New to Management? Here’s Where to Begin

When we first step into management, the journey rarely feels smooth. It’s more like boarding a sailboat in changing winds — exciting, unpredictable, and full of learning.

And one thing is certain: your path to management shapes how you lead.

Some leaders rise from the inside — promoted from expert to manager within the same team. Others take the helm from the outside — joining a new group, new culture, and new expectations. Both paths come with genuine strengths, and very real challenges.

A Personal Note

My own path into management was anything but linear. I had been working as a geologist for Shell International B.V. in the Netherlands when, in 2010, ConocoPhillips asked me to return to the company — back to Houston, and with a very different brief. Rather than stepping back into a technical role, I was asked to build a brand-new team from the ground up within their Technology Organization. In one move, I went from expert geologist to first-time leader, responsible for shaping a team, a culture, and a direction — some of them former peers who had known me in a very different capacity.

What made this transition particularly interesting was that I was living both realities at once:

• On one hand, I carried real insider advantages: I already knew ConocoPhillips’ culture, understood how the systems worked, how the organization was structured, and I came back with an established reputation. That familiarity gave me a foundation to build on from day one.
• On the other hand, five years at Shell had given me something equally valuable — a wider perspective, fresh ways of thinking, and the outsider’s ability to question what others had long stopped noticing. I was, in the truest sense, both at once: a familiar face carrying unfamiliar ideas.

And yet, none of that made the human side of the transition easy. Almost overnight, I had to learn how to move from contributor to decision-maker, transform friendships into collegial partnerships, set clear boundaries while preserving trust, and lead people who remembered a different version of me.

That moment of transition — redefining relationships, learning a new culture, or letting go of your expert identity — feels very much like boarding a sailboat just as it leaves harbour for a long voyage. Unfamiliar. Exciting. And yours to navigate.

Two Entry Points. One Destination.

Coming from the inside

You know the people, the unwritten rules, the shortcuts, and the history behind decisions. That is a powerful starting point — but familiarity comes with its own tricky dynamics:

• Colleagues may still see you as “one of them”
• Old friendships can complicate new expectations
• Resetting boundaries without losing trust takes careful navigation
• You may feel pulled between expert work and manager work

Coming from the outside

You bring fresh eyes, new energy, and the freedom of not carrying old stories. But you also face your own unique challenges:

• A steep learning curve on culture, processes, and relationships
• A period of lower confidence — because contextual knowledge takes time
• Pressure to prove yourself early, often before you fully understand the terrain
• The challenge of influencing without an established history or reputation

Three Things You Can Do This Week

You do not need to wait until you join our program to begin your journey. Here are three concrete steps you can take right now to start building your management from a place of clarity.

1. Map your starting position honestly

Take a sheet of paper and draw two columns: What works in my favour and What I will need to watch out for. Fill it in through the lens of your entry point — inside or outside. This simple exercise shifts you from reacting to your situation to understanding it. Awareness is the first act of leadership.

Ask yourself: What is the single biggest advantage my starting position gives me — and am I actively using it?

2. Ask the expert-or-manager question before every meeting

Before each conversation or meeting this week, pause and ask yourself: Am I here as an expert or as a manager? This is not just a mindset check — it is a role clarifier. When you enter as a manager, you listen more, ask more, and direct less. The question itself rewires how you show up. Use it consistently and it becomes instinct.

Ask yourself: In my last three meetings, which role did I actually play — and which one did my team need from me?

3. Have one honest conversation you have been putting off

Every new manager has at least one relationship that needs a reset — a former peer who now reports to them, a colleague whose expectations are unclear, or a team member whose role has quietly shifted. Identify that conversation and have it this week. Keep it simple: name the change, acknowledge it openly, and invite their perspective. Clarity now prevents confusion later.

Ask yourself: Which relationship in my team would benefit most from a clear, honest conversation right now — and what is stopping me from having it?

Building Your Management Foundation

If you want to explore this topic further, our Foundations of Management Program is just for you. Let’s unwrap and work through three essential dimensions of management together:

• You as the captain — managing yourself
• Your crew — managing people
• The boat and the voyage — managing the business

Together, we explore how your entry point — whether you came from the inside or joined from the outside — shapes the entire voyage ahead. We talk openly about these transitions, the emotional labour behind them, and the skills you need to steer with clarity, confidence, and intention.

Because your path to management matters.

But your growth as a leader matters even more.

The insight was written by Dr. Anita Csoma, Managing Faculty and Head of Innovation and Program Design at Corvinus-SEED.