You’re walking into your very first meeting with your new team. 

You want to make a great impression. That makes sense. But often managers walk into that meeting focused on the wrong thing. They’re focused on proving themselves.

They want the team to see that they’re competent. Experienced. Confident. In control.

Unfortunately, the harder you try to project those things, the more likely you are to damage trust before it even has a chance to form.

Your new team is not sitting there wondering whether you’ve won awards or crushed quarterly targets. They’re wondering something much more personal. “What is it going to feel like to work for this person?”

That’s the real question in the room. And because of negativity bias, their fear that you might be a nightmare boss is far more emotionally powerful than their hope that you might be a great one.

Think about the pressure that creates. “Relationship with management” is one of the biggest drivers of job satisfaction. And job satisfaction is deeply connected to overall life satisfaction.

Your team may not consciously realize it yet, but they are walking into that meeting trying to figure out whether their day-to-day life just got better or worse.

That’s why when I’m walking into that first meeting, my mindset and intent is to lower fear and begin building trust with the team. 

I’ve seen managers completely miss this.

One manager I worked with had just inherited an underperforming team. He had a long track record of high performance. Smart guy. Ambitious. He wanted to make an impact immediately.

So he came into that first meeting hot. Things were going to change around here. Standards were going up. People needed to perform or they could find the door.

A few weeks later he realized he had accidentally terrified the entire team, including the top performers. Now, instead of building trust from day one, he was trying to dig himself out of a trust-deficit hole that he created himself. 

Don’t do that to yourself.

There will be plenty of time for performance management. This is not that time. Your job is to create enough psychological safety for the team to lean-in instead of pulling away.

So what should you actually do in that meeting?

Keep it simple. Thirty minutes is enough.

Talk for maybe the first ten to fifteen minutes max. The rest of the time should be spent listening.

I’ll usually start with a very short professional introduction and then immediately shift toward the team. I’ll say something like: “I’m excited to meet you and I’m looking forward to working with each of you.”

The wording matters. I’m signaling that we’re going to work together. I’m intentionally trying to soften the boss/subordinate relationship and signal respect to the team. 

Then, I’ll briefly share a little about myself personally. Family comes first. Here’s what I do for fun. A few human details.

I let them know that I will be meeting with each of them directly. I want to hear from them: 

Next, I’ll give them a very high-level overview of my leadership approach. Not a TED Talk. Not a manifesto. Just enough for them to understand what to expect from me.

Here’s an example of what I would share. You will want to adapt this to your own leadership style and approach. 

First, it starts with a mindset of ownership. That means, I am responsible for everything that happens with this team. When something goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility, acknowledge the impact of what happened, and explain what I will be doing differently to ensure that doesn’t happen again. 

No finger pointing. No excuses.

Next, I’ll briefly explain the leadership operating system I use with my teams:

That’s enough. The purpose of the meeting is not for the team to fully understand your entire leadership philosophy.

The purpose is for them to leave thinking: “OK… I think I can work with this person.” That’s the win.

Next, you listen. You answer questions calmly and honestly. They may throw some tough questions at you. Don’t overpromise. Don't commit to things you're not sure about. 

If needed, you can respond with something like, "I don't have a full answer on that yet and I'm not going to guess about it. What I can tell you is I'll learn fast. When I know something, I'll communicate clearly, and if something affects you, you'll hear it directly from me." 

Your tone is calm, confident, sincere, and delivered with care. 

In the days following this first meeting, it's really important that you prioritize the team. Enable them to drop in with ad hoc introductions and questions. 

Proactively schedule 30-minute one-on-one meetings with every direct report as soon as possible. 

This first meeting with the team matters a lot. You are setting the emotional tone for everything that comes next.

Remember, you, right now are the biggest risk to their life satisfaction. Go into this meeting with a mindset of lowering that fear and beginning to build trust with the team. 

Best,

Jeff

P.S. If you recently inherited a new team and you want help getting this transition right without burning out, micromanaging, or learning everything the hard way, book a complimentary call with me. We’ll talk through your current situation, your biggest challenges, and what success looks like for you and your team. I’ll get you pointed in the right direction.