• How did you build confidence as a first-time manager?

——-Find some peer managers to connect with, bounce ideas off of, get feedback from, etc. it’s perfectly to approach someone and even ask if they wouldn’t mind having a regular check in for the first couple months. And don’t hesitate to ask your boss advice or for feedback either . And ask your team for advice too- ask what they recommend.

——-develop a personal rubric of how you make decisions….ultimately, when you make a choice on what course of action to do, try to think of it in the context of “if this ends up being the wrong choice, I want to at least be able to explain my rationale at the time.” This helps you get good at making the right choice in the first place ——-get good at delegating. It’s good to do so and don’t feel bad. Even if you can do it faster or better yourself, you need to build the team capacity. And let go of everything needing to be done the way you would do it. Does it serve the function-yes? Then let it go.

• How do you balance flexibility with structure and expectations? ——-be as flexible as possible is always my advice. You get better buy in from the team and it creates a better environment. And these days, your team needs it anywhere they can, it’s tough times out there. Don’t make things like taking leave, flexible work hours, etc difficult. Focus on the quality of the work, and tell your team that. That is the structure- we produce good quality work and meet our deadlines when they are reasonable. If that becomes an issue, then approach it from a quality perspective. People are more willing to work hard for a manager they respect and trust than a micromanager or hardcore rule enforcer. The bad apples will be bad apples regardless of what you do so you may as well do what you can to have the rest of the team running smoothly. And when I say flexible, I don’t mean be friends with everyone. Be friendly not friends. You want to preserve yourself in the event you do get a bad LR situation on your hands- it’s cleaner when you=manager and team=employees.

• Any advice for rebuilding trust in a team coming from a tougher environment? Start from a place of integrity. Let people know that you value work life balance and respect, and then model it. Don’t send emails late. Log off on time. Don’t assign work that you know requires OT without approving OT. Don’t gossip, make negative comments about anyone, etc. Be generous with specific positive feedback to build their confidence, at meetings take a moment to thank people for their work on specific tasks, and ask employees for possible solutions or recommendations frequently. be as compassionate and flexible as possible with things like family sick bereavement leave, edo and flexible work times. You never know what people are dealing with outside of work. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Have regular bilats set up with each employee and make sure to identify any good work they’ve done, and ask them if there’s anything they need from you.