quick wins, then a plan

Between days thirty and sixty, start with the low-hanging fruit.

There is nothing wrong with a few quick wins. They demonstrate that you listened, that you are willing to act, and that telling you (i.e., being vulnerable) something actually leads somewhere. That matters.

At the same time, begin putting together a plan for the bigger issues. Depending on the team you inherited, those issues could involve process, staffing, performance, communication, workload, or any number of things. You do not necessarily need to solve them during this period, but they should no longer be sitting untouched.

Days 60–90: tackle the larger issues

Then, somewhere between days sixty and ninety, begin moving more directly into those larger issues. Prioritize based on what you know. In many cases, this is a good time to go over the list with your own manager so you can factor in historical knowledge and validate the priorities you have assigned.

This is where the job starts to feel a little more like management and a little less like orientation. Some of the decisions will be harder. Some will take longer than you expected. You may also discover that something you were convinced was a problem during week two looks very different by week ten.

That is part of the reason you listened first.

By day ninety, you should have established some kind of rhythm with your team: regular 1-on-1s™, clear expectations, visible follow-through, and progress underway on the things that actually matter.

Notice I did not say everything should be fixed by day ninety. It won’t be. And that’s okay—it shouldn’t be.

When a former peer becomes your direct report

There is another situation I have seen catch new managers off guard, particularly when they were promoted from within the team: one of your former peers is now your direct report, and their performance is not where it needs to be.

Yesterday you were having lunch together, complaining about deadlines, customers, or maybe even your manager. Today, you are their manager.

That can get awkward quickly.

The temptation is usually to go in one of two directions. You avoid the conversation because of the existing relationship, or you swing too far in the other direction and suddenly become painfully formal because you are trying to establish that things have changed.

Neither works particularly well.

The relationship has changed, and there is nothing wrong with acknowledging that. You can still have a good relationship with a former peer while also being clear that your responsibilities are different now.

If there is a performance issue, address it the same way you would with anyone else on the team: directly, respectfully, and early.

Do not make the mistake of believing you are doing someone a favor by avoiding an uncomfortable conversation. Most of the time, you are simply postponing it while allowing the problem to become more difficult for both of you.

Consistency over perfection

None of this is going to happen perfectly, nor does it need to.

What matters is consistency. Listen. Follow through. Have the conversations you need to have. Keep track of commitments. And establish a rhythm you can actually sustain after your first ninety days are over.

That last part matters more than it may seem. Great 1-on-1 meetings are rarely the result of one brilliant conversation. They are built over time through preparation, consistency, follow-through, and a growing understanding of the person sitting across from you.

That is also a big part of why we built Winning 1-on-1s™. It gives managers structure around those conversations without turning leadership into a formula. The goal is simple: help managers prepare better, have better conversations, and make sure the things discussed actually go somewhere.

If that sounds useful, take a look at winning1-on-1s.com.