How to Transition from Employee to Manager

Considering a Career Transition? Doing this one thing can make the difference between being overlooked or being selected for an interview and landing an offer. ✅ Be the obvious choice – Don’t assume recruiters will connect the dots. They’re often scanning for an exact title match. Your job? Bridge the gap for them. Translate your past experience into the language of your target role so they see you as a natural fit. Example:  Transition from a Project Manager → Product Manager Let’s say you’ve been a Project Manager for years but want to move into a Product Manager role. A recruiter or hiring manager might not immediately see the connection because they’re looking for candidates with direct Product Management titles. Instead of listing: ❌ “Managed project timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications.” Reframe it to match Product Management language: ✅ “Led cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused solutions, prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs.” Why this works: “Led cross-functional teams” aligns with how product managers work across engineering, design, and marketing. “Customer-focused solutions” signals an understanding of product development, not just project execution. “Prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs” shows a product mindset—something critical for a PM role. ✨ Bonus: 📎📄 Attached is an in-depth example of how to identify your transferable skills and effectively highlight them as relevant experience. This can be a tool that assists you with your resume, interviewing and negotiating. 💡 Need guidance? Assisting clients with career pivots and transitions is something I excel at. Plus - I’ve successfully navigated several transitions in my own career, so I’ve lived it. Let’s connect! #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Laidoff #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSeeker #CareerPivot

Yesterday in part one of my how to transition from an individual contributor (IC) to a manager series, I highlighted determining the needs of your company, high performance, and proving it. Today in part 2 I want to discuss the final 2 components. 4. Management Skills: Transitioning from an IC to a manager isn't just about excelling in your current role; it requires a demonstrable evolution of your skill set into the realm of effective leadership. Many ICs who get promoted to managers end up struggling, not because they lack technical prowess, but due to an underdeveloped managerial skill set. Here are three skills that are essential to be a good manager. -Communication: As a manager, your success is inextricably linked to your ability to articulate vision, expectations, and feedback across all levels—upward to your leaders and downward to your team. This skill ensures that your team's efforts are aligned with the broader objectives, facilitating a seamless delivery of value to your customers. -Coaching: The transition from an IC to a manager transforms your role from a doer to an enabler. Your team will look to you not just for directions but for development. The capacity to coach—identifying and nurturing the potential in each team member, providing constructive feedback, and guiding them through their professional growth—becomes your tool for multiplying talent. Effective coaching is about elevating your team's capabilities, thereby enhancing overall team performance and individual satisfaction. -Collaboration: Successful collaboration in this context means being adept at navigating complex relationships, facilitating consensus, and synthesizing disparate viewpoints into coherent, actionable strategies. 5. Speak Up: A common oversight many make is passively awaiting opportunities to manifest. It's about strategically positioning yourself as the solution to a need within your organization. Approach your manager with a narrative that is both compelling and grounded in data. Articulate the leadership void you've identified, underscore your consistent high performance, and highlight your evolving leadership capabilities. Express your eagerness to leverage these assets for the greater success of the team by assuming a more substantial role. I've witnessed firsthand the transformative effect of diligently navigating through these steps on members of my teams. Their management journey was not only smoother but significantly more impactful. This process instilled in me a profound sense of confidence in their potential for success as managers, affirming their readiness to become exceptional leaders for their teams. While the timeline for traversing this path can vary depending on your career stage, the pursuit of a management role, should you choose to embrace it, is undeniably rewarding. #topvoices #techleadership #techmanagement

Transitioning from Peer to Manager: Advice for Success A conversation with a new manager reminded me of the challenges when transitioning from peer to leader. It’s not uncommon for subtle changes in tone or behavior to cause tension or mistrust. The key is navigating this thoughtfully to maintain relationships and ensure team success. Here’s my advice for new managers stepping into this role: 1. Acknowledge the Shift Be transparent about the new dynamic. Recognize the adjustment for both you and your team, and invite open dialogue to build trust. 2. Prioritize One-on-One Conversations Meet individually with team members to understand their perspectives. Ask questions like: "What’s one thing I can do to support you better?" 3. Stay True to Yourself You were promoted for a reason. Don’t feel pressured to adopt a different tone or style. Authenticity builds trust. 4. Avoid Overcorrecting Resist the urge to make sweeping changes or assert authority too quickly. Focus on collaboration and gradual improvements. 5. Share Your Vision Communicate your goals for the team and how you’ll support their success. Show them you’re focused on shared outcomes. 6. Model the Behavior You Expect Set the tone through your own actions, whether it’s professionalism, teamwork, or problem-solving. 7. Set Boundaries Respectfully Redefine relationships while maintaining a professional and respectful tone. Boundaries help reinforce your leadership role. 8. Embrace Emotional Intelligence Pay attention to how your team feels. Practice active listening, observe body language, and create a safe space for honest feedback. 9. Celebrate Team Successes Acknowledge and share wins to show your investment in their growth. 10. Commit to Continuous Learning Seek feedback and refine your approach. Leadership is an ongoing journey, and growth is part of the process. The transition to leadership is about building trust, staying collaborative, and focusing on the team’s needs. With authenticity and empathy, you can make this shift a win for everyone. What advice would you share with someone stepping into a leadership role? 👇

What made you successful as an individual contributor is not going to be what makes you successful at managing a team. With as fast as technology is accelerating these days –  and transforming every industry –  it's difficult to keep up. For first-time managers especially, this is coming at a career inflection point where responsibilities are changing, success looks entirely different, but somehow you are still expected to be "current" on everything that is going on. As an individual contributor, you learn by doing. You’re getting hands-on experience through your daily work, whether that’s coding, designing, writing, you name it. As a manager now, your scope has changed, and now that you’re responsible for the work of a whole team, you have fewer opportunities to learn on the job. You’re no longer as close to the work or the trends in your industry as you once were. Whatever your craft is, you no longer get to sharpen it just by showing up every day and doing the work. It’s a lot to, well, manage. So what’s the key to keeping up with your team while continuing to develop your skills? Make your team your new path to learning. Your reports are still in the weeds every day, immersed in the latest developments, tools, and challenges. They’re closer to the work than you are, so find ways to tap into their knowledge. Ask them about what they’re working on. Ask them what they’re excited about, what they find challenging, and what they’ve learned lately. Encourage them to push the boundaries. Set up brown bag sessions, demos, and other knowledge-sharing sessions. Bring a spirit of curiosity to your interactions. This approach does two things: 1️⃣ It keeps you up to date without always needing to be hands-on yourself.  2️⃣ It builds a team culture where your reports feel valued and listened to. Learning and development don’t have to stop the minute you transition into management. You just need to be more intentional about them by putting systems in place that help you stay informed and engaged. You’ll be surprised by how much you can learn, and how quickly you can scale that ability, by leveraging the capabilities of your team. #leadership #management #learning ♻️ If you found this useful and think others might as well, please repost for reach!

Are you struggling to transition from a high-performing individual contributor to a manager role? I've been there and have worked with many rockstars struggling with this transition. Why do we struggle so much? To achieve high performer status, you have to get stuff done, be better than other people, and in most cases, you believe that "to get things right, I need to do it myself." This is where it gets tricky. Just before you become a manager, you are likely managing larger projects and other people indirectly and it's tough to balance the IC work and the manager work you need to do. Here are a few tips: ➡️ Separate your IC vs. manager time on your calendar. Literally, block time to do the IC work and to manage people. ➡️ Learn how to manage people without doing the work for them. If someone says, I need this report on return on our advertising spend. Don't think you need to do it yourself. Instead, ask the person in charge to create that report for you and give them feedback. Yes, they will make mistakes at first and you'll learn that your first few requests won't be super clear, but you gotta try. ➡️ Get feedback on your performance as a manager. Ask the people you are managing and your leader. These people will have insights and potential blindspots that you can work on. ➡️ Keep at it. I know some people who've decided they prefer to remain an IC and that's 100% ok. My point here is, don't give up just because you don't feel like you are good at it in the beginning. ➡️ Read this book if you have time. I read it in business school a while back, and I still recommend it to high performers on my team making the transition. I love helping people develop into great leaders. I'm still a work in progress myself, but aren't we all? #leadershiplessons #teamdevelopment

About a decade ago, I had one of the biggest moments of my career when I shifted from an engineer to a managerial position. I knew things would change in many ways but honestly, I didn’t realize the full extent of the change and many of my mentees have experienced the same. Everything from your role, responsibilities, and how your success is measured is redefined. 1. From Code to Collaboration: As an engineer, your work is all about writing code,  solving technical problems, and shipping features. But as a manager, your focus shifts to helping your team succeed  boosting their productivity, morale, and performance. Instead of writing code, you’re now removing blockers  and guiding the team to deliver results. 2. From Solving Code Problems to People Problems: Engineers deal with bugs, systems, and optimizations. Managers handle conflicts, motivation, and career growth. Your technical expertise still matters, but people skills like empathy and communication becomes just as important. 3. From Focused Work to Juggling Priorities: Engineers often have long stretches of focus time to dive deep into problems. Managers split their time between meetings, planning, feedback, and team development. Delegation and time management become key to handling this shift. 4. From Individual Impact to Team Impact: As an engineer, you directly contribute to building products. As a manager, your role is to enable the team making sure they have the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed. You’re no longer the one writing the code; you’re the one empowering others to deliver results. 5. From Details to the Big Picture: Engineers focus on specific tasks and problems. Managers have to zoom out aligning the team’s work with company goals and ensuring the technical direction supports the business strategy. 6. From Technical Skills to Emotional Intelligence: Engineers rely on logic and technical knowledge. Managers need emotional intelligence to build relationships, support their team, and create a positive environment. 7. From Personal Growth to Growing Others: As a manager, success isn’t about your growth anymore it’s about helping your team grow. You’ll spend time giving feedback, recognizing wins, and mentoring others to help them reach their potential. The journey from engineer to manager is a rewarding one, but it requires a mindset shift and the development of new skills.  – P.S: If you're a senior engineer, tech lead, or a new manager and looking to transition to more senior roles, I'm doing a free webinar soon, please fill out this form to register: https://lnkd.in/gZ7VcqMD

🍂 Transitioning into Project Management this Fall? Here’s How! 🍂 As the leaves begin to change, it’s the perfect time to refresh your career path! If you’re thinking of transitioning into project management, you already have more transferable skills than you think! Here’s how to make your move: 🔑 Highlight Your Transferable Skills: 🍁Leadership: Managed a team? Supervised projects or processes? You’ve demonstrated leadership—crucial for project management. 🍁Time Management: Successfully juggled multiple tasks, deadlines, or projects? You already know how to prioritize and manage timelines. 🍁Problem-Solving: Whether you’ve handled customer complaints or logistical challenges, your problem-solving abilities will shine in project management roles. 🍁Communication: Did you regularly communicate with teams, clients, or stakeholders? Strong verbal and written communication is essential. 🍁Budgeting & Resource Management: Managed property budgets or coordinated vendor contracts? Project management often involves handling resources and finances. 📈 How One Client is Landing Interviews in Project Management I recently worked with a client who had 5 years of experience solely in property management. By reframing their experience, we demonstrated how their work involved managing projects, leading teams, and optimizing operations. The result? They’re now getting interviews for project coordinator, #projectscheduler, and project manager roles—without any direct PM experience! 💼 Steps to Successfully Transition: Tailor Your Resume: Align your resume with the project management role by emphasizing relevant responsibilities like team leadership, planning, and execution. Gain Certifications: Consider getting a #PMP, CAPM, or Agile certification to show your dedication and boost your credentials. Leverage Industry Connections: Network with current project managers, attend PM webinars, or join LinkedIn groups to expand your connections. Practice the Lingo: Learn and use common PM terms like “scope,” “milestones,” and “risk management” in your resume and interviews to show your understanding of the field. Showcase Results: Include data-driven achievements such as increasing team productivity by X% or completing projects under budget. 🍁 Make this Fall the Season of Your Career Transition! By focusing on your transferable skills, gaining certifications, and reframing your experience, you’ll be prepared to step into your next project management role with confidence. #ProjectManagement #CareerTransition #TransferableSkills #hiring #jobs #JobSearch #LeadershipSkills #ProjectManager #ProjectCoordinator

As a high-performing, ambitious worker bee, I climbed the management ladder, thinking my hard work and relentless focus on numbers made me a leader. 🛑 But I was wrong. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜. My wake-up call came when I realized: ➡️ True leadership isn’t about titles or metrics. ➡️ Most businesses don’t invest in real leadership training. ➡️ Employees crave respect, recognition, and a leader who values them. 𝙄 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨. Then, I decided to change. I needed to do better. 🎓 I invested in my growth and sought leadership training. 💪 I listened to my team and valued their feedback. 🤝 I implemented recognition programs to appreciate their efforts. 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨. 📈 The results were remarkable: ➡️ Employee morale and engagement improved. ➡️ Turnover decreased. ➡️ Our overall performance skyrocketed. 🌟 This transformation changed my world. 🚀 By putting people first, I became a true leader and the measurable results soon followed. 🌱 If you want to transform from a metrics-driven manager to a people-focused leader, start by investing in yourself and your team. 📚 When you prioritize people, everything else falls into place. ❓ Are you ready to make the leap and become the leader your team deserves? #leadershipdevelopment #personalgrowth #leadership #managertoleader