Happy 2025! Am I still allowed to say that when it’s already February?

If you’re new here or want more context about who I am, my philosophy, and what this is all about, check out the first edition.

‘I have a new manager. What should I do first?’

With a new year typically comes reorganizations, new hires, and new managers. For those in the tech space, getting a new manager every year is kind of the norm.

Regardless of your industry, a new manager equals a massive opportunity that you should take advantage of. Here are my tips:

1. Be proactive but not pushy - As a leader, meeting with your direct reports should be the #1 priority, however sometimes you arrive on day 1 and there’s a laundry list of priorities (because everything is a priority, right? 😉).

   • If you have a meeting set up with your new manager within their first week, I’d recommend sending an email in advance with, “Here’s what I would love to cover. Is there anything specific you want to discuss?”

   • If you don’t have a meeting already scheduled, then reach out! Send a note saying something like, “I’m so excited that you’re here and looking forward to working with you. I’d love to meet to discuss XYZ. Please let me know the best way to get on your calendar.”

2. Let your work speak for itself - I once joined a team and someone had put together a presentation of everything they were doing and how busy they were. It felt like a combination of justifying their job and vying for a promotion. My immediate reaction was to be bummed; I wished they had dedicated the time they spent making the presentation on something that was more of a value-add. The bottom line is that good managers can spot strong talent. Most of the time, it’s going to take several weeks or months before they make a move on people changes such as promotions, reorganizations, etc. Keep doing great work and give them time to make their own observations.

3. Share your expectations and goals - To build on #2, I do think it’s important to have open conversations with your manager about your goals, expectations, and how you prefer to work. This just doesn’t need to happen in week 1. I recommend teeing up this conversation during your first check in by suggesting that you spend a portion of your next 1:1 discussing how you’d like to work together to ensure success plus what your career goals are.

4. Be positive but real - While it’s natural to feel like a new manager can help solve frustrations that you may have, it’s disheartening to start a new job and encounter nonstop negativity. Talk about immediately halting the Kool-Aid. Try not to kick off your relationship with a laundry list of things that are going wrong. If there are challenges that you want to surface, share context (‘here’s what we’ve done so far to try to solve this’) and frame the discussion with solutions (‘here’s where we could use your help/insight’). This will set you up to be viewed as a problem-solver rather than a negative nelly.

5. Be kind - I can say from experience that the more senior the job, the more lonely it typically is. And no matter how confident someone may seem, everyone has some nerves when they start a new role. Kindness and warmth go a long way in building trusting relationships so I recommend approaching your new manager with both of these values at the forefront.

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What I’ll Answer Next Time:

I have some personal issues going on. When and what do I need to tell my work?

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Disclaimer: This newsletter is purely opinion-based and nothing included should be interpreted or construed as legal or professional advice. If you want professional advice, I’d love to work with you. Please reach out.