Here are six things I learned during my first six months as a manager at Insider Inc.
MoMo Lamping
June 2020 marked my sixth month as a manager at Insider Inc. on the People & Culture (P&C) team. Before that, I spent two years working my way up from Office Coordinator where I stocked office supplies and kitchen snacks to Operations and Culture Associate where I worked to establish a fun and inclusive company culture. Now, as Manager of Culture & Employee Experience, I work with members of the P&C team to grow our company culture in an effort to aid in recognition, growth, happiness, and exposure of all employees across the company. Here are six lessons I learned from my first few months in a managerial role.
Momo Lamping, Manager of Culture & Employee Experience
Set expectations from the start.
It’s no secret that good communication is essential to success. What I’ve learned these past six months is that JUST having open communication and being “available” to a direct report isn’t enough. You need to be clear and direct when setting expectations and always follow up in writing.
Setting clear expectations off the bat will save you and your direct report time and clarity at the end of the day. I speak from personal experience. In the past, I’ve had managers who were not clear about my duties, goals, and even general company policies. The time I wasted on questioning and doubting myself could have been remedied by having a direct conversation at the start.
I’ve also come to realize that following up in writing not only provides clarity and a chance for you to state anything you may have forgotten in the moment, but it creates a set record for both you and your direct report to reference moving forward.
There’s an adjustment period.
I went from being a member of the Culture team, as an equal to my peers, to managing that same team. I won’t pretend the shift was easy. There is an adjustment period with any shift in leadership, and I’d say this shift was even bigger given my past friendship with my direct report. I had to draw lines between our personal and professional relationships and find the balance between manager and friend. This adjustment period was long. It took several months for us to navigate the strange new terrain, but by giving it time and trusting each other, we were able to make it through to the green grass on the other side.
Pro tip: Address the elephant in the room and have an open discussion with your direct report where you collaborate on redefining your relationship expectations. Remember that this is new for both of you, so if you’re feeling awkward, chances are they are too.
Difficult conversations are not a bad thing.
As a manager, it is your job to encourage the best work possible from your team. In doing so, you may need to have a difficult conversation with a direct report. Before I became a manager, I thought these conversations were uncommon and viewed as a negative. But as a manager, I’ve come to realize that difficult conversations are not only common but important to have, as they are meant to get employees back on the track to success. Yes, they are hard to have, especially when you don’t want to fracture the relationship and trust you’ve built, but you need to frame them around the positive (e.g., “We have to confront this issue head-on because I want what’s best for you and your career path here. I know you’re capable of X, Y & Z.”)
To be a manager doesn’t mean you rule over your team. There must be collaboration and trust. You want to encourage your direct report to take an active role in their career development. Having a difficult conversation is a way of holding them accountable.
Imposter syndrome doesn’t disappear.
I used to think that managers had it all figured out — that’s why they’d been promoted to a position of power. So you can imagine my surprise when I became a manager and DID NOT have it all figured out. My imposter syndrome did not go away. In fact, it grew into a whole different beast. I was constantly worried about not only my personal successes and failures, but how my team's imperfections would reflect on me.
It’s important to not let your feelings of doubt fracture your trust in your team. I can’t do everything on my own, as much as I like to think I can. I’ve had to learn that although my imposter syndrome isn’t going anywhere, I’m not failing as a manager if my direct report makes a mistake.
It’s a big time commitment.
I never imagined how much of a time commitment being a manager would be. I knew that a good manager was always available and accessible, but boy was I surprised by how much time I needed to dedicate to managing a team. You don’t give up your regular day-to-day responsibilities when you become a manager, you shift to include the extra commitment. I’ve had to restructure my personal work schedule to include time for more meetings, remain accessible to my report, and still accomplish what I personally need to do in the day.
I highly recommend blocking out admin time on your calendar. I’ve found that scheduling time blocks where I work on my own projects allows me to not only have a set game plan for the day but also makes sure anyone who may be adding a meeting to my calendar isn’t cutting into my time to focus.
You never stop learning.
I am a firm believer that there is never a point in life where you know everything. You should always be learning. That statement has never been more clear to me than it has these past six months. Before my promotion I was content with my responsibilities, I felt secure and comfortable at Insider, and I thought I knew the lay of the land. I attended Manager 101 training several months before my promotion and that was a big wake up call. I was suddenly learning about policies and procedures I didn’t even know existed, let alone pertained to my new title. It was like someone dropped me onto an obstacle course and turned out the lights.
It’s always good to remember that no one person knows everything, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to other managers and even talk to your own manager about their experiences. Everyone has their own style and everyone can still learn something new when it comes to managing. I also want to point out that Insider has a great library of trainings and resources available to everyone on our Learning Management System, and many other companies are investing in similar resources, so don’t be afraid to reach out to your Culture, Human Resources, or Talent team to see what support they can provide.