New advice for aspiring managers

I had a conversation with a colleague the other week who is interested in moving into management. It was during this conversation that I realized just how different my advice is now compared to even a few years ago, so I thought it would be worth writing down and sharing more broadly.

Before getting into everything that has changed, I wanted to point out something that is still important and true: the world needs more great leaders.

It is something that I believed when I thought I’d give the job a shot myself many years ago, and it is the reason that my books and this newsletter exist (especially when I write it right up to the deadline…)

Managing teams is hard but can be incredibly rewarding. It gives you the opportunity to help people grow, succeed, and be happy. It lets you build great products that you couldn’t build alone. And, over time, as you look back at all of the people that you mentored and see how they’ve all gone on to do great things, it can be one of the most fulfilling things you can do in your career.

So, there is a place for you in management if all of that sounds appealing to you. But the manner in which you will do it, and the environment that you will be doing