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

by Julie Zhuo

A lot of this work is unglamorous. But because it’s important, it must be done, and if nobody else does it, then it falls to you.

If you’re committed to your purpose, then you will probably enjoy (or at least not mind) the variation that comes with the job. If, instead, there is a specific activity that you love too much to give up—whether it’s seeing patients, teaching students, writing code, or designing products—then you may find your personal goals at odds with what the team needs most.

number one priority is making their team successful, and they are willing to adapt to become the leaders that their organizations need.

Do I Like Talking with People?

the role isn’t likely to suit you if what you aspire for in a workday is long, uninterrupted blocks of quiet focus.

Can I Provide Stability for an Emotionally Challenging Situation?

You may need to tell someone that she isn’t meeting the expectations of her role.

People may break down and tell you about the difficult issues they face that affect their work—family problems, personal tragedies, health concerns, mental illnesses, and more.

some people are better than others at remaining steady and providing care and support through...

If you’re the friend whom others lean on in difficult times, who might be described as empathetic and undramatic, who can be counted on to defuse rather than escalate tensions, then you’ll be better equipped to deal with the range ...

roles like engineering or design offer parallel career paths once you reach a certain level of seniority—you can either grow as a manager or as an “individual contributor.” Both tracks afford equal opportunities for impact, growth, and compensation up to the C-level, which means that becoming a manager is not a promotion but rather a transition

in Silicon Valley, the “10x engineer”—someone whose output is the equivalent of ten typical engineers—is so sought after that he or she commands the same pay as directors and VPs managing dozens or hundreds of people.

managers do get to make a number of calls, those decisions must be in the interest of the team, otherwise they will lose trust and be rendered ineffective.

the root problem: None of the designers were truly sold on my idea. They didn’t think it was going to succeed.

I learned then one of my first lessons of management—the best outcomes come from inspiring people to action, not telling them what to do.

If you do try management and later realize that it isn’t what you want to do, that’s okay too. Have the honest conversation with your manager about your goals and ask her to help you explore alternative career paths.

Manager is a specific role, just as elementary school teacher and heart surgeon are specific roles.

Leadership, on the other hand, is the particular skill of being able to guide and influence other people.

“What makes a good leader is that they eschew the spotlight in favor of spending time and energy to do what they need to do to support and protect their people,

to be a great manager, one must certainly be a leader.

A leader, on the other hand, doesn’t have to be a manager.

If you can pinpoint a problem and motivate others to work with you to solve it, then you’re leading.

great managers should cultivate leadership not just in themselves but also within their teams.

while the role of a manager can be given to someone (or taken away), leadership is not something that can be bestowed. It must be earned. People must want to follow you.

You can be someone’s manager, but if that person does not trust or respect you, you will have limi...

Only when you have built trust with your reports will you have the credibility to help them achieve more together.

“What turned out to be more challenging than you expected, and what was easier than you expected?

there’s so much to learn and you feel overwhelmed.

Somebody—more likely many people—believed in you and your potential to lead a team. That’s why you’re holding this book.

Apprentice: Your manager’s team is growing, so you’ve been asked to manage a part of it going forward.

If you’re transitioning as an apprentice, work with your manager on a joint plan for getting started.

What will be my scope to start, and how do you expect it to change over time?

How will my transition be co...

What important team goals or processes should I be aware of and help push forward?

What does success look like in my first three and six months?

How can the two of us stay aligned on ...

make a list of all the things that are awesome about the current state of the world.

create a list of all the things that could be better.

Does it seem like priorities are always shifting?

These two lists give you the start of a plan for what you should ...

You don’t need to fix what isn’t broken, but neither should you feel like you’re stuck in a time machine of...

reflect on the biggest opportunities for improvement helps you understand how to best act as ...

“What do you want to be working toward in a year’s time?

“What do you consider your strengths?

don’t avoid those conversations, even if they feel awkward.

Think of yourself as a coach who is there to support and help your people reach their goals.

The manager–report relationship is different than the peer relationship. You are now responsible for the outcome of your team, including all the decisions that are made within it.

If something is getting in the way of great work happening, you need to address it swiftly and directly.

This may mean giving people difficult feedback or makin...

The sooner you internalize that you own the outcomes of your team, the easier it becomes t...