Asking for a raise: how to prepare
Collect proof, check the market, pick the moment and know what you will say when the answer is no.
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First time managing people: first 30 days
Listen first, set clear expectations and build the habits of a good manager.
Before day one (4)
- Ask your manager what success looks like at 30 and 90 days
- Ask what the team does well, and what is going wrong
- Find out what you can decide alone: leave, pay, hiring, budget
- Read last reviews and goals for each person, if you are allowed
Week 1: listen (5)
- Tell the team what will change: for now, very little
- Hold a 30-minute talk with each person
- Ask: what is going well, what gets in the way, what should I not change?
- Ask how they like to get feedback
- Write notes, and do not promise what you cannot deliver
Week 2: set the basics (5)
- Set a weekly 1:1 with each person and keep it
- Let them set the 1:1 agenda; you bring anything left
- Make clear who decides what
- Say what you expect on hours, updates and quality
- Fix one small thing that annoys everyone
Week 3: hand over (5)
- List the work you still do yourself
- Hand one task to someone, with the goal and the deadline
- Agree when you will check in, then leave them to it
- Praise specific work, soon after it happens
- Give your first small piece of corrective feedback, in private
Week 4: look ahead (5)
- Write one goal with each person for the next quarter
- Ask your team what you should do differently
- Review your 30-day goals with your manager
- Ask an experienced manager to meet you monthly
- Take any pay, performance or personal issue to HR early
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