Being a new manager is scary.
60% fail within 18 months.
15 principles that will put you in the top 1%:
60% fail within 18 months.
15 principles that will put you in the top 1%:
1. Be Clear:
• Everyone should know what success looks like.
• What's the north star metric (revenue, users, etc.)?
• How does each role contribute to it?
• Target in hand, people can get to work.
• Everyone should know what success looks like.
• What's the north star metric (revenue, users, etc.)?
• How does each role contribute to it?
• Target in hand, people can get to work.
2. Be Ethical:
• Good companies need guiding principles.
• Leaders must define them, articulate them and uphold them.
• If you act contrary to principle, you undermine them.
• Give your employees a compass.
• Good companies need guiding principles.
• Leaders must define them, articulate them and uphold them.
• If you act contrary to principle, you undermine them.
• Give your employees a compass.
3. Be Forgiving:
• Honest mistakes happen.
• Once is a lesson; twice is laziness or inattention.
• Dishonest behavior should be treated harshly.
• Honest mistakes happen.
• Once is a lesson; twice is laziness or inattention.
• Dishonest behavior should be treated harshly.
4. Be Rational:
• Explain your decisions, especially when people don't agree with them.
• Irrational leaders undermine trust.
• If you can’t articulate your decisions, why should anyone follow them?
• Direction becomes whim, rather than part of the vision.
• Explain your decisions, especially when people don't agree with them.
• Irrational leaders undermine trust.
• If you can’t articulate your decisions, why should anyone follow them?
• Direction becomes whim, rather than part of the vision.
5. Be Open:
• Assume there’s always a better idea, and it could come from anyone
• People will feel heard and want to contribute more.
• This will naturally improve the quality of ideas around you.
• And you’ll notice more of them.
• Assume there’s always a better idea, and it could come from anyone
• People will feel heard and want to contribute more.
• This will naturally improve the quality of ideas around you.
• And you’ll notice more of them.
6. Be Transparent:
• Remote-first work means people are alone with their thoughts a lot.
• The imagination will naturally fill in gaps when we don’t have the facts.
• This can breed fear and alienation.
• Transparency unites.
• Remote-first work means people are alone with their thoughts a lot.
• The imagination will naturally fill in gaps when we don’t have the facts.
• This can breed fear and alienation.
• Transparency unites.
7. Be Trusting:
• Life is richer when you give people the benefit of the doubt.
• Our minds superimpose narratives on benign circumstances all the time.
• Practice separating facts from narrative.
• Life is richer when you give people the benefit of the doubt.
• Our minds superimpose narratives on benign circumstances all the time.
• Practice separating facts from narrative.
8. Be Flawed:
• When you make a mistake, own it in front of everyone.
• This builds trust and fosters honesty.
• Blame-first cultures are poisonous and lame.
• When you make a mistake, own it in front of everyone.
• This builds trust and fosters honesty.
• Blame-first cultures are poisonous and lame.
9. Be Brave:
• Some people were born with infallible self-confidence.
• The rest of us just show up and do the best we can.
• Fake it until you make it. Then fake it some more...
• Some people were born with infallible self-confidence.
• The rest of us just show up and do the best we can.
• Fake it until you make it. Then fake it some more...
10. Be Curious:
• Follow your energy.
• It’s hard to be great at something you’re not crazy about.
• Do more of what gets you in flow state.
• Delegate the other stuff to people better suited for it.
• Follow your energy.
• It’s hard to be great at something you’re not crazy about.
• Do more of what gets you in flow state.
• Delegate the other stuff to people better suited for it.
11. Be Real:
• Robots are for assembly lines.
• We do better work when connected to others.
• If people can’t get to know you, they’ll have no reason to care about you.
• Be human and find common ground.
• Robots are for assembly lines.
• We do better work when connected to others.
• If people can’t get to know you, they’ll have no reason to care about you.
• Be human and find common ground.
12. Reward Outcomes:
• It’s easy to be busy getting nothing done.
• The best people find a way.
• The rest react or wait to be told what to do.
• Focus on results to inspire action.
• It’s easy to be busy getting nothing done.
• The best people find a way.
• The rest react or wait to be told what to do.
• Focus on results to inspire action.
13. Call B.S., Discretely:
• It’s tempting to accept answers at face value, especially in large meetings.
• If you sense something's amiss, follow up privately.
• Weeks or months can be lost by taking things for granted.
• It’s tempting to accept answers at face value, especially in large meetings.
• If you sense something's amiss, follow up privately.
• Weeks or months can be lost by taking things for granted.
14. Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately:
• Great work should be recognized.
• It shows people their efforts matter and sets a benchmark for others.
• Save critical feedback for 1:1s.
• No one likes being called out publicly.
• It demotivates and breeds resentment.
• Great work should be recognized.
• It shows people their efforts matter and sets a benchmark for others.
• Save critical feedback for 1:1s.
• No one likes being called out publicly.
• It demotivates and breeds resentment.
15. Remove Obstacles:
• What's holding your team back?
• Tech backlog? Hire a freelancer.
• Manual tasks? Find a way to automate.
• Weak reporting? Get better analytics.
• What's holding your team back?
• Tech backlog? Hire a freelancer.
• Manual tasks? Find a way to automate.
• Weak reporting? Get better analytics.
That's it!
Thanks for reading.
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Thanks for reading.
Follow me for more on startups and marketing.
Please retweet the first tweet so others can enjoy.
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