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You got promoted because you were great at your job. That job no longer exists. The skills that got you the corner office are now the ones most likely to cost you your credibility.

This is the sequel to Top 5 Tips for First-Time Managers. I walk you through five things that change when you step into a VP, director, or chief something officer role. I share new research from Spencer Stuart and Korn Ferry showing that even first-time CEOs are underprepared, underconnected, and overloaded. I also explain why Lieutenant Gorman from Aliens is a masterclass in what not to do on your first day in command. If you lead leaders, or plan to, this episode is about protecting your team, your culture, and your name.

In this episode:
• Moving from tasks to strategy, plus a monthly executive reality check
• How a joke, a "we'll see," or a public correction travels through the whole building
• The hallway compliment that becomes a broken promise, and three questions to ask before you say it
• Why loneliness is built into the job, and why you complain up, not down
• Building your bench from day one and treating your peers as your first team
• The Lieutenant Gorman Scale, plus challenges for new executives, managers, and future leaders

If this helped, follow or subscribe so the upcoming culture episodes land in your feed. Sign up for The Water Cooler, my monthly newsletter, at https://mfihr.com/newsletter.html. Then connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/njsanecourtney and tell me which executive lesson hit home.

Your job is meant to support your life. Your life is not meant to support your job.

Support the show

Visit: MFIHR.com

Instagram: myfriendin_hr
LinkedIn: Njsane Courtney
Email: myfriendinhr@gmail.com

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You got the email that said congratulations, you're a manager now, and then zero hours of training on how to do any of it. Meanwhile, the Sunday night dread or calm your team feels runs mostly through you.

I'm sharing five tips for first-time managers, backed by 2025 and 2026 research from Gallup and Sagos. Gallup found managers account for about 70% of the variance in team engagement, yet only 44% have received any formal management training. Sagos found 89% of new managers are satisfied with their own performance, while HR leaders say 68% of the internal candidates they promote are missing soft skills. That gap between how you think you're doing and how your team experiences you is where this episode lives. I also explain why the 1988 Tom Hanks movie Big is secretly the best management training film ever made, and I share a few words for employees with a brand new boss.

In this episode:
• Going from buddy to boss, and why you complain up, not down
• Letting go of the work so you can lead, plus the Friday Five weekly gut check
• Giving feedback that is early, specific, and kind
• Protecting your one-on-ones and spelling out what great looks like
• Managing up, asking for training, and the Accidental Manager Scorecard

Follow or subscribe so you don't miss the sequel on stepping into your first executive role. Join The Water Cooler, our monthly newsletter: https://mfihr.com/newsletter.html

Connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me you heard this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/njsanecourtney

Your job is meant to support your life. Your life is not meant to support your job.

Support the show

Visit: MFIHR.com

Instagram: myfriendin_hr
LinkedIn: Njsane Courtney
Email: myfriendinhr@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

You got the new title, the bigger scope, and the shout-out in the team meeting. Then you waited for the number, and it never came.

That's a fake promotion, and it's everywhere right now. I walk through fresh 2025 and 2026 data. 69% of workers say they now handle responsibilities that used to be split among several people, and three quarters got nothing in return. Managers, I'm direct with you on this one. Consolidating roles after layoffs and calling it an opportunity is not leadership, and I give you four questions to ask first. Then I turn to employees, because there's another side nobody says out loud. Some of the best career moves don't come with a raise on day one. I share how saying yes to an assignment in Nigeria that nobody wanted shaped my whole career. I also explain why the ain't gunners keep getting passed over.

In this episode:
• What a fake promotion looks like, and why "opportunity" is doing so much work
• The numbers on unpaid extra work after layoffs and consolidations
• A four-question gut check for managers before handing one person three jobs
• Nigeria, career bridges, and the research on who actually gets rewarded for stretch work
• Five questions to tell a real career bridge from a fake promotion
• The Ain't Gunner Scorecard, plus a little Karate Kid

Subscribe or follow so you don't miss the next episode. Join the Water Cooler newsletter at https://mfihr.com and connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/njsanecourtney.

Your job is meant to support your life. Your life is not meant to support your job.

Support the show

Visit: MFIHR.com

Instagram: myfriendin_hr
LinkedIn: Njsane Courtney
Email: myfriendinhr@gmail.com