Stepping into a brand new role as a first-time manager can feel overwhelming. Nobody is perfect — even experienced team leaders — and as a new manager, you’ll definitely make your fair share of mistakes. The good news? You can save yourself time and trouble by learning from the most common pitfalls rather than having to learn through trial and error.
Whether you’re implementing EOS® in your organization or just trying to become a better leader, understanding these management mistakes will help you build the foundation for effective, authentic leadership.
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5 Most Common Management Mistakes of New Managers
One of the keys to avoiding management mistakes is simply being aware of some of the most common ones. Once you can identify management problems, you can start developing better habits to overcome them. Here are five of the most common leadership mistakes among new managers.
New Manager Mistake #1: Not Conducting Regular 1:1 Meetings
1:1 meetings are essential for tracking performance, building stronger relationships, and boosting employee engagement. However, new managers often dread conducting these meetings or avoid doing them altogether. When you’re a leader, it’s easy to get wrapped up in your own workload and forget to make yourself available to your team members. It can also feel overwhelming to schedule and follow up on 1:1 meetings with multiple direct reports.
Avoiding this management mistake is crucial if you want to be an effective leader with a high-performing team. Block off time for recurring 1:1 meetings with each team member for the same time on the same day — consistency matters. Show up with a clear custom 1:1 agenda, use concrete examples to give specific feedback, take notes, and assign action items. Then follow up on them.
EOS® Connection: In EOS®, regular 1:1 meetings help you dial into the People Component. They help ensure you have the right people in the right seats and create accountability throughout your organization.
When done correctly, 1:1 meetings empower your employees to be more informed, engaged, and comfortable discussing concerns or obstacles they’re facing. With these insights, you can make meaningful changes and help each team member reach their potential. The result? Higher team morale, stronger relationships, and increased accountability that leads to better job satisfaction and productivity.
New Manager Mistake #2: Micromanaging
As a new manager, you likely want to prove yourself and ensure everyone meets expectations and deadlines. However, micromanaging every detail is a critical mistake.
Micromanaging destroys your team’s motivation and creativity while making them feel like you don’t trust them. How can you strike the right balance between keeping your team on track and being a strong leader without nitpicking everything? Build accountability into your team’s daily operations.
When you hold your employees accountable for completing their tasks with the right attitude, trust develops among coworkers. When you hold yourself accountable for doing what you say you’ll do, it builds trust between you and your direct reports. Trust is the foundation of high-performing teams because it allows team members to truly count on each other. When you can count on your direct reports, there’s no need to micromanage.
EOS® Connection: The EOS® framework emphasizes clear accountability through tools like Rocks (90-day priorities) and the Accountability Chart. When everyone knows exactly what they’re accountable for, micromanaging becomes unnecessary.
New Manager Mistake #3: Not Gathering Employee Feedback
While it’s obvious that managers should give employee feedback, what’s often overlooked is that receiving employee feedback is equally important. As a manager — especially a new one with a lot to learn — receiving feedback helps you improve your leadership skills while making improvements to the organization.
The most common mistake here is that many businesses rely on exit interviews to understand how employees felt about their manager’s effectiveness. The problem with this approach? You can’t apply those insights to improve an employee’s experience once they’ve already decided to leave.
If you have a way to receive regular employee feedback, you can identify issues and course-correct to increase employee retention. Ask for feedback during check-ins, team meetings, or 1:1 meetings. Consider sending monthly or quarterly surveys so employees can voice their opinions honestly.
EOS® Connection: EOS® promotes open and honest communication throughout the organization. Tools like the Culture Checkup™ and regular feedback loops in meetings create safe spaces for employees to share their thoughts and help improve the business.
New Manager Mistake #4: Failing to Improve Their Leadership and Management Skills
Upper management often invests in leadership development for middle and lower management but might not invest in that same level of training for themselves. One of the most common mistakes managers make is failing to grow as leaders. But once you land a management position, you shouldn’t stop learning.
To be a great manager, it’s important to develop new skills, learn about management techniques and methodologies, and grow personally and professionally. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked — leadership development is rated “below average or poor” in over one-third of businesses. You may have to take the lead in seeking training and development yourself. Don’t be afraid to do this! It shows passion, initiative, and a willingness to learn that builds trust with your direct reports.
As a manager, you set and track goals for your employees. One of the biggest management mistakes is not doing the same for yourself. Identify a new skill you want to learn, a leadership workshop you want to attend, or a book you want to finish this quarter. Then hold yourself accountable for achieving it.
EOS® Connection: One of the EOS® Core Values is Grow or Die. It may sound dramatic, but it’s true: if you’re not growing, what’s the point? Try to take that on as a core value of your own to inspire you for continuous learning.
New Manager Mistake #5: Failure to Delegate
One of the most common weaknesses of managers is taking on too much and not delegating. This is especially true for new managers. After all, you were probably a team member until recently, so handling all your own tasks may still feel natural.
However, failing to delegate is often listed as the number one reason managers fail. It creates bottlenecks, leads to higher stress, and causes faster burnout. Being a leader doesn’t mean being able to do everything yourself. Unless you delegate tasks, you’ll never have time to focus on the “big picture” that you’re responsible for.
Plus, you’re doing your team members a disservice by not allowing them to develop and learn accountability. Leaders should focus on helping team members grow by giving them responsibilities and surrounding themselves with capable people who can achieve the team’s goals.
EOS® Connection: The “Delegate and Elevate” tool from EOS® helps leaders identify what they should be doing versus what they should delegate. By focusing on your unique abilities and delegating everything else, you become more effective and help your team members grow.
Avoid These Common Management Mistakes with the Right Framework and Tools
Understanding common management mistakes is just the first step. Having the right framework and tools makes all the difference in becoming an effective leader.
EOS® provides a complete operating system that helps managers avoid these common pitfalls through clear structure, accountability, and communication. Whether you’re tracking Rocks, running Level 10 Meetings™, or using the People Analyzer™, EOS® gives you the framework to lead effectively.
Strety makes implementing EOS® — and avoiding these management mistakes — even easier. With Strety, you can:
- Conduct more effective team meetings and 1:1s with built-in agendas
- Set and track employee goals through Rocks and Scorecards
- Gather regular feedback through employee engagement surveys and performance reviews
- Maintain clear accountability without micromanaging
- Delegate effectively while staying informed
Ready to gain access to the tools you need to overcome the most common management mistakes? If you want to see how Strety can help you become a more effective leader, start your free trial or book time with our team to learn more about how EOS® and Strety work together to create better managers and stronger teams.
