Latest / New Manager Conversations with Fexingo: First 90 Days, Managing Former Peers, and Leadership Basics / How New Managers Can Lead Their First Team Meeting
Transcript
- Lucas: If you're a new manager, your first team meeting is probably the most visible moment in your first ninety days. It's where your team forms a first impression of your leadership style, your priorities, and whether you actually listen. Luna: And it's easy to get wrong. I've seen managers treat it like a status update — just going around the room, 'What are you working on?' — and the team leaves thinking, 'Did we need a meeting for this?' Lucas: Exactly. The first meeting isn't about information distribution. It's about setting the relational tone. I want to talk through a real example: Sarah, a new engineering manager at a mid-size SaaS company. She had been a senior engineer, then got promoted to lead a team of eight. Luna: So she knew the people, but the dynamic had shifted. What did she do for her first team meeting? Lucas: She prepared a clear agenda — team goals for the quarter, project updates, a quick retrospective. But she forgot one thing: the elephant in the room. Her predecessor had left abruptly after a conflict with the VP of Engineering. The team was anxious, wondering if she'd be the same kind of manager. Luna: So she didn't acknowledge it at all? That would have been a huge miss. Lucas: She didn't. And within a week, two team members told her they felt she was avoiding the real issues. She had to schedule a follow-up meeting just to address the tension. So the lesson is: your first meeting is the moment to name the unspoken. Luna: That's a good framework. But what if you don't know what the unspoken is? As a new manager, you might not have the full context. Lucas: That's fair. So before the meeting, have one-on-ones with at least three team members. Ask: 'What's one thing you wish the team talked about more?' Or 'What's something that's been left unsaid?' You'll start to see patterns. Sarah could have learned about the predecessor situation in those conversations. Luna: So the prep for the first meeting actually starts days before. What else should be on the agenda? Lucas: I like to frame it as three parts: 1) Why we're here — your leadership philosophy and team mission. 2) How we'll work together — norms, communication preferences, decision-making. 3) What's next — immediate priorities and how you'll measure success. Luna: And keep it interactive. If you just lecture for thirty minutes, people will tune out. Lucas: Right. Sarah's second attempt — after she acknowledged the tension — she started with an open question: 'What do you need from me as your manager to feel supported?' That one question changed the tone completely. The team realized she actually wanted input. Luna: That leads to something I want to touch on: handling a team member who challenges you in that first meeting. Maybe they question your authority or push back on an idea you present. Lucas: Yeah, that can be unnerving. The instinct is to defend yourself. But I'd say: welcome it. If someone challenges you publicly, it means they trust you enough to engage. Respond with curiosity: 'Tell me more about your concern.' That shows you're not threatened by disagreement. Luna: And it sets a norm that dissent is okay. But you have to follow up. If you say 'I'll look into that,' make sure you actually do. Lucas: Absolutely. The meeting doesn't end when everyone leaves. Send a recap within twenty-four hours. Include decisions made, action items, and a place for further feedback. That follow-through builds trust faster than anything. Luna: And it's like what we try to do with this podcast — we prepare, we invite questions, and we follow up by making episodes that actually help. We deliberately don't run ads on these because we want the content to be useful without distractions. If you find that valuable and want to support the show, there's a link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: It's a small way to keep the conversations ad-free and focused on what matters. We appreciate it. So back to the first meeting — what about timing? How long should it be? Luna: I'd say thirty minutes max for a first meeting. Any longer and you risk overwhelming people. Sarah's first attempt was forty-five minutes and she could feel attention waning. Lucas: Good point. Shorter forces you to prioritize. And leave time for questions — at least ten minutes. If no one asks anything in the room, say 'I'll hang around for five minutes after for anyone who wants to chat one-on-one.' That often gets more engagement. Luna: One more thing: the setting matters. If you're remote, use video. If in-person, don't hide behind a podium. Sit at the same level as your team. Sarah moved to a round table for her second meeting and it made a difference. Lucas: Body language sends a message. Leaning in, making eye contact, taking notes — all signal that you're present. I think the biggest takeaway is: your first team meeting is not a performance. It's an invitation to build a working relationship. Luna: So if you're a new manager listening, what's one thing you can do this week to prepare for that first meeting? Lucas: Schedule those pre-meeting one-on-ones. Ask about the unspoken. Then design your agenda around what you learn. And remember, the goal isn't to have all the answers — it's to show that you care about the right questions. Luna: Well said. That's a wrap for today. Thanks for being here. Lucas: See you next time.