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

by Julie Zhuo

lead is to know your strengths—the things you’re talented at and love to do.

remember them and hold them dear.

even brutally honest—so that we can get the most accurate information.

What opportunities do you see for me to do more of what I do well? What do you think are the biggest things holding me back from having greater impact?

whom you work closely with and ask if they’d be willing to share some feedback to help you improve.

our last project together, in what ways did you see me having impact?

What do you think went well with my presentation? What would have made it twice as good?”

share my early thinking with even more people so I can get ahead of any potential issues.

seek out the truth and ask for feedback because you know it’s the fastest path to get you where you want to go.

knowing which environments help you to do your best work and which situations trigger a negative reaction.

I’m able to process information alone (and through writing) before big discussions or decisions. I feel like I’m learning and growing.

Twice a year, I look back on the past six months and reflect on what I’ve gotten better at. Then, I set new learning goals for the next six months.

first is conjuring up a public figure you admire, someone who seems to have the perfect life, and Googling “[person’s name] struggle.” There is always a story.

we’re all biased? Part of the reason bias exists is that our brains are wired to take shortcuts so we can arrive at faster conclusions.

Not only can visualization improve your outcomes, it can also help you find confidence when you’re in the Pit.

See the crowd attentive and nodding along as someone asks a hard question and you answer it confidently. The key to successful visualization is to make the scene as specific as possible.

Linger in particular on that feeling of success at the very end—the pride you felt, the compliments you received, the confidence you gained.

Imagine a room full of your favorite people telling you what they love about you.

Admitting your struggles and asking for help is the opposite of weakness—in fact, it shows courage and self-awareness.

we’d go around the room and share what we were each grappling with—difficult relationships, uncertainty about our careers, struggles to balance parenthood with work.

still offer our hugs and sympathetic

When you need to build your confidence, remember to do the same by focusing on all the things that you are doing well.

You can’t do your best work unless you physically feel your best, so take care of yourself. It’s

How you can be most effective

will depend a lot on you: your strengths and growth areas, your personality and values.

How can I be twice as good?

there is a secret sauce to self-improvement, it’s to ask for feedback from other people all the time.

behavioral feedback.

“I’m working on making sure my point is clear in the first three minutes. Did that come across?

Always thank people for feedback. Even if you don’t agree with what’s said,

your own boss should be one of your best sources of learning.

“What skills do you think I should work on in order to have more impact?”

want to learn to become a better presenter, so I’d be grateful if you kept an eye out for opportunities where I can get in front of

In fact, the world is full of people who can teach us.

ask for specific advice instead, and you’ll find tons of people willing to help.

be an excellent source of support and advice.

has a keen ability to spot the best in everyone.

Where did you start? How far is there to go? Which parts were smooth and which

“participants who chose to reflect outperformed those who chose additional experience.”

what I accomplished, what I’m satisfied or dissatisfied with, and what I’m taking away for next week.

If spending ten hours being trained helps you be even 1 percent more efficient at your job, then it’s a good return on investment

(1 percent of time saved per year is about twenty hours).

it is possible to have a productive conversation with anyone about anything.

The better you are, the more you’re able to support others.

the most important character in your management journey: you.

learned something new that will help me be more effective at my job.

left with a clearer sense of what I should do next. Everyone was engaged. I felt welcomed.

What does a great outcome look like?

for the members of the team to feel closer to each other and collaborate more effectively.

Gives equal airtime to dissenting opinions and makes people feel that they were heard