How to Navigate Your First 90 Days as a Manager
Stepping into a managerial role is a big moment. But let’s get one thing clear: being a manager shouldn’t be a reward for long service. It’s a job in its own right, and it demands a very specific set of skills.
Too often in business, people are handed a management title because they’ve been around the longest, not because they’ve had the training or developed skills needed to lead others. And that’s where problems start. Someone’s first 90 days are crucial not just for settling in, but for proving you’ve got what it takes to make a positive impact.
At Sewell Wallis, we see this all the time: people asking for help navigating management after being thrown in at the deep end. So here you go: our advice for making sure those first three months go as smoothly as possible.
Start by Listening, Not Changing
The biggest place people trip up: they rush in on day one and start making changes before they’ve really grasped what exactly is going on. If you really want to know what a good manager does in those early days, it’s listen: to their team, to their superiors, to other people in the business. Talk to people, find out what’s working, what isn’t, and where support is needed.
Finance managers in particular are often promoted because they’re great with numbers, but managing people is a different story. Ever met a person who behaved like a number? Of course not. People management takes empathy, strong communication skills, and the confidence to lead by example. None of that happens overnight, or because someone made you ‘manager’.
Build Relationships, Not Barriers
Those one-to-one conversations in your first few weeks? Invaluable. Not just to understand workloads and priorities, but to get a sense of team morale, frustrations, and ambitions. If you don’t know what your people think and feel, you can’t manage them: it’s not about sitting in an office dishing out orders, it’s about removing obstacles, creating opportunities, and being a person that your team trusts. And why would they trust you if you never speak to them beyond ‘work stuff’?
Again, this is why no one should be promoted into a management role just because they’ve stuck around. People skills matter. And if you haven’t been given training on how to lead, manage performance, or have difficult conversations, you’ll be learning the hard way - and so will your team.
Set Clear, Honest Expectations
A huge part of being a good manager is giving people clarity. The CIPD reported that unclear expectations are one of the biggest sources of stress at work, and when you’re a new manager, it’s on you to fix that. Make sure everyone knows what’s expected, how success is measured, and where they fit into the bigger picture.
Hypothetical: you’re the finance team manager, and you’re brilliant at producing reports. Now you need to learn how to communicate what those figures mean, how they impact the business, and what you expect your team to deliver. That’s a skill set in itself, and one every new manager should be supported to develop.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
A myth: leaders know everything, from day dot. Nope. The best managers ask for feedback, look for mentors, invest in their own learning. If you’ve just been promoted and find yourself Googling ‘help being a manager’, trust us that you’re not the only one; you’re doing the right thing.
Leadership training, coaching, or even a simple guide titled something as basic as what does a manager do can make a world of difference. And the truth is, the people who know they need to learn make the strongest managers long-term.
Recognise Early Wins and Build on Them
In those first 90 days, focus on small but meaningful wins. Solve a process issue that’s been frustrating the whole team. Improve month-end reporting accuracy. Even go really straightforward,and make sure everyone feels heard. Those quick wins build trust and momentum, and give your managers confidence in you.
It’s about showing that leadership isn’t just a title. It’s a job you take seriously.
Management isn’t something you ‘deserve’ because you’ve been somewhere a long time. It’s a responsibility that requires training, skill, and emotional intelligence. This is especially true in technical roles like finance manager, where skills and expertise doesn’t automatically translate to leadership ability.
If you’ve been promoted into a management role, or are considering making that move, invest in yourself. Ask for help, take leadership courses, read up on what good managers do and go beyond the job title. And if your business isn’t providing that support, challenge them to do better.
At Sewell Wallis, we help businesses find finance leaders who aren’t just good on paper: they know how to manage, motivate, and lead. If you’d like a conversation about how to build a stronger management team, or this article is describing you and you need some steering through those first few months, we’re here for you. Just drop us a line.
