I was recently promoted to a senior manager role leading a team of ten, and while I'm confident in my technical skills, I know I need to actively focus on my leadership development to support my team effectively. I'm looking for practical frameworks and habits to build trust, delegate strategically, and provide meaningful feedback that fosters growth rather than defensiveness. For leaders who have navigated this transition, what resources—books, courses, or mentorship approaches—had the most tangible impact on your effectiveness? How did you balance maintaining rapport with former peers while establishing your authority, and what systems did you put in place for one-on-ones and team meetings that actually drive engagement and accountability?
Nice move. Start with a predictable 1:1 cadence and a coaching prompt you actually use: 'What’s one thing you want to focus on this week, and what support do you need from me?'
Structured 1:1: open with wins and blockers, then discuss development goals, then agree on concrete next steps. For feedback, use SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) and tie any delegation to clear outcomes with regular check-ins.
Trust and authority balance: model openness about your own learning, invite healthy dissent, and keep consistency in decisions so people know what to expect. Add a skip-level meeting every month or two to hear from the rest of the team, and run short, focused, recurring team huddles to align.
Key resources that actually helped: The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier; Radical Candor by Kim Scott; The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni; The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo. For courses, try Coursera's Leading People and Teams, LinkedIn Learning's Management Foundations, and Harvard ManageMentor if you have access.
An approach I found effective: frame feedback around impact on goals and team health, not personal traits. Keep notes after each 1:1 and share a brief summary with the person—correct things while they’re fresh. It helps reduce defensiveness and keeps growth visible.
Starter templates: 1:1 agenda: (1) wins & blockers (5–10 min), (2) development goals (5 min), (3) support & blockers (5–10 min); Team meeting: (1) update, (2) blockers, (3) decisions, (4) action items; a simple 360-style feedback note; OKR mapping template.