Managing People for the First Time — and Why It Shapes Your Future as a Leader

Most founders don’t start out as managers. They start with an idea. Or a product. Or a technical solution to a real problem.

Then, almost overnight, they’re leading developers, salespeople, and customer teams — while juggling product deadlines, investor conversations, and constant pressure.

This is usually the moment a quiet thought appears:

“I’ve never managed people before… am I doing this right?”

How you answer that question — in practice, not theory — shapes the kind of leader you become.

And it shapes the culture, performance, and resilience of your business far earlier than most founders realise.

1. Clarity matters more than confidence

Your team doesn’t need you to have all the answers.

They need to understand:

• what their role actually is

• how success is judged

• what decisions they can make without checking

• what matters most right now

• what “good” looks like in practice

Most early-stage frustration comes from things that were never said out loud.

Clear expectations reduce stress.
Vague expectations create tension.

Write things down. Say them early. Revisit them often.

2. Simple structure beats heroic effort

You don’t need complex processes or endless meetings.

You do need a basic rhythm that people can rely on.

A lightweight structure works:

• short weekly 1:1s

• a clear weekly focus

• regular, honest feedback

• occasional space to talk about growth

This isn’t bureaucracy.
It’s what stops misunderstandings, quiet resentment, and burnout.

3. Say the difficult things early — kindly

Many new leaders avoid feedback because it feels uncomfortable.

But silence doesn’t protect people.
It confuses them.

Good feedback is simple:

• say what you noticed

• explain why it matters

• agree what happens next

Clear feedback builds trust.
Avoiding it damages relationships over time.

4. Make pressure something you can talk about

Early-stage businesses are intense.

There’s funding pressure. Delivery pressure. Customer pressure. Personal pressure.

If people feel they have to hide overwhelm, problems surface too late.

Create space to talk about:

• workload

• blockers

• stress levels

• priorities that don’t make sense

• early signs of burnout

Teams don’t fall apart because work is hard.
They fall apart because it becomes unsafe to speak.

5. Decide who decides — and stick to it

Confusion around decision-making drains founders faster than almost anything else.

Keep it simple:

• some decisions stay with you

• some sit with a small leadership group

• some belong entirely to individuals

When people know where decisions live, momentum increases — and escalation drops.

6. In the early years, mindset matters more than CVs

Experience is valuable. But in the first couple of years, attitude matters more.

Early team members need to be:

• resilient

• open-minded

• honest

• collaborative

• comfortable with uncertainty

• low-ego

Skills can be developed.
The wrong mindset is much harder to fix.

7. You don’t have to work this out alone

One of the biggest myths founders carry is that they should “just figure it out.”

You don’t need to be everything to everyone.

Support might look like:

• a trusted advisor

• a mentor

• a coach

• a fractional people partner

• someone who can help you think clearly, not emotionally

Strong leadership is supported leadership.

Final thought

The way you manage people in the early days doesn’t just affect morale.

It shapes:

• how your culture forms

• how your business scales

• how future leaders behave

• how attractive your company is to investors and buyers

Great leaders aren’t born knowing this.

They become great by paying attention early — and choosing to lead with clarity, consistency, and care.