Checklist

What Not to Do
When You Become
a New Manager
Managers play a pivotal role in an organization’s success, with
employees citing their relationships with management as the top
factor in their job satisfaction. But today’s work environment – and
the constant workplace changes that continue to occur – mean
that many managers are overwhelmed. In fact, 68% of surveyed HR
leaders believe managers are struggling to keep up as they navigate
hybrid work and strive to acquire the skills needed to keep their
teams engaged and productive.
Supporting the development of all managers as they acquire
these skills is a critical piece of talent management. It’s even
more essential for new managers transitioning into roles where
they must shift their focus away from individual execution and
motivate their teams. It can be difficult for new managers to rein
in the behaviors that helped them get promoted. But success is
unlikely if they don’t embrace their new responsibilities and focus
more on team management than individual responsibilities.
In their excitement to make a great impression, new managers
often make common missteps in their first few months on the job.
We gathered insights from Udemy instructors Dave Bour and
Frank Kane on their experiences transitioning into management
roles to help understand the behavioral traps new managers might
fall into when adjusting to their roles.
Whether you’re a new manager, a leader helping new managers
hone their skills, or an individual contributor looking to move into
a management role, use this checklist to recognize the hazards
new managers often face and learn how to overcome them.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 2

Common pitfalls for new managers
(and how to overcome them)

1
Hazard #1
Overpromising what your
team can deliver

“Overcommitting happens when we continue to judge our performance by pre-transition

standards,” says Dave Bour in the course, Transition from Technical Individual Contributor
to Manager. Taking on more than your team has the bandwidth to handle is counterproductive
to long-term success. It creates a high-stress environment for you and your team, leading
to burnout and likely a failure to deliver the work promised.

How to overcome it
While new managers are eager to prove themselves with stretch goals, learning to recognize
resourcing limitations is critical to effective management. Take the time to analyze projects
before they begin to accurately scope timelines and promised deliverables. Another option
is to adopt the minimum viable product (MVP) model, where your team creates the simplest
version of something and continues to iterate and refine it over time in phases.

Steps to take:
Plan the major projects your team will engage in during the next quarter, half, or year
(depending on how your organization approaches planning). Then decide who on the
team will work on those projects. This forethought will help everyone have an idea in
advance of what’s possible to commit to.
Create service-level agreements (SLAs) for your most common team project types. For
instance, how many hours does it take to produce a report? Documenting those SLAs
will help you determine team capacity and not overpromise on what you can deliver.
Don’t plan for your team’s capacity using 100% of their working hours. Everyone has to
check email, attend company meetings, and even grab a cup of coffee. Consult with your
manager on a good rule of thumb for benchmarking productive capacity for your team.
A likely realistic estimate of time available for work is 65% to 80% of working hours.
Plan extra leeway for the unknown – new projects or unexpected asks – that you can
use some of your team’s unallocated time to solve for.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 3

2
Hazard #2
Stepping in to do the work
yourself (AKA micromanagement)

It’s a frequent temptation for new managers to step in and do the work — or at least tell
your team exactly how you would do it. “It’s easy to fall into this trap because of your strong
skill set,” Bour says. After all, managers are often promoted thanks to their proficiency in
performing specific tasks or execution of projects. But both of these approaches can erode
your team’s motivation and morale, plus divert you from the strategic work needed to help
guide your team. It takes time, effort, and preparation to manage a team effectively. And this is
an important element of your new scope of work.

How to overcome it
Adopt the Socratic method. Instead of instructing or telling your team members how to do
something, ask questions when they come to you facing roadblocks. Help them consider their
options and let them arrive at their own decisions. When you let your team take responsibility
for their work, they’ll feel more empowered in their abilities, engaged with the tasks at hand,
and motivated to reach their goals. And you will have more time to focus on planning for the
future and managing your team members.

Steps to take:
Encourage your team to reflect on their challenges and the decisions made to manage
those challenges as part of your one-on-ones with your direct reports. This regular
cadence will help them build the habit of examining decisions and articulating outcomes.
Just as you plan your team’s major commitments
in the upcoming quarter or half, plan your own major
initiatives and projects as the team leader. These will
likely include planning, estimating team capacity,
assigning projects, and working with cross-
functional teams to align on key initiatives, among
other things. Estimate how long these projects
will take you and commit placeholders to them on
your calendar. Clarifying your objectives and top
priorities can help ensure that you let your
team take care of their work while you take
care of yours.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 4

3
Hazard #3
Failing to see the big
(company) picture

Now that you’re responsible for an entire team’s output, it’s crucial to consider how your
team’s work connects to broader organizational goals. Don’t just focus on your daily tasks
or personal output — keep the big picture in mind.

How to overcome it
“Zooming out allows you to identify trends and spot potential problems,” says Bour. “Trust
that the company has equipped you with a team to orchestrate a vision. All you have to do
is set the direction and put your trust in them to handle the details.” Understanding how
your team’s work ladders into company goals is also important to keeping your employees
motivated. Helping them know how their work connects to the company’s mission can
strengthen their sense of purpose in accomplishing projects. It’s also beneficial to both
team and manager to broadcast successes and completion of significant projects or
milestones to the broader organization.

Steps to take:
Use some of your regular team meeting time to discuss the company goals and how
the team’s work helps support those goals.
Create your own team goals that nest under company goals and have your direct
reports draft their goals laddering up to team goals. That will help reinforce how
individuals’ work helps support company objectives.
Celebrate the wins! Ensure your direct reports know when they’ve done a great job
and regularly announce their good work and accomplishments. That helps the rest of
the organization understand how your team’s work contributes to the end goal that
everyone is working toward, and it helps elevate their profile within the company.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 5

4
Hazard #4
Getting overwhelmed
by your to-do list

Taking on a management role means your calendar and inbox can get filled with meetings,
status updates, and much more information than you ever had access to before. “It requires
discipline and focus to stay on top of your deliverables, your to-do list, and your email,” says
Frank Kane in the course, From Engineer to Technical Manager: A Survival Guide.

How to overcome it
Block off time on your calendar to focus on tasks that need your attention. Know that you can
push back and say no when necessary. When invited to a meeting, ask for its PAO — Purpose,
Agenda, and Outcome — before agreeing to attend. This offers a clear look into the meeting
and how you’ll contribute to its productivity. Kane also recommends delegating tasks or even
meeting attendance to your team. “If someone on your team has the ability and bandwidth to
take something on, it could be a good career growth opportunity for them.”

Steps to take:
When you engage in focus time on a specific topic, minimize distractions to be able to
accomplish what you are working on. Turn off instant messages and email notifications
so you can power through what needs to get done.
Create habits to help you manage a new volume of communications and requests.
Create automatic email folders for new asks, projects, or workflows. Establish a set time
every day, every morning and afternoon, or every hour to check on and respond to new
messages. The rest of the time, focus on the work at hand.
Prioritize communications and requests from your team. While you want to put many
communications in a queue and respond to them when possible, questions and
comments from your direct reports should get your attention as soon as possible.
Providing the support and input they need to finish their work keeps your entire team
humming along and shows them they are your priority.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 6

5
Hazard #5
Feeling like you’re
in this on your own

There’s a lot to navigate as a new manager, both in terms of your mindset and behavior, as
well as guiding your team’s performance and meeting business goals. It can feel like a heavy
burden, especially if you’re now managing your former peers and your relationship with your
closest coworkers has changed.

How to overcome it
Remember that you are never really alone — plenty of people in your company have been
in your position or a similar one. A great way to overcome feelings of isolation is to build a
network of supportive people. If your company has an internal mentorship program, sign up for
it. Look for potential mentors in anyone with more experience than you and who isn’t in your
immediate chain of command. And don’t forget that your own manager is a resource. Let them
know what challenges you’re facing and ask for their guidance.

Steps to take:
Set up informal meetings with other new
managers to hear what they are challenged by
and how they are meeting those challenges. Or,
try gathering a small group of new managers
together monthly or quarterly. This support
system will help you feel like you aren’t the only
one facing challenges — being a good manager
and people leader is not easy! You may even
suggest that your company’s learning team
formalize this process for all managers.
When you discover a new skill or technique,
identify specific situations where you think that
approach could be useful with your own team.
Try applying the new approach and make some
notes for yourself about how it works. Report
back to your managers’ group and get their
feedback and thoughts.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 7

Developing
successful
leadership skills
from day one
Few of us are born with the skills needed to manage successfully.
Gallup estimates that about one in 10 managers possess a natural
talent for management. But this statistic shouldn’t dissuade
people from growing into manager roles. Instead, it underscores
the importance of leadership development to help managers
build the skills needed to engage and inspire their teams.
Equip new managers with the skills they need to empower
their career growth and their teams’ productivity with
leadership development solutions from Udemy Business.

What Not to Do When You Become a New Manager 8

About
Udemy Business
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providing flexible, effective skills development to empower
organizations and individuals.

Udemy Business enables employers to offer on-demand

learning for all employees, immersive learning for tech
teams, and cohort learning for leaders. With our complete
learning solution and strategic partnership, we provide
relevant learning at scale so organizations can build agile
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