1 There is a set of management mistakes that managers make over and over again. Especially likely for newer managers, but it happens to more experienced people too. I’ve made all of these mistakes. Thread >>

2 The first overwhelming common mistake is simple: Assuming that your reports work the same way you do. You probably had their job once, or a job like theirs, and you were probably reasonably good at it.

But there’s more than one way to get work done, even in the same job.

3 I’ve learned this lesson a lot of times. I’m still learning it to the present day. The way I work (lots of long-form writing) is not for everyone. My reports (now and basically at all times in the past) mostly don’t like writing as much as I do.

4 I sometimes still find myself saying to people, “In this situation, I would write it down!”

One time someone was brave enough to tell me, “That’s cool, but I would not.”

What worked very well for you may not work for others.

5 The second mistake: Getting the balance wrong between managing up (working w your managers), managing down (working w your team), and managing over (working w your peers).

Most managers do one of these very well. Some do 2 out of the 3. Few get all 3 right with equal facility.

6 But all 3 of these working modes (managing up, down, and over) are important to achieving your main accountability as a manager: Delivering high-impact work on time and growing people in the process.

7 If you don’t spend enough time with your team, you fail to set accountabilities and priorities properly and you miss coaching opportunities.

8 If you don’t spend enough time with your management, you fail to set priorities properly, and you are likely missing context that can help your team. You also miss chances to be coached.

9 If you don’t spend enough time with your peers, your execution will suffer. You won’t know how your team is performing or perceived. You will lack organizational support for initiatives that matter to you.

10 At most stages of my early management career, I spent plenty of time with my team and with my management, but I didn’t spend enough time with my peers. That was an Achilles heel that I was only able to see after the fact.

11 The third mistake that many managers make is optimizing for avoiding conflict with their teams. It’s easy, especially as a new manager, to avoid giving tough feedback. It’s also easy to be vague about expectations because you’re worried your team won’t like the expectations.

12 Avoiding the conflict may feel easier in the moment, but it sets you up for two bad outcomes down the line. First, and worst, you will set your team up to fail; no one can deliver to expectations without knowing what the expectations are.

13 Second, you will lose credibility with your team and have much bigger conflict with people later than the conflict you are avoiding right now. You not stating the expectations doesn’t mean that there AREN’T any expectations.

14 Most people want a manager who is clear, responsive, and empathetic. Your job is to treat your team fairly, align work appropriately, and give them the timely and honest feedback they need to succeed.

15 Your job as a manager is not to optimize for being liked. It isn't about your ego. It is about the success of the work and the team.

This is a hard lesson to learn, bc everyone likes to be liked. But more than being likable, people need you to be clear, responsive, and fair.

16 I can’t think of a time in my career where I’ve optimized to avoid conflict with someone on my team and not regretted it later. Sometimes “later” comes right away and sometimes it takes longer. But the regret is inevitable.

17 The fourth mistake that a lot of managers make, not just new managers but even highly experienced ones, is not standing for anything.

Do you have a pov on what your team values are? Do you know where you are leading people? Do you know what you are trying to create?

18 Asserting a pov on what your team is (and is not), on what you stand for, and on what you are creating lets people choose to be part of it. Or not, if they don’t agree or want to sign up for it.

19 If you step into leading a new team, the best thing you can do in month 1 is listen and be curious. After that, it’s your time to synthesize and tell people what you’re about and what you’re creating.

Because if you don’t know what you value, why should anyone follow you?

20 It’s amazing how many of the basics derive from the management golden rule: How do you want to be managed?

21 In my nearly 9 years at Microsoft, I had one truly great manager. I learned a ton reporting to him for 2 years and I was aware of it at the time.

But I only became aware much later that this is all stuff he got right.

(Thanks, Ed!)