Latest / New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics / How New Managers Can Spotlight Their Team Members
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, I want to talk about something that sounds easy but trips up a lot of new managers: giving credit to your team members. Luna: I mean, isn't that just basic decency? Say thanks, move on. Lucas: You'd think so. But the research from a 2023 Harvard Business Review article — I'm pulling this from memory — found that new managers under-attribute success to their team by a factor of about three to one. They either take the credit themselves, often without realising it, or they give vague praise that doesn't land. Luna: So they're not being malicious, they just don't know how to do it well? Lucas: Exactly. And it's a skill. You can learn it. Today I want to run through two specific tactics that I've seen work, and then a caution about the most common misstep. Luna: Let's hear them. Lucas: First tactic: the attribution pause. This is from a former executive at LinkedIn I interviewed a few years ago. When someone compliments your team's work, don't immediately say 'Thanks.' Instead, pause, and then say something like, 'That's really Sarah's work — let me tell you how she approached it.' Luna: So you redirect the spotlight in the moment. That's elegant. Lucas: It is. And it's powerful because it's public. The team member hears it, the stakeholder hears it, and it reinforces that you're not a credit-hoarder. I've seen a new manager at a mid-size tech company — let's call her Priya — use this consistently over three months. Her team's engagement scores went up by something like 12 points on their internal survey. Luna: Twelve points is huge. What was the second tactic? Lucas: The skip-level shout-out. This is where you go out of your way to mention a team member's contribution to someone higher up, either in a meeting or in a written update. And you do it when the team member isn't in the room. Luna: But if they're not there, how does that help them? Lucas: It helps in two ways. First, it builds your own reputation as a leader who develops people. Second — and this is key — the skip-level manager will eventually mention it to the team member. 'Hey, Lucas told me you crushed that analysis.' That carries more weight because it's from someone unexpected. Luna: So it's like planting a seed that grows when you're not around. I like that. Lucas: Right. And it doesn't have to be a big deal. It can be a sentence in a status report: 'Key insight came from Maria's work on the Q2 data.' That's it. Luna: Okay, but what's the misstep you mentioned? I feel like there's a trap here. Lucas: The trap is false modesty. Some new managers overcorrect and become so effusive that it feels insincere. Or they credit the team for everything, even things they personally drove. That can actually erode trust, because the team knows you did some of the work, and they start to wonder if you're avoiding accountability. Luna: So you have to be specific and honest. Don't say 'the team did it all' when you spent the weekend on it. Lucas: Exactly. The best approach is to be precise. 'I handled the framework, but the actual analysis and recommendations came from Jin and Alisha.' That's transparent. It shows you respect their contribution and you're not hiding your own. Luna: That makes sense. I think the other mistake is only crediting the same people over and over — the high performers. The quieter team members can feel invisible. Lucas: That's a great point. If you only spotlight the stars, you inadvertently create a two-tier culture. A new manager should actively look for contributions from everyone. Maybe the person who caught a small error in a report, or the one who ran the meeting smoothly. Those moments matter. Luna: And when you do that, you're also training the team to notice each other's work. It becomes part of the culture. Lucas: Exactly. I want to circle back to something you said earlier — that this seems like basic decency. It is. But in the pressure of a new role, with your own deliverables and a learning curve, it's easy to let it slide. That's why having a system helps. Luna: So what's your system? Do you do something like a Friday email? Lucas: I keep a running document — literally a text file — where I jot down one or two specific contributions from each team member per week. Then every Monday, I pick one and make sure I mention it, either in a meeting or in a one-on-one. It's low effort, but it guarantees I'm spreading the credit around. Luna: That's almost a habit. And it probably takes you five minutes. Lucas: Less. And the return is huge. When people feel seen, they work harder and they stay longer. There's a 2022 Gallup study that said employees who feel their contributions are recognized are 4.6 times more likely to feel engaged. Luna: Four point six times — that's not a small bump. And it costs nothing. Lucas: Right. Compare that to a salary increase or a bonus. Recognition is basically free, but it's one of the most underused tools in a new manager's kit. Luna: I think the hard part is remembering to do it when you're stressed. But if you build the habit early, it becomes automatic. Lucas: That's the key. And if today's conversation helped you think about how to be more deliberate with your team, honestly, if it was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's what keeps this show ad-free and independent. Luna: Yeah, we don't have a big network behind us, so listener support really does make a difference. And we appreciate it. Lucas: Alright, back to the tactics. One more thing I want to mention: timing matters. Giving credit weeks after the fact loses impact. Try to do it within 48 hours. Luna: So if you're in a Monday meeting and someone did something great on Friday, you're already late by Monday? That's a tight window. Lucas: It feels tight, but it's doable. You can send a quick email to the team with a cc to their manager, or mention it at the start of the next stand-up. The closer to the event, the more it reinforces the behavior. Luna: This might be a good place to wrap. Any final thought? Lucas: Just this: as a new manager, your job is to make your team look good. If you do that consistently, you'll naturally look good too. And your team will trust you to have their back. That's the foundation of everything else. Luna: Well said. Thanks for the conversation, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. See everyone next time.