The 6 Mistakes You’re Going to Make as a New Manager

Reflective insights on common pitfalls new managers face when transitioning from individual contributors to leadership roles.

  • Delegation struggles:
    New managers often hesitate to delegate meaningful tasks, holding onto old responsibilities and slowing team growth; effective delegation empowers others and allows you to evolve into your leadership role.

  • Loss of dopamine reward:
    As hands-on coding fades from the role, new managers may feel unfulfilled; finding satisfaction in facilitation, feedback, and team growth is essential to thrive.

  • Equating growth with team size:
    Many assume success means managing larger teams, but the post advises valuing quality of output and cohesion over sheer headcount.

  • Balancing engagement and autonomy:
    Too much involvement becomes micromanagement; too little leaves you disengaged. Guided autonomy—from goal-setting to support—strikes the right balance.

  • Managing perception:
    Your contributions as a manager are less visible; proactively communicate your facilitative role and your team’s achievements to stakeholders.

  • Redefining success:
    Instead of personal coding wins, judge your performance by two simple measures: is your team shipping, and are they happy?

The full post is available here.