Career Challenge Management Techniques

When I started leading a high-powered recruiting team, I had the traits of the TYRANT leaders I now call out. Here's why: Despite my degrees, certificates, and ongoing professional development, nothing prepared me to transition into leading. I still had an individual contributor (IC) mindset, which unintentionally led me to compete with my very capable team. At the time, I engaged in behaviors like: Taking over projects instead of developing my team. Working long hours, thinking it showed commitment. Making unilateral decisions vs collaborating. Giving orders instead of providing clarity and context. Hoarding information instead of communicating transparently. Prioritizing my metrics over team goals. A month in, my boss at the time sat down with me and told me to own my transition and to stop taking over work when someone asked for help. (she's one of the best Leader's I've ever had) To transform my mindset, I sought out a few internal sponsors and observed how they managed their teams. I also asked my team for feedback on where I could do better. Once I made the changes: mindset and action, I began demonstrating new leadership behaviors: Coaching my team and developing their problem-solving skills. ↳Created an authorization matrix to empower them to make decisions. Promoting work-life balance through prioritization and delegation. ↳I stopped working on vacation to set a better example. Making collaborative decisions to increase buy-in. ↳They worked on the reqs, so I asked for their ideas and where I could implement them. Painting a vision and equipping the team to get there themselves. ↳I translated the organization's vision down to how it affected our team goals. Openly communicating to build trust and transparency. ↳I promoted democratic decision-making and explained when it needed to be autocratic. Aligning on and championing team goals over my individual metrics. ↳I held weekly reviews where I celebrated their success because it was OUR success. Here's what I want you to take from this: 1. Develop your team's skills rather than trying to be the expert. 2. Delegate decisions to increase buy-in and leverage diverse perspectives. 3. Openly share information rather than hoarding knowledge and insight. 4. Recognize and elevate your team's contributions rather than taking individual credit. #aLITTLEadvice #leadership

It was unbelievably painful. When I became a first-time manager years ago, I made all the mistakes in the book. I thought I was on the right track. In reality, something had gone awry. By avoiding hard conversations about quality of work, I hadn’t setup my report for success. And when her presentation to senior leaders fell flat, I felt devastated. I knew it was my fault. Here’s 3 things I wish I knew as a new manager: 𝟭/ 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 I focused on building rapport (good manager), but delayed giving candid feedback to my report about her work output (bad manager). I was avoiding confrontation—procrastinating until the “right moment” struck (never did). Since then, I’ve learned to lean into the discomfort. If there’s a performance concern, sit down privately with your report, explain the concern openly, point to specific pieces of work, share examples of what “good” looks like, and invite them to give their feedback. 𝟮/ 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 The beauty and curse of managing people is that each person is a unique combination of skills, motivations, and behavior. While I can “get out of the way” for certain skilled and motivated high-performers, the same approach would be a disaster for reports who are struggling due to weaker skills. The challenge is to listen and observe your report intently—so you understand which style to use to help them perform at the next level. 𝟯/ 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 As a manager, my reports frequently raise concerns about other people. Early on, I would immediately jump into problem-solving mode. This got me overwhelmed. Fast. Later, I learned to first ask, “Have you talked to the person about your concern?” 80% of the time, the answer is no. Then I would make it my mission to coach my report to independently resolve their conflict. If I succeeded, they’d be empowered to handle a wider range of situations on their own. **** P.S. If you’re making a change, I coach tech professionals to make career transitions and build wealth abroad. Slide into my DMs and join my past clients at companies like Google, Meta, Square, & Stripe.

Early in my career, I faced a moment many of us dread: A sudden, unexpected company reorganization. It seemed like overnight ➟ my role ➟ my team ➟ my daily tasks were all up in the air. I remember the anxiety. The flurry of rumors. The uncertainty. They clouded my thoughts about the future. But it was in this chaos that I found clarity. I realized that change, though daunting, also brings opportunities for growth. I wrote an article on this for Harvard Business Review. Here are 5 actions you can take when your professional life is unpredictable: 1. Embrace the Uncertainty Use periods of change as a catalyst for introspection. Reflect on what truly matters to you and your future. 2. Define Your Identity Think about who you need to be... Not just what you need to do. 3. Focus on the Process Establish and commit to positive career behaviors. It gives you a sense of control and leads to results. Examples: • Contribute in each team meeting • Expand your network every week  • Offer a strategic idea to leadership monthly • Take on a stretch opportunity once a quarter • Thank a coworker for something helpful every day 4. Cultivate Learning Agility Be ready to adapt. Stay curious. Embrace new ideas. This mindset isn't just to survive; it helps you thrive. 5. Ask for and Act on Feedback Regularly seek feedback. Take time to reflect on it. It's crucial to know where you're growing. And where you need to improve. Change can be scary. But it's also a chance to reset. To pivot. You may discover new paths you hadn't noticed before. Remember... It's not the strongest or most intelligent who survive. It's those who can best manage change. Lean into the uncertainty. Use it as a stepping stone. Build a career that's not just successful, but also aligned with who you truly are. Find this valuable? Repost ♻️ to share with others.  Thank you! P.S. What keeps you going when things get uncertain?

🌟 Inspiring Early Career Individuals to Shape Their Healthcare Journey 🌟 As someone with 25+ years of experience in healthcare administration and medical device fields, I've had the privilege to witness the transformative experience of growth in my own career. Today, I want to share a few insights that might resonate with early career professionals navigating their paths in the healthcare landscape. 🚀 Embrace Continuous Learning: Healthcare continually evolves. Seize opportunities to expand knowledge in medical advancements, technologies, and on-the-job experiences. Commit to learning for long-term success. 💡 Nurture Relationships: Collaboration is healthcare's cornerstone. Build connections with colleagues, mentors, and cross-disciplinary (cross-functional) partners. These relationships yield insights, collaborations, and could lead to future opportunities. 🌐 Think Beyond Boundaries: Healthcare is complex and interconnected. Explore beyond your specialization, grasping the broader healthcare ecosystem. At times, it's uncomfortable to step outside of your deep knowledge and expertise, but expanding your breadth of knowledge and experience can make you a "jack of all trades" and open opportunities. 🌟 Advocate for Patient Safety: In every role you take on, never lose sight of the ultimate goal: patients. Patient safety should always be at the forefront of your decisions. It's not just a requirement; it's a moral imperative. 🌱 Know Yourself and Grow in Confidence: Understand your strengths and growth areas. As you conquer challenges, confidence grows, allowing you to make bolder decisions and take on more responsibilities. 🔑 "Do the Job Before Getting the Next Job" - Nick Benson. In the pursuit of advancement, don't rush. Master your current role, absorb its lessons, and contribute meaningfully. The experiences you gain will be the solid foundation on which you can build your future successes. 🚀 Leverage Technology Wisely: New technologies are revolutionizing healthcare. Embrace digital tools, data, and AI. These advancements can streamline processes (efficiency), enhance patient care, and drive positive outcomes. 💪 Be Resilient: The healthcare journey isn't always smooth sailing. Challenges will arise, but they're growth opportunities. Cultivate resilience, learn from setbacks, and keep pushing forward. This also tests your ability to work under pressure when critical events/situations occur. 🌍 Make a Difference: Remember the bigger picture. Every decision you make and all your effort contributes to bettering healthcare systems and countless individuals' lives. I'm honored to lead a strong early career team. Your energy and passion are the driving forces behind a brighter healthcare future. Your dedication will shape a landscape of innovation, compassion, and patient-centered care. Let's inspire and uplift each other as we journey forward! #HealthcareJourney #EarlyCareerInspiration #HealthcareInnovation #MedtronicEmployee

Early Lessons That Make a Difference Occasionally, I have the privilege of speaking with new graduates or employees who have just started their first job. The question they most often ask me is, "If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?" I never have enough time to answer this question fully, and I always leave thinking of things I forgot to mention. With that in mind, I wrote down a few pieces of advice that would have made a difference in my career. - Speak up! Don't let being new stop you. The fact that you are new gives you a unique and valuable perspective. Even if something seems obvious, don't hesitate to call it out and voice your opinion. Having a voice at work will strengthen your influence and get you noticed. - Don't prioritize work over your health. You might feel pressured to skip exercise and sleep to complete more work. This is a lousy tradeoff that will ultimately negatively impact your productivity, work quality, and well-being. Well-rested, healthy people perform better. - If you find yourself stuck, step away and return to it later. Taking a break can help refresh your perspective and give your brain a chance to work on the issue subconsciously. It may seem counterintuitive, but doing something else might be the quickest way to solve your problem. - Talk to everyone you can. Now is the time to invest in building your network. The people at the desks next to you are tomorrow's CEOs and industry leaders. It's easy to do. Most people like it when you are curious about their work and are more than happy to converse. - Your teammates are invaluable resources. Get to know the folks around you. Wisdom abounds, so learn from them. Understanding what has worked and not worked for others can be a big career shortcut. - Start making decisions, and try not to introduce new ones. Only ask if you know you have to. "Can I do x?" introduces a new decision, and you risk getting blocked. Instead, do it. Take ownership. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, but always weigh the risks. - The best way to learn (from someone) is to offer help. Find someone you want to learn from and be useful to them. People are more inclined to invest in you if you offer them something in return. - Talk to the executives. As a junior engineer, I felt nervous speaking to senior leaders. As a senior, I notice people are nervous to engage with me. Those who do stand out, and we often have the best conversations where we both learn new things. So, be bold and make high-level connections. - Set clear goals. Having a waypoint on which to focus your career will help clarify what you need to do. The more specific your goals are, the better your chances of achieving them. - Success is a team sport. It's hard to be successful without the support of others. That means it's essential for you to be a good teammate. Listen to what others say, try to make others successful, and most importantly–don't be a jerk.

I went from IC (individual contributor) to people manager as a Google PM. Here's a 5-part blueprint how you can do the same: 👇 1. MANAGEMENT If you've never directly managed people and teams before, take the time to learn. People management adds significant workload and responsibilities and you need to know what you're doing to succeed. Don't take the rest of these steps before you learn the key concepts: vision, leadership, organization, delegation, career development. 2. JOIN GROWTH TEAM Take a hard, honest look at your current team and business unit. Is there significant growth happening in terms of business results or other metrics? Is there a reasonable chance of significant growth coming over the next year? If not, this whole exercise will be an uphill battle. Growth means there is opportunity for the business -- if only we had more people. No growth means the business unit is more likely to consolidate, rolling up more and more people under existing people managers. You *can* still carve out headcount with significant effort, but execs will mostly be concerned with survival instead of expansion. So if there is no growth on the horizon, get yourself to another team. 3. CONTRIBUTE TO GROWTH Get as close as you can to the growth engine: find the parts of the business that contribute to growth and carve out a niche within. Start thinking -- how can you contribute to some aspect of the team's plans? How can you unblock or assist the engines of growth? Which areas could use additional PM support? What could you accomplish if you had another PM on your team who could work on projects of your choice? Identify these opportunities as "stretch goals" and get your team's input on them. 4. MANAGEMENT WITHOUT HC Continue ideating and building a list of specific projects and activities your new team member could take on. If you're working for a big company, find a group of people who want to become product managers. These folks are looking for a "PM rotation": a 6+ month period where they officially stay on their manager's team but work under another manager (you). Look for candidates in your current XFN team -- you can discover who has aspirations of becoming a PM during regular 1:1s with various team members. Start unofficially interviewing interested candidates for a "PM rotation" on your team. Define the scope + deliverables. Define the plan and get agreement from the rotator, their manager, and your manager. 5. MAKE A PLAN + REQUEST HC Now create an org plan of your manager, you, and the team you're building. Draft a document outlining the benefits and opportunities of the proposed headcount investment. Start by demonstrating the impact of one new PM reporting to you, with the potential to expand to three. Get support from your XFN team and manager. Be patient & persistent. If you enjoyed this post: 1. Follow me Alexander Rechevskiy for more PM content 2. Repost to share with your network 🙏 Thank you!

I'm delighted to share my newest piece for Newsweek-out today-on how to successfully navigate the transition from individual contributor to people leader. Too often, stellar individual contributors are promoted into people leadership roles without adequate training, development, support, or recognition that the skills that make people talented individual contributors are distinct from those that make them successful people leaders. Here, I share high-impact strategies that dramatically accelerate success for new people leaders: 🎯Recognize that you're moving into a new professional role and identity. Understanding the differences between successful individual contributor and people leadership skills is an important first step, as is learning to work on a more strategic versus tactical level. 🎯Develop your leadership values, voice, and vision. Understanding what guides you as a leader will help you better prioritize the day-to-day actions and ways of working that help you embody the kind of leader you aspire to be. 🎯Prioritize relationship building within and beyond your team. New people leaders often make the mistake of prioritizing day-to-day work over building relationships. But relationship building and creating alignment is central to success as a leader. 🎯Be strategic about how you and your team invest your time, energy, and resources. Learning to move from time management to priority management is a high-impact investment. Setting aside a weekly planning meeting to prioritize your and your team's work and defaulting to 85% rather than 100% effort will help you and your team deliver the highest impact results while protecting against burnout. 🎯Invest in and prioritize your own professional development and growth. Carving out regular time to deepen your skills as a people leader on an on-going basis will help you continue to develop your leadership skills and support your success as you grow into your new role. Recognizing that your own ongoing professional development is foundational to your success rather than taking a when-I-can-squeeze-it-in approach is critical. And, whether you're feeling confident, excited, overwhelmed, uncertain, anxious, or any of the other very common and normal mix of emotions, don't forget to make time to celebrate this significant career milestone! #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipCoaching #NewManager #NewManagers #WorkSmarterNotHarder #CareerAdvice

If you are just starting in people management or if you are a junior/mid-level manager wanting to go up the corporate ladder faster than normal then this post is for you, so please read along… One of the clumsiest phases of a corporate career is when you transition from being an individual contributor to a role that needs you to manage a team in some capacity. You will quickly find out that it’s a lot easier to do things yourself than try to convince other people to do things!  In this phase some people immediately give up and go back to individual contributor roles and others struggle not understanding when and to what extent to push the team and when to let go and let them do their own thing. Most junior managers tend to over manage. They are like brand new parents who are naturally overprotective, and they get involved in every little detail of what the team members are doing. In doing so they quickly consume all their time managing a small team. Knowingly or unknowingly, they create a model where everything has to be routed through them making themselves the most important person in the team. And in that process the entire team starts fully depending on the manager and don’t start developing any sense of direct ownership of the work they are doing.  What the junior manager fails to realize is that if they make themselves the most important person in the team, then while their job is safe, they are also now stuck in that role and hence they are hampering their own growth. if they consume all their time managing a small team, how can they find time for their own personal growth? The trick is to transition from a new manager to a good manager and make your currently role redundant as quickly as possible. A good manager hardly manages anyone…good manager gives full ownership to the team members, plays to the strengths of each team member, finds and fixes problems and removes any roadblocks along the way and puts the team in the front and leads from behind. When the team starts taking direct ownership then they are naturally more self-driven and more productive and naturally that means the manager will have more free time for his/her personal growth. Also, if you as a junior manager can demonstrate to your company leadership that you can create and manage a highly productive team of 10 people by using only 10% of your time, that means you are now ready to manage another 10 team like that and hence you get promoted…it's as simple as that. Some of my friends ask me, how do I find time to write all these posts? Well, you give me a 1000 people team to manage, I will still make every attempt possible to make my role redundant, which leaves free time for my personal growth and also to stick my head out more frequently from day-to-day operations and look at the big picture and develop strategic thinking and innovation in my organization….and yes, it also creates time for myself to write posts like this in the middle of a work day😊

Are you struggling to transition from a high-performing individual contributor to a manager role? I've been there and have worked with many rockstars struggling with this transition. Why do we struggle so much? To achieve high performer status, you have to get stuff done, be better than other people, and in most cases, you believe that "to get things right, I need to do it myself." This is where it gets tricky. Just before you become a manager, you are likely managing larger projects and other people indirectly and it's tough to balance the IC work and the manager work you need to do. Here are a few tips: ➡️ Separate your IC vs. manager time on your calendar. Literally, block time to do the IC work and to manage people. ➡️ Learn how to manage people without doing the work for them. If someone says, I need this report on return on our advertising spend. Don't think you need to do it yourself. Instead, ask the person in charge to create that report for you and give them feedback. Yes, they will make mistakes at first and you'll learn that your first few requests won't be super clear, but you gotta try. ➡️ Get feedback on your performance as a manager. Ask the people you are managing and your leader. These people will have insights and potential blindspots that you can work on. ➡️ Keep at it. I know some people who've decided they prefer to remain an IC and that's 100% ok. My point here is, don't give up just because you don't feel like you are good at it in the beginning. ➡️ Read this book if you have time. I read it in business school a while back, and I still recommend it to high performers on my team making the transition. I love helping people develop into great leaders. I'm still a work in progress myself, but aren't we all? #leadershiplessons #teamdevelopment

Why is it so hard to make the transition from individual contributor to manager?  First, the definition of success drastically changes. There’s a shift from “me” to “we.” Instead of cranking out work as an individual, there’s a shift to empowering collective success as a team. For a lot of new leaders, this challenges their self-worth. They don’t always feel like they are contributing in huge value-add ways to the company because it’s not how they’ve previously contributed. Second, the actual work being done changes drastically. Managers tend to spend way more time in meetings than they did as an individual contributor. It’s because you’re spending time with people trying to clear roadblocks and accelerate their individual success. You need a completely different skillset as a manager than you do as an IC. So what can we do to make this transition easier? 1️⃣ Document processes and expectations for new managers. What are the things you expect from all managers in your organization? Are they responsible for 1-on-1s, approving PTO or timecards, giving feedback, or having career conversations? If they are, make sure there’s a central place where they can go to see everything that's expected of them. It should also include best practices and templates for each item. Last, make sure to link any systems they might need to use. (I love a tool like Trainual for this!) 2️⃣ Help provide resources so they can get real skill development to thrive as managers. Most commonly, these are things like: - Self-awareness - Delegation - Building trust - Decision making - Managing Conflict - Delivering Feedback - Setting Expectations I’ll link a super cool resource that anyone seeing this can use inside their organizations. It outlines some of these skills and how to get more development on each of them. I’m super grateful to have partnered with Trainual to make a resource like this free and open to anybody to use! Overall, let’s set up new leaders for success by clearly outlining expectations, giving them tools and resources, and helping them gain the new skills they’ll need in a new manager role. I want to know from you, LinkedIn: What do you think is so hard about this transition? And how can we make it easier?