So you just started leading a team, maybe you were promoted to the position. Or maybe you were hired to take on leadership of a brand new team. A leader’s job is to focus on the 4 categories of Product Strategy, Execution, Operations, and Team culture. Let’s focus on team culture for this post.

This is a collection of tips for new managers put together by me. I did not invent any of this. All the good ideas you see here are things I have learned from great leaders and managers who have mentored me. All the bad ideas you see here are mine. Please feel free to leave any feedback or comments.

Rituals are an important part of any team. They build predictability, helps bring the team members together, and set clear expectations for how we treat each other. Done right, rituals can add to the psychological safety on a team. Here are some rituals I have implemented on teams I have managed over the years:

Everyone is busy, and I am sure so are you. As UX Managers, how could we ensure that we are focused on the critical tasks even if they are not urgent? I use this framework for thinking about my various responsibilities. I look at them weekly, quarterly, and annually.

I have a career conversation with new hires on my team pretty soon after they first start on the team. The objective of this career conversation is for me to get to know them, what drives them, what can be demotivating etc. This is a template I developed and refined over the last few years.

I started leading UX for the Google Support team the day we went into mandatory WFH. The team was trying to learn how to WFH, how to deal with a pandemic, and how to work with a new lead. I ensured that third one needed the least effort.