You waited for it. Worked hard for it. Earned the title.

Team Lead. Manager. Head of.

But now that you have it…you don’t feel powerful. You feel exposed.

Every decision feels heavy. Every conversation feels political. And every mistake feels like a spotlight on your incompetence.

You wonder: “Should I know the answer to this?” “What if my team sees through me?” “Am I even meant for leadership?”

Meet Aditya.

10 years into his career. Solid performer. Quiet but dependable. Recently promoted to lead a team of 5 in a large MNC.

Within 2 weeks, he was overwhelmed.

• One report wasn’t meeting deadlines.
• Another was passive-aggressive in team calls.
• He was working late every night just to clean up messes quietly.

His message to me?

“I miss just being an individual contributor. I was good at that. This… I don’t know what I’m doing.”

And that’s what most first-time managers feel — but never say out loud.

Because there’s no onboarding for how to be someone’s boss. No guidebook for how to make decisions when you’re not 100% sure yourself.

So here’s where we started:

1. Redefining Leadership. We stopped chasing “having all the answers.” Instead, we focused on asking the right questions. Like:

“What do you think the next step should be?” “How do you think we can make this process better?”

2. Building a Feedback Habit. Every Friday, 15-minute 1:1s with each team member. Not about performance. About connection.

“What’s one thing that’s slowing you down?” “What’s one thing I can do better as your manager?”

3. Structuring Ownership. We created mini-ownership areas for each report. So it’s not just “delegation.” It’s accountability with trust.

3 months in, Aditya’s team had clearer processes. Attrition dropped (slowed down). Morale went up. And he finally felt like he wasn’t just managing — he was leading.

If your new title feels like a suit two sizes too big:

You don’t need to “fake it till you make it.” You need a framework. A mentor. A mindset shift.

Let’s build your leadership muscle — not with jargon, but with real, everyday habits.

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