If you get hired or promoted to lead a new team, Here’s the playbook to run on Week 1:
1/ Get an Intro Let the person who called your number: -> set the context -> front-run the objections -> start planting seeds of your success Third-party praise is more potent than tooting your own horn. And this allows you to...
2/ Lead with Your Faults & Failures Of course, you’ve been fortunate. But they will not trust you if you don’t know how to lose. Even better, by leading with vulnerability, you: -> neutralize any power those mistakes hold -> show your new team how to engage
3/ Look Each Person in the Eye Have you ever built a meaningful relationship from a blast email? Me neither. And in our remote-first world, run-ins are infrequent. So even if it means you have to be on 15-minute Zooms all day, do it.
4/ Learn Everyone's Name If you can pull it off in advance, I would. If it feels like a magic trick when others do it, that's because it is. You instantly pull someone a step closer when you address them by name. Bonus: Uncover 1 thing they value. Family? Travel? Sports Team?
5 / Ask Everyone 3 Questions What is this team world-class at? -> Do not break this. What has been persistently broken? -> Find quick wins & monsters to slay. What's the most impactful investment we can make? -> Anticipate where the puck is going next.
6/ Orchestrate a Small Fire Drill Keyword: Small. 1 alarm fire, not 4. What you want: Data -> Business data: metrics, financials, survey results, HR trends, project plans. -> Metadata: who has a handle on their work vs. who is scrambling? No judgment, just data.