Simple Ways
to Help First-Time
Managers Succeed
A Guide for HR Leaders in Tech
Jhana
16

Dear HR leaders: You
have a huge opportunity.
What if we told you that by doing just
one thing, you could dramatically
increase engagement, reduce turnover,
and improve the bottom line?
Jhana

Any guesses on what the
one thing is? It’s simple:
Help first-time managers become
effective managers.
Jhana

We get it. Who has time
for manager training?
Especially when you work in tech. When
you’re trying to scale. When the talent
war is so fierce.When you’re promoting
rapidly. When a lot of tech managers don’t
even like formal training.
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But here’s the thing. Weak
managers lead to all kinds of
expensive problems:
• Low morale
• High turnover
• Ineffective teams
• Poor performance
• Less top talent
• Bad hiring decisions
• Toxic attitudes
• Less innovation
• More politics
• Lower profits
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The bottom line: if you’re
growing fast and scaling faster,
weak managers can literally
Break. Your. Company.
But don’t be too hard on your
managers. It’s not entirely their fault...
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Good managers aren’t
born. It’s a learned skill,
and it’s really hard.
New managers rarely get the training
and support they need to be effective.
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Now for the good news:
The solution to this
problem is simple.
In fact, dear HR leader, it’s within your
power to solve it right now.
Jhana

Here are 16 simple things you
can do to help your first-time
managers succeed.
Most of these things aren’t hard. Some are
so simple, you can get started today!
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Encourage them to
create a 90-day plan
for success.1
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The first 90 days are critical to success in
any new role, and they can be especially
overwhelming for first-time managers.
To help ease the transition, encourage new
managers to work with their bosses to
develop 90-day plans that include clear
goals and expectations for the role.
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Help them establish
clarity about their
new role.2
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If someone has never managed before, they
may have unrealistic or unclear
expectations for their role.
Encourage them to work with their bosses
to know exactly what’s expected of
them in this new role.The 90-day plan
can help a lot with this.
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Teach them the basics
of effective 1-on-1’s.
3
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1-on-1’s are the cornerstone of effective
manager-employee relationships, which
means they have the potential to make
or break a team’s success.
Don’t leave this one up to chance! Give
your new managers a primer on the
purpose of 1-on-1’s and how to run them
productively.
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Make sure they know
how and when HR is
there to help.
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4

First-time managers may not know when,
or even how, to ask HR for help with
common problems, or they might come to
you a little too often.
Set clear guidelines for exactly how
HR can support and assist managers.You
might even consider establishing regular
office hours just for new managers.
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Provide ongoing
support, not just one-
time training.5

Most learning happens on the job, not in a
training class. Give first-time managers
ongoing support, such as an online
resource or on-demand tools, so they have
access to help whenever they need it.
Shameless plug: Jhana’s online learning
solution can help! We’re built for tech
companies, and new managers love us.
Learn More
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Want to see more?
Get all 16 tips to help your first-time
managers be more successful. Download
the full reference guide below. It’s free!
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