Building Rapport and Creating Team Culture as a New Manager

Easing into a management role for the first time has its unique challenges. As a new manager, it is essential to:

• Lean on your team for support.
• Be open to conversations.
• Learn from anyone and everything.
• Consistently advocate for your team and root for their success.

How do you make the transition to a new team as seamless as possible as a manager? What are some of the innovative ways you can build a team culture in a remote or hybrid work environment?

Our panelists Katie Drury (Yotpo) and Tara Smith (Udemy) shared their leadership styles and practical ways to win in this role.

Never stand in the way of someone else's success.

As a manager, you should know your team’s individual career goals Keep your antenna up for opportunities for them, and help to facilitate connections with internal and external stakeholders that may help them achieve those goals. Ultimately, your success is the success of your team.

Build space for your team to learn together.

In a hybrid working model, you no longer have the benefit of sitting next to your teammates and overhearing their conversations. Now, you need to intentionally make time to learn from one another. Encourage your team to shadow each other’s calls. Dedicate time to sharing learnings as a group to help everyone move forward.

Inspire people on your team to lead.

Management and leadership are not the same. As a manager, you should delegate to the experts on your team and allow them to lead their peers. This demonstrates trust and provides professional development opportunities for those around you.

Taking on a new team as a seasoned or first-time manager can be intimidating. Be confident in the skills that you’ve honed over the years. Focus on setting up your team for success. Find ways you can make an impact on their career and build an environment where you can best support them and empower their growth.

Want to learn more? You can stream the full event recording here.

Thank you to all of the WISE partners that made this event possible and our panelists for sharing their time and advice.