These are the 5 things I wish I knew before becoming a manager

I didn’t start my career in leadership as a good manager. In fact, early on, I’m pretty sure that I was a really bad manager. I micromanaged and never had consistent one-on-ones. My team didn’t know if I was criticizing them or if I was just joking, and I rarely gave praise.

Looking back, I was unhappy and felt in way over my head. Since then, I’ve put a lot of work into learning how to be a better manager. Giving and receiving feedback well is my most essential (and potentially hard-won) skill.

Here are my five rules for giving feedback that I wish I had known when I started my journey as a manager.

AVOID THE SH*T SANDWICH

We’ve all been handed a sh*t sandwich at some point in our careers. You can spot it from a mile away: praise, then criticism, then praise again. But let’s face it, no one wants to eat that, no matter how you disguise it. It’s a tired formula.

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