The Ups and Downs of Being a First-Time Manager

Learning to lead other people is a stressful stretch assignment. Much of that stress stems from the misconceptions many people bring into the job. They think they know what the role will entail, and then they start doing the work and realize they don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. Gender bias often makes the transition more painful for women since a lot of people, unfortunately, still don’t see us as cut out for leadership, even if they’d never say so to our face.

Three women who’ve recently moved into management speak candidly about being newly in charge of other people: the surprises, the rewards, and recent challenges. If you’re a new manager yourself, we hope you’ll find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in any struggles you might be facing— and that you’ll get some ideas for how to deal. And if you’re just curious about becoming a boss, we hope that you’ll come away more prepared for the job and confident that you can do it too.

Resources:

• “Becoming the Boss,” by Linda A. Hill
• “Research: Becoming a Manager Doesn’t Always Feel Like a Step Up,” by Nishani Bourmault and Michel Anteby
• “Research: Becoming a Manager Increases Men’s Job Satisfaction, But Not Women’s,” by Daniela Lup
• “Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers,” by Herminia Ibarra et al.
• Harvard Business Review Manager’s Handbook: The 17 Skills Leaders Need to Stand Out

Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.

Email us: [email protected]