Latest / New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics / How New Managers Can Use Their First 30 Days to Build Credibility
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've just been promoted to manager. You're in your first week. What's the single most important thing you can do before you even think about making a change? Luna: I'm guessing the answer isn't 'reorganize the team's reporting structure' or 'implement a new project management tool'. Lucas: Exactly. The answer is: go on a listening tour. It sounds simple, but most new managers skip it because they feel pressure to act. A friend of mine — let's call her Priya — got promoted to lead a team of seven at a mid-sized SaaS company. She was told by her own boss that she needed to show quick results. But instead, she spent her first two weeks just listening. Luna: What did that actually look like? Was she just having casual chats? Lucas: Not exactly. She scheduled thirty-minute one-on-ones with each person. No agenda beyond three questions: 'What's working well on this team?', 'What's not working?', and 'If you could change one thing about how we operate, what would it be?' She took notes. She didn't interrupt. She didn't offer solutions. Luna: That must have been hard. When you're a new manager, you want to prove you can solve problems. Lucas: It was hard for her. But here's what happened: by the end of the second week, she had a pretty clear picture of the team's biggest pain points. The main one was that decisions kept getting stuck because they didn't have clear ownership. People felt like they were spinning their wheels. Luna: So then what? Did she come in with a new process? Lucas: Not immediately. She went back to each person and said, 'Here's what I'm hearing. Does that match your experience?' That step — validating — is crucial. Because if you just act on your own interpretation, you risk getting it wrong. Once the team confirmed, she proposed one small change: she introduced a 'decision owner' for each project in their weekly stand-up. That was it. Luna: One change from a two-week listening tour. And did it work? Lucas: Within a month, the team's velocity improved noticeably. But the bigger win was trust. The team felt heard. They'd had managers before who changed everything without asking. Priya's approach told them: 'I'm going to understand us first.' And that credibility lasted. Luna: I think a lot of new managers worry that listening makes them look indecisive or weak. Especially if they're managing former peers. Lucas: That's a real fear. But actually, the opposite is true. When you listen first, you signal confidence. You're saying, 'I'm not threatened by what I don't know. I'm going to learn before I act.' That's a huge leadership signal. Research from Harvard Business Review found that managers who spend their first 30 days listening are rated significantly higher by their teams after six months. Luna: Do you have a specific structure for a listening tour? Like, beyond those three questions? Lucas: Yeah, I think there are a few key elements. First, do it one-on-one, not in a group. People are more honest individually. Second, keep it to three or four open-ended questions — don't turn it into a survey. Third, don't take notes on your laptop. A simple notebook sends the message that you're paying attention. Luna: And what about stakeholders outside the team? Your boss, peers in other departments? Lucas: Great point. A listening tour should include your boss and key cross-functional partners. For your boss, the question is: 'What does success look like for this team in the next quarter?' For peers: 'What do you need from us that you're not getting?' That gives you the full picture. Luna: One risk I've seen is that new managers listen, then they don't act. The team feels like they've been heard, but nothing changes. Lucas: That's a real pitfall. So you need to follow through. After the listening tour, communicate what you learned and what you're going to do — even if it's just one small change. Priya did that. She sent a team email saying, 'Here are the themes I heard, and here's the single change I'm making based on your input.' That closes the loop. Luna: I also think it's important to let the team know that you'll revisit those themes. Like, check back in a month to see if the change is working — and if there are other issues. Lucas: Exactly. The listening tour isn't a one-time event. It's the start of a habit. And that's really the core of being a new manager: building a rhythm of listening and acting. Luna: So if someone is in their first week as a manager right now, what would you tell them? Lucas: I'd say: resist the urge to fix everything. Your first job is to understand the system you've inherited. That means listening to your team, your boss, and your peers. Don't over-engineer it. Just start the conversations. The credibility you build in those first 30 days will carry you through the rest of your first year. Luna: And if we've helped you think through your own management approach or career decisions, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep these conversations ad-free and coming to you every week. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate that. And it helps us keep doing deep dives like this one. So, back to the listening tour: one more thing I want to mention. The listening tour doesn't stop at week two. You should keep a running list of what you're hearing, and revisit it monthly. Luna: That's a good practice. I've seen managers create a simple doc with three columns: 'What I'm hearing', 'What I'm doing about it', and 'What still needs attention'. It keeps them accountable. Lucas: And it turns the listening tour from a one-time exercise into a continuous improvement tool. That's what separates good managers from great ones.