15 tips New Managers need to know BEFORE they start!

Fifteen tips for new managers, ranked by Derek's judgment of what makes the biggest difference, from recognizing potential in others to building a daily system for deciding where your attention is needed most.

November 2, 2026 · 16:33 · New leaders / Leadership / Delegation / Team systems / AI adoption

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The main idea

The skills that made you successful as an individual contributor will not automatically make you successful as a manager. Stop treating yourself as the one with every answer and build clarity, ownership and simple systems so your team depends on you less.

Key takeaways

If you make yourself responsible for solving everything, everyone comes to depend on you to solve everything. That is how a manager ends up slowing the team down. Watch at 0:00 ↗
Give someone a manageable piece, such as ten minutes of the next planning session, help them beforehand and afterward, and talk through what went well. Watch at 1:19 ↗
Before sending an important update, read only the opening paragraph. If the reader would not know why it matters and what you need from them, move that to the top. Watch at 2:42 ↗
Before changing a process, ask what problem it was originally designed to solve and whether that problem still exists. Watch at 3:18 ↗
Write down one expectation that lives mostly in your head, then ask someone on the team to explain it back in their own words. Watch at 4:23 ↗
Ask your leader which decisions you can make independently, which need a conversation first, and how they want to hear about something that did not work. Watch at 6:03 ↗
Delegation means transferring ownership, and ownership requires context: who the work is for, what matters, what to do if something important changes. Watch at 6:47 ↗
When someone brings you a solution, ask what outcome they want and how they will know the problem is solved. Watch at 8:35 ↗
Do not stop at measuring adoption of a change. Decide what would show it is actually working, then look at a few examples and talk to the people doing and receiving the work. Watch at 10:44 ↗
Start with a simple daily document: capture what needs your attention, the next action, why it matters, who owns it and any deadline or dependency. AI can help organize it, but you decide the priorities. Watch at 13:37 ↗
Try the simplest version of the system before the next video: what needs my attention today, what could someone else own, and what do I need to learn about it. Watch at 15:09 ↗

Episode breakdown

0:00 The biggest mistake new managers make ↗

Derek describes believing he needed all the answers, and how that made everyone depend on him. The 15 tips are ranked by what he believes will make the biggest difference, with number one revealed last.

1:08 #15 Recognize potential in others ↗

Notice the potential someone may not see in themselves. Give them a manageable piece to lead, help before and after, and build a team that depends a little less on you.

1:37 #14 Know who receives your team's work ↗

A detailed weekly report may be far more than the receiving team needs. Ask what they are trying to accomplish, what decisions they make and what would make it easier.

2:07 #13 Master the executive summary ↗

Lead with the most important information. A leader usually wants to know whether you are at risk, the impact and what decision or support you need, while a technical helper needs the detail.

2:52 #12 Learn why a process exists ↗

Today's way of working is often someone's earlier good idea. A second review may exist because a wrong number once caused a problem, so find out what needs to survive any change.

3:28 #11 Stakeholder management ↗

When a stakeholder keeps asking for status updates, find out what they are worried about. Agree on the outcome, how progress is communicated and what changes need a conversation. Derek says "number 12" aloud here; the public chapter list labels it #11.

4:04 #10 Set clear expectations ↗

People can read the same instructions very differently. Write an expectation down in plain language and ask someone to explain it back to you.

4:40 #9 Adapt your leadership approach ↗

Two people learning a new process may prefer different paths. Be consistent about the outcome without requiring everyone to follow the same route.

5:18 #8 Know what your leader expects ↗

You can work hard in a direction that does not match what your leader needs. Get clear on what matters most, then bring your understanding back to confirm you are aligned.

5:52 #7 Know the limits of your authority ↗

Ask which decisions you can make independently, which need consultation and how your leader wants to hear about something that did not work. Then create the same clarity for your team.

6:24 #6 Delegation ↗

Constantly checking or taking work back creates more work. Explain the outcome, show an example, agree when to check in, and leave room to decide how. Sometimes ask what they recommend before giving the answer.

7:56 #5 Find the problem behind the request ↗

People often bring solutions rather than problems. Ask why before agreeing to rebuild the spreadsheet, and how they will know the problem is solved.

8:50 #4 Lead from the front ↗

Before asking the team to adopt AI or a new process, try it yourself on a task you understand. Share what worked and what did not, and fix your own processes when they prove too complicated.

10:08 #3 Measure whether changes work ↗

More people using a tool does not show the work improved. Decide what success looks like, such as a recipient who can decide without asking for missing information, and be willing to adjust.

11:23 #2 Build systems for repeat problems ↗

If you keep stepping in to solve the same issue, ask why it keeps coming back. A system can be a checklist, shared document or agreed handoff. The first version will not be perfect.

12:41 #1 Build a daily priority system ↗

Ask where your attention will have the biggest impact, not just what you need to get done. Track the next action, why it matters, who owns it and any deadline, plus a question about your team. AI can organize it, but judgment stays with you.

15:09 Try this before the next video ↗

Build the simplest daily priority system and ask three questions: what needs my attention today, what could someone else own, and what do I need to learn about it. Compare the list with what you planned to work on.

15:58 When someone undermines you ↗

Derek points to his video on managing employees who undermine you, covering how to identify repeated behavior, handle it privately and know when to address it in public.

AI in practice: helping with a daily priority list and leading by example

The video mentions AI in two ways. Under tip 4, Derek suggests experimenting with AI on a task you already understand and sharing what worked, what struggled and how much review was needed. Under tip 1, he says an approved AI tool such as ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot can summarize meeting notes or help find commitments you may have overlooked. No prompt is shown or read out.

Tool: An AI tool your organization has approved, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot

Pick a task you already understand and try AI on it before asking your team to do the same.
Note where it helps, where it struggles and how much review the result needs before it meets your standard.
Use an approved tool to organize your notes and commitments for the daily priority list, for example summarizing meeting notes or spotting anything you overlooked.

The leader’s review

AI should not decide your priorities. You apply your own judgment because you understand the people, relationships and business context behind each decision.