Stepping into Management: Lessons from The Making of a Manager

Fear of Managing People

For a large part of my work at 10 Minute School, I've worked as an individual contributor. Sure, I had led projects, but never really managed people's careers. Suddenly, with promotions and seniority, I was expected to manage not just their work, but also their professional growth and career development. The first few months felt extremely overwhelming. I felt I had to keep everything under control all the time, make every single decision in the team, and monitor every task to ensure perfection in the department. But no matter what I did, it just wasn't enough.

While struggling, I kept looking for content, books, and spoke to seniors and friends who had been managers to understand how they did it. Amidst all that, I found "The Making of a Manager" by Julie Zhuo . The book resonated with me on a deeply personal level and made me feel like I wasn’t alone. It’s a perfect guide for anyone stepping into managerial roles, people management, or leadership. Her experiences, lessons, and examples offer a one-stop playbook for succeeding and thriving as a manager. Today, I want to share the most valuable lessons I’ve learned and adopted from her book—ones that helped me build and manage my team more effectively.

Who is Julie Zhuo?

Julie Zhuo is a tech executive, writer, and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected voices on design and leadership. She joined Facebook as one of its first interns and eventually became the VP of Product Design, where she led teams responsible for designing core features used by billions of people.

In her time at Facebook, she transitioned from an entry-level designer to a people manager, taking on leadership responsibilities very early in her career. The Making of a Manager reflects on this journey—sharing the lessons she learned as she grew from a first-time manager into a seasoned leader.

Lessons from "The Making of a Manager"

This section is all about the key lessons I picked up from The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo. For each of these lessons, I’ve shared what the book taught me, how Julie herself faced and tackled these challenges, and how I’ve tried to apply these ideas in my own journey as a manager. Some of these experiences shaped how I lead my team today, and I hope they help others in similar roles too.

1. Management is not about having all the answers

What the principle means

Whenever someone newly becomes a manager, they often feel they have to ensure everything their team does is perfect, overseeing every detail to avoid mistakes. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie Zhuo experienced this firsthand when she was first promoted at Facebook at just 25. She initially felt that she had to provide immediate answers and closely control each situation, but soon realized this approach limited her team's growth.

My own experience

Similarly, when I took over the HR team at 10MS, I started micromanaging key tasks and holding onto important responsibilities. Eventually, I learned that my role was to empower my team, allowing them to take ownership, grow into their roles, and handle responsibilities effectively. I redesigned the team after a few months, assigning team members as individual HR business partners for specific departments where they could act as an HR Lead for their respective department. This greatly accelerated their growth, boosted their effectiveness, and improved their job satisfaction, significantly enhancing the team's overall productivity and success.

2. Trust is everything

What the principle means

Trust is key in a manager’s relationship with their team. New managers often think they need to appear completely confident and sure about everything, worrying that showing doubt might weaken their authority.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie Zhuo also faced this challenge early in her management career. In meetings, she often felt pressured to appear confident and have all the answers. But over time, she began to openly admit when she wasn’t sure and invited her team to contribute. This not only reduced her own stress but helped build a more open and trusting team environment, where people felt safe to speak up and collaborate honestly.

My own experience

The HR team at 10MS is full of young, energetic people who are incredibly passionate about learning and taking action. While some of them may not have had years of experience, their drive and willingness to grow made up for it. After we restructured the team, I focused on giving them more space to take their own decisions. I trusted their judgment, gave them guidance when needed, and didn’t shy away from saying "I don’t know" when I didn’t have all the answers—so they felt more confident sharing their input. They truly shined with this kind of empowerment.

3. Feedback is a gift

What the principle means

Providing clear, constructive feedback is essential for growth. Many new managers hesitate to deliver difficult feedback, worried about morale and reactions.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie Zhuo faced this fear directly when she had to give tough, constructive feedback to a struggling team member. She realized that avoiding the conversation only delayed their progress and affected the team. What helped her was learning to give feedback early, specifically, and kindly—focusing on the behavior rather than the person. She suggests managers make feedback a habit, not a one-time event, and to give it often in small doses rather than saving it up for a big moment. Despite her initial discomfort, the positive outcome of that conversation helped her see feedback as one of the most powerful tools a manager has to help others grow.

My own experience

To ensure continuous growth and make sure that feedback doesn't pile up or come as a surprise during evaluations, I set up weekly 1:1 meetings with each of my reportees. In these sessions, we both share honest feedback with each other—what’s going well and what could improve. It’s helped us build a more open and continuous feedback culture, where issues are addressed early and growth happens every week.

4. Great managers design great teams

What the principle means

Effective management involves thoughtfully assembling and structuring teams to leverage diverse strengths and ensure harmonious collaboration.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie initially prioritized hiring the most talented individuals based on their skills alone, without giving enough thought to how they would work together as a team. This led to issues with collaboration and misaligned ways of working. Over time, she realized that great teams aren’t built by just hiring smart people—they're built by hiring people whose strengths, values, and communication styles complement the existing team. She began approaching hiring like designing a system—looking at gaps in skills, thinking styles, and personalities, and selecting candidates who could make the whole team function better together.

My own experience

I've always tried my best to hire people based on how well they'd complement the existing team and help everyone do their best work. So far, the hires we’ve made have turned out to be not only skilled but also great at working as a team. Their addition has genuinely made our team stronger, more capable, and a lot more enjoyable to work with.

5. It’s okay to feel like an imposter

What the principle means

Imposter syndrome is common among new managers, often making them doubt their abilities and effectiveness.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie candidly shares her experiences of imposter syndrome during meetings with senior executives—how she often felt like a fraud in the room, doubting if she truly belonged at the table. She describes the inner anxiety of second-guessing her ideas, the fear of being exposed as unqualified, and the pressure to sound more confident than she felt. But she also emphasizes how common these feelings are, and how, over time, she realized that growth often comes from working through this discomfort rather than avoiding it.

My own experience

Leading a team has often felt like a lonely and scary thing to do. When I first started leading the HR team, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Most of the time, I felt like I didn’t deserve to be in the role. And if I’m being honest, I still feel that way sometimes. But with time, I’ve started to trust my instincts and make bigger decisions one step at a time. What helped me the most was giving myself some time and kindness. Talking to other managers and reading stories like Julie’s reminded me that I’m not alone, and that these feelings are completely normal.

6. Clarity drives performance

What the principle means

Clear goals, roles, and expectations significantly improve team productivity and satisfaction by reducing confusion and aligning efforts.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie observed how unclear instructions often led to slow progress, misalignment, and repeated work in her team. Early in her management journey, she noticed that people would interpret vague directions in different ways, causing confusion and frustration. She began making a conscious effort to communicate more clearly—writing down goals, discussing them in team meetings, and checking for understanding. By setting clear expectations and defining who was responsible for what, she helped the team move faster, feel more confident, and stay focused on the right things.

My own experience

Every year, our team sits down to set goals for the year ahead. We start by sorting them into high, medium, and low priorities. Then we break them down by quarter and month so we always know what to focus on. Each week in our 1:1s, we go over the top priorities for that week and link them back to our bigger monthly and yearly goals. We also review our progress every quarter and make updates along the way to stay flexible and aligned with any sudden changes.

7. Your role will change as your team grows

What the principle means

As teams grow, the role of a manager changes too. What works for a team of two or three—being involved in every decision and staying close to all the tasks—can quickly become a blocker when the team scales. Managers need to gradually shift their focus from doing the work themselves to enabling others, setting direction, and building systems.

Julie’s experience and lessons

Julie experienced this as her design team at Facebook expanded. In the beginning, she was directly involved in most decisions and closely followed the work. But as more people joined, she realized that her hands-on approach was no longer sustainable. Instead of trying to manage everything herself, she started training and trusting team leads, delegating responsibilities, and creating clear structures. This not only made the team more efficient but also helped others grow into leadership roles themselves.

My own experience

When the team was smaller, I could be involved in every hiring, onboarding, and people-related decision. But as both the team and the company grew, that became harder and eventually not realistic. Since then, I’ve tried to focus more on being an enabler—building systems and processes to help my team do their best work and stepping in with guidance when needed. I also created a team principles document, alongside our company values, to help every new member understand what this team believes in and how we work. So far, it’s helped us stay more aligned as we continue to grow.

Final Thoughts

I don’t claim to be an excellent manager—not even close. My journey as a manager is still in its early chapters, and I know I have a lot more to learn. But the lessons I found in Julie Zhuo’s book gave me a sense of direction when I was just getting started, and they continue to help me every day.

If you’re a new manager feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or just figuring things out—please know that you’re not alone. I hope this newsletter gives you even a little bit of clarity and comfort. And if you ever want to talk more, I’d be more than happy to help. Just reach out. Also, if you’ve learned something helpful in your own managerial journey, please do share in the comments.