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

by Julie Zhuo

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE On a scale from one to nine, with nine being “we’re 100 percent there” and one being “this is the opposite of our team,” how close is your current team from your aspirations? What shows up as both a strength of your team as well as a quality you value highly? Where are the biggest gaps between your current team culture and your aspirations? What are the obstacles that might get in the way of reaching your aspirations? How will you address them?

Imagine how you want your team to work in a year’s time. How would you describe to a report what you hope will be different then compared to now?

Personal prompts (like “Favorite childhood movie” or “Best gift you ever received at Christmas”) at the start of a meeting so people can get to know their teammates better 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

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

Rather, how far you get will be the sum of the millions of actions taken by your team during the small, quotidian moments. How does everyone treat each other? How do you solve problems together? What are you willing to give up to act in accordance with your values?

Then she gave me one of the best compliments I’ve ever received: “You’ve built a great team, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”