Thinking back on the managers I’ve had over the years, I’ve been relatively fortunate. I’ve never had a full-on toxic or abusive manager. But they’ve all been either a bit micromanage-y or totally hands-off, mostly the latter.
The hands-off managers left me a lot of space to do what I wanted to do, but I rarely had a sense of how my work fit into something larger. And I was usually on my own when I ran into impediments outside my control.
In this week’s Humanizing Work Show episode, we answer a great question from a listener:
I just got promoted from developer to development manager, and I want to do my new role well. What should I be thinking about? What should I avoid?
This person realizes that the manager role is a very different role from an individual contributor role and that being a good developer is no guarantee of being a good development in manager. In response to their question, Peter and I look at 3 common mistakes new managers make and recommend 3 things to focus on to do the job well.
If you’re a manager, this episode can help you ensure you’re giving attention to the right things. If you’re an individual contributor, it can help you know what to ask for from your manager (who probably wants to do the right thing, but who, like most managers, probably hasn’t had much training for their actual job).
Check it out, and let us know what’s useful and what additional questions you’d like to hear us address!
Richard Lawrence
Humanizing Work Founder, Trainer, and Coach
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