3 Counter-Intuitive Rules for Your First Week as a New Manager
You just started your first week as a new manager. Are you nervous? What to do? What to say? What will your new team think?
The transition from a top-performing individual contributor to a manager is the most challenging of your career. You'll feel a ton of pressure to prove you're up to the task.
Your first instinct will be to sprint: to fix something, to change a process, to show everyone how good you are.
My advice? Don't.
Your first week isn't about doing; it's about surviving and learning. Your success is no longer measured by your output, but by your ability to get things done through others. That requires a totally new set of rules.
Here are three counter-intuitive rules that will set you up for long-term success.
1. Be the Turtle, Not the Rabbit
You've heard the story: the rabbit sprints, burns out, and loses the race. The turtle is slow, iterative, and consistent—and wins.
Your new job is a marathon. If you start by sprinting 60 hours in your first week to prove yourself, you're not proving your value; you're just setting an unsustainable standard. You will burn out.
Your main goal in your first week is not to create a massive impact. It's to be reliable, manage your energy, and focus on learning.
What to do instead: Focus on a to-learn list, not a to-do list. Your job is to assess the work culture, understand the team's rhythm, and set your personal boundaries. Save your energy; you will need it later.
2. You Are Their Coach, Not Their Friend
In your first week, it's normal to want to be liked. You want to fit in. This feeling can push you into the friendship trap.
I once coached a new manager who was promoted from within his team. He was desperate to prove he was still one of the guys. He went to late-night drinks with his direct reports, complained to them about his boss, and let deadlines slide.
He didn't last. He had traded his authority for likability.
What to do instead: You must keep a healthy, professional distance. You are their manager, their mentor, and their coach—not their peer. This doesn't mean you're a jerk; it means you're warm but not oversharing. You're the one responsible for setting targets, approving raises, and guiding their careers. You can't do that if they see you as a friend instead of a leader.
3. Stop Faking Confidence (They See Through It)
Your biggest fear right now is that your team will discover you don't have all the answers. So you'll be tempted to fake it.
This is the worst mistake you can make.
Your team knows you don't have all the answers. When you show fake confidence, it doesn't build trust; it makes you look reckless and alienates the team. That lie you're performing is the real root of your imposter syndrome.
What to do instead: Drop the mask. Your confidence as a manager shouldn't come from having the right answers. It must come from having the right process to find them. When you openly admit, That's a great question. I don't have the answer right now, but I'll find out, you build instant, genuine trust.
For a deeper playbook, check the Manager Augmented book or learn more about me.