sageful Free tool · For you
Your first 30 days leading people.
For anyone newly leading a team, whether promoted from within or hired from outside. Start in your first week.
30 days; about 30 minutes per person in week one, and 15 minutes per person in week three
Why it matters
The first month sets how your team reads you for a long time. They are watching for one thing above all: whether you are going to listen or just start changing things. Most new leaders feel pressure to prove themselves fast, and the quickest way to do that is to make changes. It is also the quickest way to lose people.
In years of running leader development and onboarding inside a large health system, Brian saw it again and again: new leaders who spent their first weeks asking questions, wrote down what they heard, came back to say what they would do about it, and then actually did one thing, earned trust faster. People forgive a lot from a leader who listened and followed through.
Skip this and you lead on guesses. You fix the wrong problem, miss the one everyone already knew about, and learn who is struggling only when they give notice.
How to use it
- In your first week, book 30 minutes with every person on your team, one at a time. Use the opener below so they know why.
- Ask the same questions of everyone, in the same order. Take notes on a separate copy of the question list for each person.
- In week two, learn the work: sit with people while they do it, read the last few months of reports, and find out what the last leader promised.
- At the end of week two, read all your notes and write down the three things that came up most.
- In week three, meet the team together and play back what you heard using the 'come back' script. Name one thing you will fix first.
- By day 30, fix that one thing and tell the team it is done. Then book a regular one-on-one with each person.
The worksheet
Week by week
| Week | Focus | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Listen. Meet every person one on one. | Every person has had 30 minutes alone with you and you have notes from each. |
| 2 | Learn the work. Sit with people while they do their jobs. | You can describe a normal day for each role and name where work gets stuck. |
| 3 | Come back. Play back what you heard to the team. | The team has heard the top three themes in your words and knows the first fix. |
| 4 | Make one fix and set the rhythm. | One thing that got in the way is fixed, the team knows, and regular one-on-ones are on the calendar. |
Open each first conversation
"I'm meeting with everyone one on one in my first couple of weeks. I'm not planning any big changes yet. I want to understand how things work here from the people who do the work."
"I'm asking everyone the same questions, and I'll take notes. In a couple of weeks I'll come back to the whole team with what I heard and what I'm going to do first."
If they are guarded: "You don't have to answer anything you're not comfortable with. Even one honest answer helps me."
The one-on-one questions
- What should I keep doing, or keep the same, that's working well?Listen for things to protect. Changing these first is the fastest way to lose trust.
- What should change, if you were in my seat?Listen for the same answer from several people. That is your first fix.
- How do you like to get feedback?Write it down exactly: in private, in writing, right away, at the end of the week. Use it.
- What gets in the way of doing your best work?Listen for small, fixable things: a tool, a schedule, a form, an unclear owner. Small fixes build trust fast.
- What do you need from me?Some will say 'nothing.' Ask again later. The answer usually comes in the second conversation.
- What should I know about you that wouldn't show up in a file?Listen for life outside work, goals, and what they are proud of. Remember it.
In the first two weeks
Come back to the team, week three
"Thank you for being honest with me. Here's what I heard most: ___, ___ and ___."
"Here's what I'm doing first: ___. You'll see it done by ___."
"Here's what I'm not changing, because you told me it works: ___."
"Some things I heard I can't fix right away. I haven't forgotten them, and I'll tell you where they stand."