Creating A Positive Team Culture As A New Manager

Equity in people is more than just a buzzword; it's the foundation upon which successful teams and organizations thrive. It means fostering an environment where everyone's unique strengths, perspectives, and contributions are recognized, valued, and celebrated. I've learned that building equity in people involves several key principles: 1️⃣ Empowering Growth: As a manager, prioritizing the growth and development of team members. Providing them with opportunities to expand their skills and knowledge, encouraging continuous learning and personal development. 📚📈 2️⃣ Inclusive Leadership: Embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive work culture is paramount. By acknowledging and appreciating the differences in our team, we create an environment where everyone feels comfortable and valued, and where their voices are heard. 🗣️💬 3️⃣ Nurturing Potential: Recognizing the potential in each individual and investing in their growth is essential. By offering mentorship, guidance, and constructive feedback, helping them navigate challenges and unlock their full potential. 🌱💡 4️⃣ Encouraging Collaboration: Building equity means promoting a collaborative spirit within the team. Encouraging open communication and teamwork ensures that everyone can share their ideas and work together toward common goals. 🤝🌟 5️⃣ Celebrating Success: Acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of team members is vital. Recognition not only boosts morale but also reinforces the belief that each person's contributions are valued and make a meaningful impact. 🎉🏆 6️⃣ Trust and Accountability: Trust is the cornerstone of equity-building. As a manager, I always strive to foster a culture of trust, where team members feel empowered and accountable for their work, knowing that their efforts are recognized and rewarded. 🔒💼 Being a manager is not just about leading, but also about building a community of empowered and fulfilled individuals who are invested in the organization's success. 🚀💪 Let's continue to build equity in people and cultivate environments where people can flourish and grow. 🌏

I’ve found myself navigating meetings when a colleague or team member is emotionally overwhelmed. One person came to me like a fireball, angry and frustrated. A peer had triggered them deeply. After recognizing that I needed to shift modes, I took a breath and said, “Okay, tell me what's happening.” I realized they didn’t want a solution. I thought to myself: They must still be figuring out how to respond and needed time to process. They are trusting me to help. I need to listen. In these moments, people often don’t need solutions; they need presence. There are times when people are too flooded with feelings to answer their own questions. This can feel counterintuitive in the workplace, where our instincts are tuned to solve, fix, and move forward. But leadership isn’t just about execution; it’s also about emotional regulation and providing psychological safety. When someone approaches you visibly upset, your job isn’t to immediately analyze or correct. Instead, your role is to listen, ground the space, and ensure they feel heard. This doesn't mean abandoning accountability or ownership; quite the opposite. When people feel safe, they’re more likely to engage openly in dialogue. The challenging part is balancing reassurance without minimizing the issue, lowering standards, or compromising team expectations. There’s also a potential trap: eventually, you'll need to shift from emotional containment to clear, kind feedback. But that transition should come only after the person feels genuinely heard, not before. Timing matters. Trust matters. If someone is spinning emotionally, be the steady presence. Be the one who notices. Allow them to guide the pace. Then, after the storm passes, and only then, you can invite reflection and growth. This is how you build a high-trust, high-performance culture: one conversation, one moment of grounded leadership at a time.

For the second time in a week, I've spoken with a recently hired, early career Data Analyst who suddenly was asked to take over management of a team.  Here's what I advised... 🔸 Clarify roles, priorities, and expectations Unexpected changes are often stressful, both for you and your team. Have an open discussion with your new supervisor re: the main things they want you and the team to accomplish in the short and medium terms, and how they will evaluate yours and the team's performance, and share that w/ the team. 🔸 Your team's development and success is now your primary focus You were probably just getting used to having your own slate of analyses. Now those projects, even the most important ones, become secondary priorities to leading your team. But don't try to do two full-time jobs - that is a surefire path to burnout and unhappiness. In the conversation with your supervisor, discuss how you can offload or delay some of the work that was on your plate to make sufficient time to manage your team. 🔸 Talk honestly with your team about your lack of experience Be open that you weren't expecting to be in this role, and have a lot to learn. However, stress that you are fully committed to the job, and will work together with them to ensure they have access to the knowledge and resources they need to do their jobs well. 🔸 Open door, but come prepared If your team needs a fair amount of technical direction, indicate your willingness to always have those conversations, but that anyone bringing a technical problem to you have tried three things first to solve it. Learning how to solve problems on your own is a great skill, and sometimes too open a door can inhibit that learning. 🔸 Stress the importance of sharing information and model that behavior People get most stressed when they feel they don't know what's going on. Establish clear communications, and update your team regularly re: what you know. Also, there's tremendous value in peer coaching and learning. Establish opportunities and structures for the team to share information and learn from each other. 🔸 Pay attention to managing up Set up a regular check-in with your manager to ask/answer any questions, inform them of the progress of the team, alert them to any issues/problems on the horizon, etc. 🔸 Get some outside coaching You will probably have some issues that would benefit from discussing with an external coach. Some forward-thinking organizations have this support structure in place for new managers. If yours doesn't, consider investing in it yourself. 🔸 Accept that you and your team will make mistakes Probably a lot of them. However, if you put the interests of your team first, always be honest and transparent with them (and expect that in return), and take responsibility when make a mistake, people will give you a lot of leeway, and will work hard to support you. Be sure to take time to celebrate your team's successes along the way. Good luck! #career  

Stop seeing employees as faceless figures. Start acknowledging them as unique individuals. That’s how you create vibrant and engaged workplace environments. Here’s how you can lead: ✅ Define collective values: ↳ Work together to create core principles everyone can align with. ↳ Let these values influence decisions and actions across the board. ✅ Encourage open dialogue: ↳ Create regular spaces for all team members to voice their thoughts. ↳ Embrace feedback and implement it where possible. ✅ Foster shared moments: ↳ Plan events, challenges, or volunteer opportunities that connect people. ↳ Strengthen bonds through common experiences. ✅ Highlight individual efforts: ↳ Acknowledge both the large and small contributions. ↳ Show your team that they are truly appreciated. ✅ Prioritize development: ↳ Launch mentorship programs and provide career advancement opportunities. ↳ Help people grow personally and professionally. What to avoid as a leader: ❌ Enforcing participation: ↳ Avoid pressuring people into social activities. ↳ Let relationships develop naturally over time. ❌ Overlooking remote workers: ↳ Ensure your efforts to build community include those working remotely. ↳ Keep everyone connected. ❌ Skimping on resources: ↳ Don’t cut corners on building culture. ↳ Invest the necessary time and resources to make it successful. ❌ Relying solely on top-down approaches: ↳ Don’t assume leadership has all the answers. ↳ Empower everyone to help shape the community. ❌ Ignoring differences: ↳ Stay away from one-size-fits-all solutions. ↳ Be mindful of diverse needs and cultural differences. See your team for who they are, not just what they contribute. Lead the way you wish someone had led you. ♻️Repost for those needing to hear this. ➕Follow Justin Bateh, PhD for more. Want to level up your management and leadership game? Try my free newsletter:  https://lnkd.in/e9xftTyU

8 Critical Actions for New Leaders to Build Trust with Their Teams Stepping into a leadership role isn’t just about strategy and decision-making—it’s about building trust with your team. Without trust, even the best plans fall flat. Here are 8 critical actions every new leader should take to establish credibility and foster a strong team culture: 1️⃣ Listen More Than You Speak Early on, focus on understanding your team’s challenges, strengths, and concerns. Ask thoughtful questions, and truly listen before making changes. 2️⃣ Set Clear Expectations Ambiguity erodes trust. Be upfront about goals, roles, and how success is measured so your team knows where they stand. 3️⃣ Follow Through on Commitments Nothing builds trust faster than doing what you say you will do. If you commit to something—whether big or small—deliver on it. 4️⃣ Be Transparent (Even When It’s Tough) People appreciate honesty, even if the news isn’t great. Share what you can, explain decisions clearly, and don’t shy away from difficult conversations. 5️⃣ Give Credit, Take Responsibility Recognize your team’s contributions publicly and own up to mistakes when they happen. Great leaders uplift others rather than seek the spotlight. 6️⃣ Show Vulnerability & Authenticity You don’t have to have all the answers. Admitting when you don’t know something or when you’ve made a mistake fosters psychological safety. 7️⃣ Provide Regular Feedback (Not Just in Reviews) Employees crave feedback, and it shouldn’t only happen in annual reviews. Recognize wins in real-time and offer constructive guidance to help your team grow. 8️⃣ Invest in Their Development When leaders actively support career growth—through mentorship, training, or opportunities—teams feel valued and committed to the mission. 💬 What’s one action a leader took that made you trust them more? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

A positive culture is built,  not bought. Real culture isn’t perks—it’s how people are treated daily. Here’s How to Build (and Sustain) a Positive Work Culture: 1️⃣ Stop Forcing Positivity  ↳ Toxic positivity kills real trust.   ✅ Encourage honest feedback, not fake smiles. 2️⃣ Reward the Right People, Not Just the Loudest Ones  ↳ Your best employees aren’t always the noisiest.   ✅ Recognize contributions based on value, not volume. 3️⃣ Replace “We’re Like a Family” with Clear Boundaries ↳ Boundaries create healthy workplaces.   ✅ Respect personal time and avoid guilt-driven commitments. 4️⃣ Address Toxicity, No Matter How Talented the Person Is ↳ One bad attitude can undo great leadership.   ✅ Culture over talent—always. 5️⃣ Make Work-Life Balance Real (Not Just a Talking Point) ↳ If people feel guilty taking breaks, your culture is failing.   ✅ Leaders should take and encourage real time off. 6️⃣ Leaders Should Be the First to Follow the Culture ↳ Culture is top-down, not bottom-up.   ✅ Set the example—don’t just enforce the rules. 7️⃣ Measure Culture, Not Just Performance ↳ Numbers don’t tell the whole story.   ✅ Track employee engagement and take action on feedback. 📌 PS...A great workplace isn’t about “fun”—it’s about trust, respect, and real leadership. ♻️ Share this with your network—bad workplaces won’t fix themselves. 🚀 Join 70,000+ leaders reading my daily science-backed tips on leading high-performing teams using mindset, habits and systems. No vague recommendations. All backed by science and experience. ➡️ Follow me here Harry Karydes