ManagerSpring Blog - Articles and Insights

When Summer Changes the Vibe

It was a Friday evening in July.
The sun was dipping low over the city, the air smelled faintly like grilled food from the street below, and my team and I were on a rooftop patio, clinking glasses after a busy week.

We were swapping vacation stories, laughing about a shared inside joke, and debating the best ice cream flavors.
In that moment, I didn’t feel like “the boss...

When Mondays Are More Than Meetings
Early in my management career, I started stacking most of my 1-on-1s on Mondays.
It was my way of setting the tone for the week—catching up, aligning priorities, and clearing roadblocks before they could grow into real problems.

Some conversations were energizing.
Some were about fine-tuning a project or giving someone space to think out loud.
And sometimes… ther...

When I decided I wanted to move into a manager role, I ran into a frustrating wall I didn’t expect:
I kept getting told I needed management experience to be considered.

But here’s the thing — I had experience.

I was mentoring new teammates.
I was coaching others through roadblocks.
I was leading project standups, cross-functional efforts, and even giving feedback.

I just didn’t have the title.

The Cat...

It Was All Coaching—Until It Wasn’t
In my first few weeks as a manager, most of my 1-on-1s felt energizing. They were filled with coaching, brainstorming, and strategizing. I got to help people think through challenges, pitch ideas, and grow their confidence.

But I knew the day would come when I’d have to switch gears.
When I’d have to give real, uncomfortable, negative feedback.

And when it finally...

It’s Just a 1-on-1—Until You’re the Manager

There’s a moment most new managers don’t forget. You walk into a familiar setting—a 1-on-1 meeting—and sit down across from someone who reports to you. But this time, the roles are reversed.

You’re not the one getting direction or feedback.
You’re the one giving it.

And suddenly, everything feels different.

What felt casual or even routine before is now fill...

Feeling tongue‑tied as a first‑time manager? Learn why leadership works like learning a language—and how practice, not theory, builds real‑world fluency.

The “Foreign‑Language” Feeling of Leadership

Being promoted can feel like landing in a country where you ...kinda speak the language - but you stumble under the pressure of face-to-face conversations. I still remember my first French class conversation: a simple “Where are you from?” froze me in awkward silence. New managers face the same blank‑mind moment in real meetings, only the stakes are their team’s trust and careers.

After months of tinkering, prototyping, development and testing we finally launched Managerspring!

This journey started back in late 2024 with a simple insight: Most new managers are thrown into the job with little training and no experience. Learning to manage is like learning a new language: you’re suddenly an authority figure (!) that’s expected to speak with clarity and empathy… to exercise s...