This list is my evolving set of notes on the what do as a young leader in a new position. I’d love to hear what you have learned along the way, and what you would continue doing or change in your next job!

Know and be known to your team

• Get to know each of your team-members. What are their strengths, aspirations and preferences?
• Let your team know what they can expect from you.
• Ask better coaching questions in the one-on-ones.
• Remind yourself (and your team) that you are only right about half the time.
• Write a team charter

Figure out where you are

• Learn the tools for analysis
• Separate signal from noise with long-term charts

Find out where you are heading

• Come up with several alternatives, to avoid either-or-thinking
• Check if your strategy is stupid (or at least a non-strategy)
• Set goals, but beware of gaming the system (Goodhart’s Law)
• Say no to more things
• Strike a balance between near-term projects and more ambitious long-term goals

Commit to becoming a learning organisation

• Commit to becoming a learning organisation
• Make a short list of doable improvement goals
• Start by fixing your smallest problems
• “I don’t know, but here’s how I intend to find out”
• Structure the improvement work with a rhythm of:
  • Daily huddles
  • Weekly improvement meetings.
  • Be a better improvement coach with A3 or Kata

Move from a leader-follower relationship, to one of leader-leader

• “I intend to…” is the sweet spot on the leadership ladder.
• Run better projects with more team-communication
• Pass information, not instructions
• A commander’s intent gives everyone freedom to take responsibility
• Think two levels up

Be deliberate about the use of your own time

• Have a task management system
• Ask how you can contribute, before agreeing to a meeting.
• Set aside time to think

Help your team use their time well

• Give two thirds of the planning time to your team
• Eliminate complexity and reduce barriers to great work
• Invest in better tools
• A better way to include your team on major decisions
• Increase speed of execution by targeting waiting time

Plan better meetings

• Write a meeting agenda with clear expectations
• Have a decision-making process
• Use the DARE-framework for better role clarity
• Foster a meeting culture in which everyone is responsible for closing issues they bring up
• Avoid meetings on Mondays
• Everyone starts with the same number of airtime-chips
• Add to the pool of shared meaning
• Give people time to think and write down their thoughts before discussing

Other tips and tricks

• YYYY-MM-DD is the only correct date-format
• PowerPoint- and Word-files are for editing. PDFs are for sharing.
• Use the email’s subject line to explain what you are asking for