Every New Supervisor I Have Worked With Asked Me the Same 8 Questions in Week One

After more than 20 years in operations, I have sat across from a lot of brand new supervisors on their first day, their first week, and sometimes their first very long night shift. The titles and industries changed, but the questions barely did. The research matches what I saw on the floor: the Center for Creative Leadership studied nearly 300 emerging leaders. They identified 12 common challenges for first-time managers. ccl

If you're a leader, you likely have the responsibility of developing other leaders. You may have just promoted one. Here are the eight questions I hear most, with my short answer and the research behind it.

1. How do I get my own work done and still lead?

This one comes up in nearly every first-week conversation. Because most new supervisors were promoted for being excellent individual contributors. You will feel pulled to keep doing the work you are good at, and some of it you will need to keep for a while. CCL’s research identifies this directly. Since first-time managers must learn to be leaders while still being productive employees themselves. Block time every week for your people, such as one-on-ones and walking the floor. Protect it the way you would protect a production deadline. The stakes are high, because Gallup research finds that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement. cclhappily

2. How do I give feedback to someone who used to be my equal?

Start with the standard you are holding, and then describe what you observed. When feedback is tied to a clear expectation, it lands as guidance and as a judgment of the work, so the person can hear it. Most new supervisors wait too long because the conversation feels awkward. The delay makes it harder every day. CCL found that first-time managers have to overcome discomfort with giving feedback, particularly if it's negative. The payoff is worth the discomfort. Among fully engaged workers, 80 percent reported meaningful feedback from their manager . cclmydigitalpublication

3. What do I do when someone is underperforming?

Get specific before you get serious. Acknowledge the gap between what is expected and what is happening. Ask what is getting in the way, and agree on a timeline for checking back in. Many performance problems turn out to be unclear expectations or missing training. You can only discover that by asking. CCL lists driving performance and accountability among the most common challenges new managers face. So if this feels hard, you are in good company. aspph

4. What should I delegate, and how do I let go?

Look at your task list and ask which items only you can do given your role. Everything else is a candidate to hand off, along with the context and the authority to finish it. Letting go feels risky at first because the work will not come back exactly the way you would have done it. That is part of how your team grows. CCL’s list of challenges includes the need to identify which tasks need to be done by themselves versus which can be handed to others. ccl

5. What if I do not know the answer?

Say so, and then say when you will find out. Your team does not need you to know everything on day one. They need to see that you are honest and that you follow through. Amy Edmondson’s research at Harvard explains why this matters. In a study of 51 work teams at a manufacturing company, team psychological safety was associated with learning behavior. And learning behavior connected psychological safety to team performance. A supervisor who can say “I don’t know yet” makes it safer for everyone else to raise problems and ask questions. studylib

6. How do I disagree with my own manager?

Bring a problem, your reasoning, and a suggested option. Your manager is more likely to hear a concern when it comes with a proposed path forward. You protect the relationship by raising it privately and early. New supervisors often wait until they are frustrated. By that time, the message comes out sharper than they intended. CCL identifies this as a core skill. First-time managers must learn to assert their opinions to upper-level management. ccl

7. How do I handle conflict between two people on my team?

Talk to each person separately first so you understand both sides before anyone is defending a position. Then bring them together around the work outcome they both care about. Avoiding the conflict almost always costs more than stepping in, because the rest of the team is watching how you handle it. Researchers at the University at Buffalo found that new managers were surprised by internal conflict, politicking and a lack of resources. CCL adds that they must resolve conflicts between group members both proactively and reactively. buffaloccl

8. Can I be friends with my team?

My answer is no, and I say it with warmth, because I know how hard it is to hear when you are surrounded by people you like. Friendship with someone who reports to you creates a conflict of interest, and it can signal favoritism even when you are working hard to be fair. An employment attorney at Fisher Phillips put it plainly: a supervisor can be friendly, but needs to maintain professional distance. Remember at all times that they are the boss, and consistency is key. The management book The Effective Manager offers a useful test. You can behave in a friendly way toward all of your directs, but you cannot be friends with any of them. You cannot treat some warmly without treating the others the same. The stakes for team morale are real, since socializing with an employee invites charges of favoritism. Nothing wrecks teamwork more than a feeling that the boss has a pet. Be kind, be curious about their lives, and be consistent with everyone. Save your close friendships for people outside your reporting line. supervisor subordinate friendships can lead to charges of favoritism and other problems +2

What this means for those of us who develop leaders

None of these questions signal a weak supervisor. They signal someone who cares about doing the job well and who deserves a real answer before habits form. If your organization promotes people into supervision and then waits for them to figure it out, week one is the best place to start supporting them.

I would love to hear which of these questions you hear most in your own organization and which one I should have included. Hit reply and tell me.

Sources

• Center for Creative Leadership, 12 Common Challenges of New Managers (ccl.org)

• University at Buffalo School of Management, “Room at the Top” (ubwp.buffalo.edu)

• Gallup, State of the American Manager (2015), via Gallup’s 70% variance finding

• Amy Edmondson, “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams,” Administrative Science Quarterly (1999)

• Fisher Phillips, “Supervisor-Subordinate Friendships Can Lead to Charges of Favoritism and Other Problems”

• Mark Horstman and Michael Auzenne, The Effective Manager (passage as quoted on Goodreads)

• R&D World, “Mistakes New Managers Make: The Four Biggies”

Fernanda Brasileiro

People Development Consultant & Strategist

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