HBR's 10 Must Reads Ultimate Boxed Set (14 Books)

Saving Your Rookie Managers from Themselves

by Carol A. Walker

TOM EDELMAN, LIKE A million freshly minted managers before him, had done a marvelous job as an individual contributor. He was smart, confident, forward thinking, and resourceful. His clients liked him, as did his boss and coworkers. Consequently, no one in the department was surprised when his boss offered him a managerial position. Tom accepted with some ambivalence—he loved working directly with clients and was loath to give that up—but on balance, he was thrilled.

Six months later, when I was called into coach Tom (I’ve disguised his name), I had trouble even picturing the confident insider he once had been. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Tom seemed overwhelmed ...