Stop and take a deep breath

You may think now is the time to shine and to show everybody what you are capable of and what you can do better than everybody else before you. You may think now you need to prove that you are worth it and put in all the hours and so on.

But, don’t. Don’t do that.

Take a minute. And take a deep breath. You have not been prepared for that. Someone put you in that role. In most cases, it didn’t happen because of your great management skills. In most cases it was happening out of necessity, or because you performed well in your former job. True or false?

So instead of running in circles and trying to do everything and please everyone, STOP.

Stop and take a deep breath. Acknowledge that you have not been prepared well and that you need time to learn this whole manager thing.

It’s not a promotion. It’s a new career.

It’s not that you have been a software engineer yesterday and today you learn a new thing and suddenly become a manager. It’s a whole new job. And that job requires a lot of new skills.

Suddenly you are not only responsible for your own success anymore. Instead, you are kept accountable for the performance of your teammates.

Allow yourself to learn. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Allow yourself to take the time to do so.

It‘s OK to be afraid and feel overwhelmed. I‘d worry more if you wouldn‘t feel like that.

Take your time and take it easy.