The Ups and Downs of Being a First-Time Manager | Women at Work | Podcast

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When you're advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales. Using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at accenture.com/spotify.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:31)
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**Amy Gallo** (1:00)
Amy, remind me how long you've been a manager.

**Amy Bernstein** (1:03)
I have been a manager for about 30 years.

**Amy Gallo** (1:09)
That's a long time.

**Amy Bernstein** (1:10)
28 years. Yeah.

**Amy Gallo** (1:13)
And have you managed both people and projects that whole time?

**Amy Bernstein** (1:16)
Yeah, both. And they were inseparable. I mean, so projects, it was managing a section of a magazine, that sort of thing.

**Amy Gallo** (1:22)
Right. Did you find one more challenging, being responsible for a project for the first time or being responsible for someone else?

**Amy Bernstein** (1:30)
Well, managing people is infinitely more challenging.

**Amy Gallo** (1:34)
How so?

**Amy Bernstein** (1:35)
Getting a project done has a beginning, middle and an end. And then it's over. But managing people is ongoing, and the sense of responsibility you feel for their well-being in the workplace.
I really take it seriously that I want people on my team to want to be part of that team and to want to do the work every day and to feel really proud of what they do. And for their development insofar as they need help with that, you know?

**Amy Gallo** (2:09)
Yeah. So when you first started out though, did you have that same sense of purpose and vision about what you wanted to do?

**Amy Bernstein** (2:16)
Absolutely not. All those years ago, I don't recall anyone learning about management, thinking about management as a separate pursuit from getting a magazine out or getting a TV show produced, right?

**Amy Gallo** (2:30)
Right. You were just focused on the end game.

**Amy Bernstein** (2:32)
Right.

**Amy Gallo** (2:32)
Not the process.

**Amy Bernstein** (2:34)
Exactly. It was all about the thing we were doing, not about how we were getting it done.

**Amy Gallo** (2:38)
Yeah. I have one more question about this transition you made. In the early days of being a manager, what did you find most challenging?

**Amy Bernstein** (2:49)
You know, in the very early days, you're hit by so many new expectations that just getting them into focus and understanding what's going on here is hard. But I do remember early on just having this realization that I had gone from, as a solo contributor, really having to fight for myself to reorienting to the idea that I'm fighting for the people I work with, who work on my team, but also for the organization, right? That my responsibilities extend way beyond me.
You're listening to Women at Work from Harvard Business Review. I'm Amy Bernstein.

**Amy Gallo** (3:34)
And I'm Amy Gallo.
Learning to lead other people is a stressful stretch assignment. Much of that stress stems from the misconceptions that individual contributors bring into the job. Misconceptions around how much authority they'll have, where power flows from, which outcomes they're responsible for, and the key challenges to come. Then they start doing the work.

**SPEAKER_1** (4:00)
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When you're advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at accenture.com/spotify.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:31)
When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications, and more. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/podcast. That's indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.