[rank_math_breadcrumb]

Walking the Walk of Your Goals

  • San Diego, California, United States

Author:  Sterling Hawkins

Short Description

Your first time as a manager is a learning experience as much as anything else and what is the best way to build trust? How do you lead your team well? Who should you hire? Where do you draw the boundaries with former colleagues who are now direct-reports? WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BUILD TRUST? […]

Your first time as a manager is a learning experience as much as anything else and what is the best way to build trust?

How do you lead your team well?

Who should you hire?

Where do you draw the boundaries with former colleagues who are now direct-reports?

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BUILD TRUST?

Q: How do you start off on the right foot with your new team?

A: You have to set the tone yourself for the environment and how you want people to work. Lead by example. People learn through your actions what you prioritize—for better or worse! I’ve always believed that a boss has to work harder than everyone else around them. Most importantly, a great leader inspires those around them to achieve their fullest potential.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake a first-time manager can make?

A: Forgetting that being an effective manager means that you’re dealing with overseeing people—not things. I know a lot of really intelligent people who are terrible managers. Once you alienate your team it’s hard to win back their admiration, loyalty and respect.

Q: What’s the best way to build trust?

A: Be authentic. People have to feel like you care about them—and they won’t feel that way unless you actually care about them. To engender goodwill and loyalty, you need to be positive and highly competent.

Q: I’m younger than the people I’m managing. How can I be an effective leader when they’ve had more time at the company?

A: You have to be humble. Realize that you’re dealing with people who may have ego issues of their own (even if they’re not voicing them) in terms of having a boss who’s younger than they are. It’s very important that you’re deferential in the sense that you acknowledge their expertise and see the added value of the contribution they make to the team. That said, it’s a fine balance. You can’t equivocate. I’m a big believer of asking a lot of questions—for the purpose of gathering information and demonstrating your interest in the opinion of others—but at the end of the day, it has to be your call. You need to have the confidence to make decisions without the safety net of unanimous consent.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BUILD TRUST?

Q: How do you balance being friendly with being the boss?

A: You want the person working for you to know that you legitimately care for them and support them—in life, as well as in the office. But you do need to have boundaries. You don’t want to make people uncomfortable by being too personal. Your direct reports shouldn’t have to worry about spending their off-time entertaining you after work.

Q: I struggle with asking people to do things—especially when I can do them better myself. How can I delegate efficiently?

A: If you can do something better yourself and it’s important to the business—do it yourself. Likewise, you shouldn’t be doing anything that somebody else could do better than you or that isn’t highly valuable to the business. It’s hard (I have occasional micro-manager tendencies myself!), but in order to scale, you need to make very smart decisions about how your time is best spent.

Q: I’m making my first hire, but how do I know I’ve found the right person?

A: Reference checks are essential. I will contact up to five or six people per hire. I make it very clear at the beginning of the interview process that I expect them to provide references to all past employers and that I intend to call each of them. I’m always weary of someone who can only provide a couple of former bosses. If you are a great employee, former employers should be thrilled to give you a good reference and help you advance in your career. Ask direct questions about strengths and weaknesses to help you understand how best to manage your new hire when he or she does join the team.

Q: What type of people should I look for when building my team?

A: Build a team that supports your strengths and covers for your areas of weakness. It’s important to self-assess. Say, “Here are the areas where I’m strong and I’m going to focus the majority of my energy on making them better. I am not replicable in these specific arenas.” The areas where you’re weak, those skills are what you need to look for when you hire. It’s not a cop-out—you still need to possess a certain level of proficiency. If you’re not good with numbers, you can hire a great CFO, but you need to know enough to effectively manage her. If she’s not doing a good job, you have to be smart enough to realize it. Thinking about building a team to supplement your strengths and weaknesses is a good place to start.

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to Walking the Walk of Your Goals

WS Logo 512

The 4 Types Of People You Need On Your Leadership Team can be related to this powerful book, Think Like A Monk, I believe Jay Shetty gives us a reason why we so often feel let down by those we look to as we grow as leaders. He writes, “We tend to expect every person to […]

  • Author: Jones Loflin
WS Logo 512

The world much better. The world is awful. The world can be much better. All three statements are true. — Read on ourworldindata.org/much-better-awful-can-be-better “It is wrong to think that these three statements contradict each other. We need to see that they are all true to see that a better world is possible. by Max Roser […]

  • Author: Gerd Leonhard
WS Logo 512

We have been waiting, hoping, praying, and looking forward to Managing the Flood Gates for over a year—people are ready to meet again.  Clients are sending RFPs (Request for Proposal), booking events, and are considering various cities to host their events. We are once again seeing increased interest in utilizing our DMC (Destination Management Company) services in Asheville. Clients want DMC planning time for Charlotte. They […]

  • Author: Mosaix Group
WS Logo 512

In organizational culture, there are two types of people: those who look for reasons to be offended, and those who look for ways to understand others. The former type tends to lash out at coworkers, saying cruel things in private or criticizing them in public. They seek revenge on their managers if they feel they […]

  • Author: Joshua M Evans
WS Logo 512

The Survival Guide, originally written for overworked and underappreciated public servants, offers ten checkpoints that signal burnout. After sharing this popular workshop based on the book with audiences filled with clerks, librarians, planners, firefighters, administrators, and many other municipal groups, the private sector came calling. Who cares about Public Servants and a The Survival Guide? Why? Because […]

  • Author: Brenda Viola
WS Logo 512

Life has suddenly become potentially very thorny. The goal posts have shifted completely and now the Necessity is the mother of reinvention.  The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust us all into a strange new world.  The rules of engagement have been turned completely upside down.  There is no more ‘normal’. We don’t even know where or […]

  • Author: Lorne Sulcas
WS Logo 512

A framework from my book Humancentric for how to create Relationship and Intelligence in businesses in the fourth industrial revolution. How do we focus more on people than technology? When we do our research behind all of the aspects of business, we need to focus on the context we are in, the relationships around that […]

  • Author: Mike Saunders
WS Logo 512

Me to My Husband, Bill:     Bill – look! My phone is blowing UP with all these stories about people getting this flesh-eating bacteria from getting into the ocean! Bill:    You’re kidding. (Not even breaking stride in his email checking) Me:     It’s true! It’s right here. A man who’s about to lose his arm. A 12-year old who is about […]

  • Author: Kelly Swanson

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME