I had just accepted that I was going to be a comfy background player...now I have my own team.

Anonymous

February 2,2024 at 8:52PM UTC

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I had just accepted that I was going to be a comfy background player...now I have my own team.

I posted last year that I had been in my role for around 8 months and was struggling with the start up culture, and a misalignment of priorities. I ended up resolving some miscommunication between my husband and I, and working on my perception and clarifying what was important to me. I started this year fully accepting that while the role wasn't completely what I expected, I was comfortable in a more advisory role.

At the end of Jan, I was told I would be transitioning out of my team, given my own team (me and product manager, to work with third parties), and have my own team OKRs and accountabilities. I'm excited but anxious.

What should I be looking out for? What questions should I be asking? When should I say, 'we can do that' and is it ok to say, 'hold on, we'll need to consider that'?

I know this was long, so thank you if you've got this far.

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Jess WhittekerFebruary 2,2024 at 9:50PM UTC
I believe it's crucial to have a detailed job description when starting a new position. This enables you to research similar job roles and determine how you'd like your team to perform. It's important to define your team's goals and objectives and create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), similar to how a professor creates a syllabus for their course.
As a manager, it's important to prioritize tasks and determine which ones need immediate attention, and which ones can be worked on later. It's okay to say "Let's put a pin in that and come back to it" when necessary. As a manager, you have the authority to consider different options and make decisions based on what's best for your team.
AnonymousFebruary 3,2024 at 4:33AM UTC
Thank you. That's really helpful.
Jess WhittekerFebruary 6,2024 at 2:03PM UTC
You're welcome, we are all here to help each other, I'm rooting for you!
AnonymousFebruary 3,2024 at 6:23PM UTC
Be aware that once you take over a team, each individual is different and most are not motivated or passionate about the same things you are. This was my biggest obstacle in my first step into management.
AnonymousFebruary 3,2024 at 8:26PM UTC
Thank you! I'll keep that in mind.