Ask a Manager

I’ve had a bunch of questions recently from new managers looking for advice. Here’s a round-up of past columns with advice for new managers. This is by no means comprehensive; there’s lots more advice if you look through the “being the boss” section of the archives. general advice for managers advice for first-time managers how […]

A reader writes: My employee recently told me that she would like to get more positive feedback from me. I’m good at giving constructive feedback on how to improve her work, but I will admit that I don’t often remember to give positive feedback. This has been difficult for my employee, who said that she […]

A reader writes: In the last few months, I’ve gone from being an individual contributor to now managing a team of several employees. While I absolutely love my new role and feel alive doing what I do, I’m not oblivious to the fact I’m still very new at managing people and have lots of room […]

A reader writes: I am a fairly new (five weeks) supervisor for a small team of creatives — we all work together on our projects. I have noticed that when my team has a request, they have almost all have a habit of making it a statement rather than a question. For example: “I have […]

Becoming a manager is one of the biggest and most stressful professional transitions that you’re likely to make in the course of your career. When you’re new to managing, it can be tough to realize that the skills that served you well up until this point aren’t necessarily the same ones that will make you […]

A reader writes: I recently got promoted to a managerial job, and I love what I do. I’m finding, though, that the amount of responsibility that falls on me has been making me unhealthily anxious. I missed a call from work today, for example, outside of work hours, and have been agonizing over what could […]

A reader writes: I’m a relatively new manager of a small team, and while I do have a lot of strengths as a manager, I’ve also discovered that I have no idea how to communicate directly. Even when I think I am being direct, I replay the conversation in my head later and realize I […]

If you’re new to managing, the skills that served you well up until this point probably aren’t going to be enough to bring you success managing a team. Managing well requires a whole different set of skills and behaviors. Here are the five most important things for you to know about doing it right. 1. […]

A reader writes: I’ve recently ascended rather quickly into a new leadership role at my company and I am struggling with communicating to those on my team such that everything is not a collaboration and debate. There are times when I need people to do what I am asking them to do, simple as that. Yesterday, […]