Manager Monday: New-To-You Direct Reports

Welcome to our next installment of our Manager Monday series, where we explore tools, techniques and strategies to help you be a better manager.

Because life is too short for bad managers.

There are changes happening across a lot of industries right now. Widespread layoffs in some areas, hiring in others, and restructuring across even more, means that as a manager you may find yourself with new-to-you reports. Whether they come from inside your own company or are an internal hire, there’s always a bit of nervousness that comes with having a new manager. You are the new unknown and too often humans fill the unknown with worst-case scenarios. This can be particularly unsettling for folks, particularly if the change in management was unexpected.

As someone’s new manager, you have the opportunity to start folks out on the right foot, create some stability, and fill that unknown, creating a solid foundation for the new-to-you folks. How you show up in your folks first hours, days, and weeks are pivotal for your new reports’ experience both with you and on the team.

So what can you do to set yourself-and your reports- up for success?

Set up 1:1s right away.

• As soon as possible, set up a 1:1 with your new-to-you report. Even if it’s just a quick 15 minute meet-and-greet in the midst of larger organizational changes, taking the time to meet your report, acknowledge the situation, and address any immediate questions will go a long way to bringing some stability to your folks.

• Following this, set up regular 1:1s (weekly or bi-weekly) to connect, check-in, answer questions, address issues, and do your regular coaching and mentoring.

Be curious.

• If the person is new to your company, ask them about their previous experience, what they’re most excited about and what their strengths are. Set them up with a buddy on your team to amplify their support.

• If the person is new to your team but is coming from the same company, ask them about their projects and world of work: do they have any projects in-flight? Where can you see or read about their previous body of work? What energizes them the most at work? What drains their energy? Who else should you connect with to understand their world of work?

• Ask about them. How do they operate? When do they do their best work? Are they more morning people or evening people? How do they best process information? Do they learn best through reading, listening, discussion, or doing?

Set a baseline.

• Provide a list of team reporting and meeting cadences. When does your team meet? Ensure they’re added to the invite. Do you have any set practices, like when or how you ask for project updates? Or set templates for reporting? Do you have specific expectations for available times throughout the day? Do you use chat systems like WhatsApp or Slack, or do you primarily use email?

• Give clear expectations for the next few days or weeks, if your organization is experiencing some turmoil, or the next 30, 60, 90 days if they are new to your company.

• Share a little about you and how you operate- this contextualizes your actions moving forward and reduces likelihood of misinterpretation. Do you expect folks to respond after hours or is it ok for them to respond during normal business hours (let’s hope it’s the latter- but communicate that for clarity)? Do you have particular management philosophies (I like ‘praise in public, criticize in private’)? Are you trying to create a particular kind of culture (e.g. I try to create a culture of transparency, growth, and co-mentorship)? Do you push folks to be proactive and independent or should folks wait for approval and direction? What are your left and right boundaries in which folks can operate without needing to check-in?

Remember that everyone comes with their own management history, which can become a filter through which they are going to view and interpret your actions- the more you can provide context for your own actions, the less likely they are to misinterpret your words and actions.

How you show up when folks are new-to-you can either set you both up for a productive relationship or create an uphill battle for you both to climb. Which would you prefer?