Dear New Manager: Stop Playing Whack-a-Mole and Start Leading (Here’s How)

If you’re a new manager or small business owner and you feel like your day is a nonstop game of Slack-whack-a-mole, it’s probably time to stop reacting and start leading.

Yes, I said it.

The real shift (the hard one), the one they don’t put in the glossy leadership books, is moving from working in your business to working on your business.

The Problem with Team Communication in a Remote World

Let’s start with the sneaky saboteur of progress: team communication.

Specifically, the kind that happens in a remote or hybrid environment.

If you’ve ever typed “Just circling back…” for the fifth time this week, I see you.

Communication can be tricky.

But here’s the tactical truth: leadership isn't about answering every question or solving every problem.

It’s about building the systems so those questions get answered and those problems get solved without you.

Radical, I know.

Step One – Pick Your Communication Channel (And Stick With It)

The first thing I do when stepping into any leadership role, whether I'm running my own team or consulting for a client, is define the team’s primary communication channel.

Note the word primary.

Not “all the platforms that everyone prefers.”

I pick one: Slack or Teams.

Period.

Not both.

Not whichever one Bradley on YouTube “just likes better.”

Why?

Because trying to track 47 different conversations across Slack, Teams, email, WhatsApp, and interpretive dance is not leadership, it’s insanity.

Once the platform is picked, I define how it’s used.

What goes in Slack?

What gets emailed?

When is it okay to text me?

Spoiler: never.

Okay, rarely.

Emergencies only.

Which brings us to...

Step Two – Set an Escalation Path That Doesn’t Involve You (At First)

Let’s get real: things will go wrong.

Your file will corrupt.

The client will “circle back” six months after ghosting.

A teammate will have a tech meltdown five minutes before a live presentation.

Welcome to leadership.

But here’s the trick, define your escalation path before the crisis hits.

When something breaks, who’s the first responder?

Who’s the backup?

And how do they communicate it?

(Hint: not with a vague emoji.)

Creating a defined chain of command means you’re not the first phone call when the internet goes out.

Your team is empowered, your business keeps running, and you don’t end up rage-Googling "How to clone myself."

Step Three – Train Your Team to Communicate Like Adults

This one might sting, but it’s worth saying: a lot of team communication problems stem from teams being unclear, passive-aggressive, or just plain disorganized.

And that’s not their fault, it’s usually a sign that no one ever trained them otherwise.

As a new manager, your job isn’t to micromanage tone or monitor Slack threads like a digital hall monitor.

Your job is to model what good communication looks like: clear, direct, and respectful.

Then make sure your team knows how and when to replicate that.

Document expectations.

Walk them through it.

Over-communicate in the beginning.

Yes, it feels like overkill.

But it pays off in speed, efficiency, and your inbox staying (relatively) sane.

What Great Leadership Actually Looks Like for a New Manager

There’s a massive difference between being busy and being strategic.

Working in your business is answering questions, chasing updates, and drowning in the details.

Working on your business is creating the structure so your team can operate at full power, with or without you in the Zoom room.

Leadership isn’t about being everywhere at once.

It’s about creating a workplace where you don’t have to be.

So ask yourself:

• How is your remote or hybrid team communicating right now?

• Is it organized chaos? Or just… chaos?

• What can you change today to lead more and juggle less?

And if your answer is “uhhh… everything,” that’s okay.

That’s why we start small.

One channel.

One escalation path.

One clear expectation at a time.

Now go work on your business like the boss you are.

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Struggling with leadership, team communication, or finding your groove as a new manager? Learn how to stop working in your business and start working on it, with real tactics that actually work.

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