The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

by Julie Zhuo

Lastly, are your reports establishing healthy processes for their teams?

Would you hire this person again if the role were open? If the answer is no, make the move.

“Try to double your leadership capacity every year.”

spend your time and energy on the intersection of 1) what’s most important to the organization and 2) what you’re uniquely able to do better than anyone else.

a monthly Wednesday-night mixer, grew so popular that it expanded beyond our team to become a regular meet-and-greet for the local design community.

Beyond your individual superpowers, there are a few other patterns that lie at the intersection of “important to the organization” and “you can add unique value.”

Identifying and communicating what matters.

common design pattern library

Hiring top talent.

No matter if you are the CEO or a front-line manager, building a great team is one of the most important things you can do.

Resolving conflicts within my group.

Make sure your leaders know to quickly escalate to you whenever two goals come into conflict or when the priorities aren’t clear.

“If you delegated everything you did today to someone else, do you think there’d be no more problems left for you to solve?”

The act of constantly trying to replace yourself means that you create openings to stretch both your leaders and yourself. Right ahead is another mountain that’s bigger and scarier than the one before. Everyone keeps climbing, and everyone achieves more together.

Monthly “Learn how to paint/sculpt/craft” nights to encourage creativity and beginner’s mindset

A gigantic “customer love” stuffed teddy bear awarded to the person who went above and beyond to help a customer in the past month

Monday morning yoga sessions to promote mindfulness

“Fail of the week,” where people share their mistakes in a safe forum to encourage authenticity and learning

internal Q&A on Friday afternoons,

Pay attention to your own actions—the little things you say and do—as well as what behaviors

you are rewarding or discouraging.

Our space is covered with art and the artifacts of our culture.

to “Be

“You’ve built a great team, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Good luck in your path ahead. Go out with your team and make something wonderful together.