Moments of truth. I like to define these as critical junctures when the euphoria of something happening, such as a promotion, begins to settle, and you are compelled to think about what needs to change to meet a new set of expectations.
Think of it as starting a new oil painting. You have a fresh canvas and the opportunity to create something different. If you continue to paint the same way you always have, you may find yourself repeatedly correcting the picture rather than creating something new.
One crucial moment of truth we are often unprepared for is the transition from being an individual contributor (IC) to managing a team. And if you don’t approach this transition intentionally, the first 90 days may fly by before you realise that your stakeholders, team and manager are already evaluating you through a fresh lens.
You may think all that has changed is this: you now have a team and their absences to manage, you’re the middle layer cascading communication updates, you need regular one-on-ones, and you have appraisals to complete by year-end.
But is that all that has changed?
The transition is about far more than taking on new responsibilities. It’s about unlearning and learning. Doing more of what got you here may not be what makes you successful in your new role.
The first 90 days aren’t about proving you can do everything. They’re about understanding what your team needs to achieve, learning how to enable delivery without doing everything yourself, and building the trust that makes it all work.
Here are three priorities based on my experience and observations of managers over the years.
-
Understand what success looks like in your new role
As an individual contributor, your success was probably measured by your expertise and ability to deliver quality output. As a people manager, success increasingly depends on how well you enable your team to deliver.
This means understanding your team members’ strengths and development needs, having purposeful conversations, setting clear goals and creating the conditions for people to take ownership. The shift is from being responsible for your own output to enabling the output of others.
-
Delegate, but retain accountability
It’s habitual to want to continue getting into the detail and doing the work yourself. Alternatively, you may delegate and look away, expecting everything to get done without further involvement. Neither approach serves you or your team well.
Effective delegation requires clarity about outcomes, expectations and timelines, alongside the right support and follow-through. You need to remain accountable without taking back ownership or controlling every step.
Accountability means staying responsible for the outcome; it doesn’t mean owning every action required to achieve it. A new team member may need more guidance, while an experienced colleague may need greater autonomy. One size does not fit all.
-
Build connection while establishing authority
The transition can be particularly challenging when former peers become your direct reports. Familiarity may make it difficult to establish boundaries, while going to the other extreme can make you seem unnecessarily authoritative.
Strong managers recognise that authority and connection are not opposites.
Invest time in understanding your team members, their strengths, aspirations and challenges. Listen before rushing to make changes. Build relationships with peers and stakeholders, too, because your team’s success often depends on collaboration beyond its immediate boundaries.
Some of the strongest managers I have encountered share a common characteristic: they provide challenge with care. They delegate ambitiously but retain the right controls. They communicate often, but with intent.
Make the first 90 days count
You don’t need to transform everything in your first three months. Start by understanding expectations, building trust and identifying one or two meaningful early wins: perhaps clarifying team priorities or establishing better ways of working.
Successful managers build connections upwards, downwards and sideways. They understand what is expected of them and work mindfully towards it.
The move from individual contributor to manager is not simply a promotion. It is a shift in how you create value: from delivering results yourself to enabling results through others.
Through the Manager Accelerator journey, Stryde Consulting and GCC Pulse aim to support managers in navigating this transition, strengthening their everyday leadership capabilities and building more effective, accountable and empowered teams.
Because becoming a manager is about more than managing work. It is about learning to bring out the best in people.
