WTM22 - How to prepare for your first leadership role by Andrea Zoellner

Whether you've applied for a management position, received a promotion (congrats!) or have found yourself unexpectedly in a leadership role, becoming the boss you want to be can take time. In fact, it can take a lifetime. But there are lots of tips and tricks that can help any new manager become a thoughtful, decisive, and inspiring leader. In this talk, I'll share my own leadership learnings, from how I got promoted twice in 18 months to how I developed my management style to best serve my team and organization. You don't have to be perfect to lead a team, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared and this talk is a great place to start.

Transcript

1. Andrea Zoellner VP of Marketing, Kinsta How to prepare for your first leadership role
2. About Andrea • Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Concordia University in 2013. • Worked in non-profit and corporate communications through university and after. • Quit to do an internship at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and now Tumblr. Worked there for 3 years. • Worked at SiteGround, a web hosting company for 18 months. • Joined Kinsta in January 2020 as a video marketer. • After 6 months, promoted to Head of Growth. • Became VP of Marketing in Sept 2021.
3. If you want to lead— now, or in the future, start making it known.
4. 1. Are you looking to lead for the right reasons
5. Being a manager isn’t about control, it’s about service.
6. 2. Get real about your fears
7. Is there anything that makes you nervous about becoming a manager?
8. 3. Ask for an honest evaluation
9. A good recruiter or hiring manager will tell you how to improve.
10. 4. Understand the expectations
11. Find out from your talent acquisition and development teams what your organization looks for in a leader.
12. 5. Balance your strengths and weaknesses
13. Managers are different from experts and specialists, and that’s okay.
14. 6. Get to know your organization really well
15. Become your team’s go-to resource.
16. 7. Identify your support system
17. Do not compromise your team members’ trust.
18. 8. Make a plan for your progress
19. Learning from your mistakes is good, but it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others.
20. 1. Evaluate your motivations 2. Identify your fears 3. Ask for an honest evaluation 4. Understand the expectations 5. Balance out your strengths and weaknesses 6. Get to know your organization 7. Identify your support system 8. Make a plan for your progress In summary
21. Twitter: @andreazoellner