Alloy Solutions Leadership Blog

Congrats!

Hey, congratulations! You did it!

After years of strong performance, stretch assignments, professional development courses, and countless podcast hours, you finally got that promotion you’ve been chasing for so long.

You can officially say, “I’m a manager.”

So… now what?

Why This Transition Is So Difficult

I’ve spent the last decade helping new managers adjust to the demands of their new responsibilities. Candidly, I’ve seen some leaders who never fully made the transition — and their teams suffered for it, sometimes for years on end.

Some were incredibly strong individual contributors who struggled with the realities of leadership. Not because they lacked capability, but because the skills that make someone a great contributor are not the same skills that make someone highly effective at leading people and delivering results.

Whether you’re brand-new to people leadership (in which case, seriously, congratulations!), or a senior leader with decades of experience, here...

Fire-Fighting is Killing Your Team. Here's How to Quit. by Ryan Hansen

Have you ever had one of those managers who just can't seem to stop? It's not that they don't seem to stop - it's as if they can't. For them, the day consists of bouncing from one project to another, from one problem to another, of answering questions and sorting out issues before they become crises. They don't have a minute to talk - or perhaps they have precisely one minute while they're walking from one meeting to the next. Sure, they start the day with an agenda, but other priorities crop up and demand attention.

You can spot this manager in their natural habitat. You'll see him or her hustling from one meeting room to the next, or half-jogging to a bathroom between conference calls. Their team members say things like "Have you seen Sarah?" and "Hey, if you talk to Chris would you ask him to get back to me about that proposal?" Reschedules are a fact of life for these managers; conversations run long or they a...