Transitioning from an individual contributor to a technical manager is both exciting and challenging. The first 90 days often set the tone for long-term success, yet many new managers find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory without much guidance or mentorship.

Understanding the New Role

As a new tech manager, your job shifts from delivering individual work to enabling your teams productivity and growth. This means less time in code and more in communication, alignment, and strategic thinking. Embracing this mindset early prevents common pitfalls and accelerates your adaptation.

Key Skills to Master Early

• Building Trust: Trust is the cornerstone of effective leadership. Quickly establish credibility by being transparent, listening actively, and showing support for your teams challenges.
• Effective Communication: Youll juggle stakeholders, engineers, and upper management. Hone clear, concise communication that bridges technical and business perspectives.
• Prioritization: Managing your time and the teams workload requires balancing urgent requests with strategic goals. Learn to say no thoughtfully and align work with business impact.
• Coaching and Feedback: Supporting growth through meaningful feedback and career conversations is a vital skill. Cultivate a coaching mindset that nurtures development over criticism.
• Delegation: Resist the urge to micromanage. Delegate ownership along with tasks, empowering engineers while maintaining accountability.

Tools and Templates to Support Your Workflow

Leveraging the right tools can significantly ease the management load and help you stay organized, especially in your early days.

• Meeting Templates: Use software like Notion to create and customize 1:1 templates that focus on career development and psychological safety, rather than just status updates.
• Task Delegation Platforms: Tools such as ClickUp streamline assignment tracking and progress monitoring without micromanagement.
• Management Courses: Platforms like Udemy and Coursera offer focused courses on engineering leadership, communication, and conflict resolution to build foundational skills.

Building Relationships Early

Your initial weeks are an opportunity to connect with your team and broader stakeholders. Schedule one-on-one meetings, meet with cross-functional partners, and understand organizational goals. The insights you gather will inform your priorities and establish the relationships you need to advocate for your team.

Quick Wins to Build Momentum

Identifying and delivering early successes helps build confidencefor both you and your team. Examples include streamlining a painful process, resolving a blocker, or facilitating a productive retrospective that uncovers actionable improvements.

Setting Expectations and Boundaries

Clear communication about your management approach, availability, and decision-making style helps prevent misunderstandings. Cultivate an environment where feedback flows both ways, and your team knows you value their input.

Managing Your Own Learning

Leadership is a continuous journey. Setting aside time for reflection, seeking mentorship, and investing in professional development will help you adapt and grow as a manager.

By focusing on these core areasmindset, skills, tools, and relationshipsyou position yourself to thrive in the first 90 days and beyond as a technical leader.