Case Study #26: From Zero to 20 People
New manager's bitter life.
Yes! Finally, you’ve got a management job.
You want it so badly. Now you have it. Wuhu.
However, you probably did not imagine you would get 20 people straight from the beginning. You thought you would take over your current team.
That is not the case. You’ve jumped directly into the hole. They don’t spare you or let you learn. You have to swim, baby.
My client Martina was terrified when she came to me:
“Oh, lord. I am in the company six years. Last two, I was pushing to get into a team management position. Guess what? I made it.
Yay quicly became nay!
I thought I would take over my team of six people. Instead, they decided to create a completely new team of 20 people. Imagine, 20 people!
I don’t know what I am going to do. I am bumped. How can I manage 20 people, my projects, offers, and strategic leadership?
I just don’t want to go to work tomorrow.”
How would you help her?
You have to start somewhere
When you think about a management job, you probably imagine how easy it is when you have a small team.
It's a cozy team in which you know every one of them. You work closely with them, have fun, and can deliver on your promises. Up to ten people is just fine. But more?
In the ideal world, you start small. Then, with more experience, you get more people. In reality, you start leading from 0 to 20 people. In some cases, even more people.
But it does not matter.
You haven’t expected that, right?
It does not matter how many people you start managing. The more important is the shift to the new role itself.
Regardless of how many people you have now in your team, your mindset, work organization, and communication have to change. It’s a huge step regardless of a small or bigger team.
I know managers who could not handle a team of four people and newbies who led confidently 10+ people.
➡️ The very first step, I advised Martina to see it as “you have to start somewhere”. It is a challenge you wanted. She had it on a golden plate. That is great. And working with more people? She would never get bored.
The start can be pretty bumpy. Watch out for what you wish for.
From initial shock to understanding your role
“I am doing what?”
I used to sit next to my manager. He watched a lot of YouTube and bothered us with TimeSheets. Easy job, no?
Then, I was promoted to manager and saw the whole scheme of work. It was a lot more than I thought.
To slide into your new role, you have to clarify expectations and responsibilities. Even as a manager, you probably have a supervisor. The good first step is to meet with them and talk about what they want from you and what success looks like in your role.
You are not alone.
Martina was not alone, either.
Besides talking to the supervisor, you always need to become familiar with the company’s policies. Specifically, HR policies, performance management systems, and all procedures for managing people. Things like:
How many sick days do you have? Any for child care?
Do people get a day off for a wedding?
How can they get promoted?
When do they need to do compliance training?
Your role is an advisor and guard for processes. That applies if you have one person to manage or 40. Knowledge of HR procedures will serve you well.
Then, comes “the fun part”.
What do you want to achieve in your role? What’s your niche and desire? Help people? Build a strong portfolio? Enable leadership development? Play golf more often?
➡️ Martina’s idea of her management job was to help people develop their careers. Get them where they want to be.
You have something you want to do. Then, you have to implement it into your goals and vision. It is essential to communicate that to your team and supervisor. So, they know what you’re up to and about.
Make your responsibilities visual
“Does it exist if you don’t see it?”
We are visual creatures. So, we played with responsibilities to shape Martina’s game plan. You need one if you want to become an efficient manager. You can’t just do the job.
It does not work like that.
The best managers are structured people who know what they promise and deliver.
➡️ Start shaping your role as we did with Martina:
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