It pays to highlight the strength an employee brings and then to work on minimizing the weak aspects. Start and work with the impact and value the employee is making to your team.

Strategize Around Strengths 

Instead of hanging on to a bad fit, and prolonging the support to employees who are struggling, it is better to let them go.

Fire Fast

Get a nod or a confirmation on the feedback that is delivered, so that it is clear and the employee hasn't taken away something unexpected or unintended from your conversation.

Create a Feedback Cycle

If the work is reported to be ok or fine by your subordinates, maybe you need to dig in deep and probe more.The employee reporting to you may be struggling and not providing the true details of the situation.

Probe Work That Seems Ok

Show that you trust your team by delegating work and giving people big problems to solve.

Delegate work to show trust

Instead of the sandwich approach to provide feedback, try to be direct and dispassionate.

The 'Sandwich Approach' Is Outdated

Ownership and accountability need to be defined so that your team knows who is responsible for what.

Define Ownership

Have goal-oriented and clear meetings, only when it is important and necessary.

Meetings should be clear

Diversify work within the team so that the long term and short term goals are both taken care of.

Diversify your Team

Congratulations! You've been bumped up to a leadership role for the very first time. Maybe it's something you've seen coming for awhile, or maybe it's come about because the scaling startup or creative studio you work at suddenly needed a management layer.

Probe Work That Seems Ok

9 Lessons for the First-Time Manager

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What's Authentic Leadership & How Do You Practice It

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