Work · Guide

New manager? Your first 90 days leading people

Being good at the work doesn't automatically make you good at leading the people who do it. The good news: leading people can be learned, and it starts with understanding yourself and each person on your team.

By Daniel Yeo and Simyee Lim · 7 min read · Updated 22 Oct 2026

Days 1–30: Understand your own style

Your type shapes how you lead before you notice it: how fast you decide, how you give feedback, what you notice first. Take the free work test and read your blind spot carefully. It is often the thing your team feels first.

Ask yourself:

What do I do when I'm under pressure?
How do I like to receive feedback, and do I give it the same way?
What might my team need that I don't naturally give?

A habit to watch, by your type

As a Type 1 leader, you may notice what is wrong first. With your team, name one thing done well before one thing to fix.
As a Type 2 leader, you may offer care and help instead of clear expectations. With your team, state the standard first, then give support.
As a Type 3 leader, you may focus mostly on progress and results. With your team, spend a few minutes on how people are doing before the targets.
As a Type 4 leader, you value meaning and feeling, and expectations can stay vague. With your team, be concrete about what is due and when.
As a Type 5 leader, you may think things through before speaking, and reply less. With your team, reach out more and respond sooner.
As a Type 6 leader, you may think about risk first and double-check a lot. With your team, say that you trust them, and hand over the decisions they can own.
As a Type 7 leader, you may have many ideas and move fast. With your team, focus on one thing at a time and follow it through.
As a Type 8 leader, you are direct and move fast, and the pressure may feel bigger to others than you think. With your team, slow down and hear people out before deciding.
As a Type 9 leader, you may prefer to avoid conflict, and hard messages can wait. With your team, make expectations clear and raise problems early.

Days 31–60: Get to know each person

Have a one-to-one with every person. Ask three questions: “What helps you do your best work?”, “What drains you?” and “How do you like to get feedback?” Listen more than you talk. Their answers tell you more than any job title or CV.

If they're open to it, invite them to take the free test too, and look at each pair on the X-Map for Work.

How to lead each type

Start from the type, then adjust to how the person actually works and what they tell you.

Type 1 · The Reformer

What motivates them: Clear standards and the chance to get things right; recognise the care that goes into the work.
How to lead them: Be clear about the quality bar and the order of work, so they know which standards must be met and which choices are theirs.
Giving feedback: Be specific and about the work, starting with what is right; avoid a vague "not good enough".

Type 2 · The Giver

What motivates them: Being seen and thanked, and knowing the effort helped someone.
How to lead them: Explain who the task helps, arrange responsibilities and workload together, and ask what support they need.
Giving feedback: Acknowledge the effort first, then raise what to change privately and gently; avoid criticism in public.

Type 3 · The Achiever

What motivates them: Clear goals, visible results and the chance to be recognised.
How to lead them: Be clear about goals, deadlines and available resources, and let them help decide the approach; when reviewing results, look at how the work went too.
Giving feedback: Be direct and quick, focused on how to do better; remind them about quality and the team, not just speed.

Type 4 · The Individualist

What motivates them: Meaningful work, room for their own style, and being truly understood.
How to lead them: Explain why the work matters, hear their ideas, then agree what the result must be and which parts are open.
Giving feedback: First understand their idea and how they feel, then talk about adjustments; avoid "you're overthinking it".

Type 5 · The Observer

What motivates them: Respect for their expertise, and the time and information to think things through.
How to lead them: Share information and questions in advance and leave time to prepare; agree when to reply and how to communicate.
Giving feedback: Talk one to one, logically and with facts; give them time to think, and don't ask for an answer on the spot.

Type 6 · The Loyalist

What motivates them: Security, a clear direction and a leader they can trust.
How to lead them: Explain the plan, who does what and the known risks, and welcome different views; when the plan changes, explain why promptly.
Giving feedback: Be steady and consistent, and invite their concerns; their questions usually come from wanting to get it right.

Type 7 · The Enthusiast

What motivates them: Novelty, choice and interesting challenges.
How to lead them: Explain the goal and what is essential, and let them help compare options and trade-offs; agree together what comes first and how far to take it.
Giving feedback: Open lightly and positively, then land on a concrete definition of done.

Type 8 · The Challenger

What motivates them: Control, a big enough challenge, and being treated as someone who can carry weight.
How to lead them: Be clear about responsibility and decision rights; when you disagree, explain your reasons and hear their judgement.
Giving feedback: Be direct and frank, and say it once, clearly. No need to go round in circles.

Type 9 · The Peacemaker

What motivates them: A calm environment, feeling valued, and clear priorities.
How to lead them: Ask for their view, and agree the priorities and deadlines together; when views differ, talk it through properly.
Giving feedback: Gentle but clear; afterwards, ask for their view and their plan.

Days 61–90: Help the team work together

Now look at the team as a whole. Who decides fast, and who needs time? Who speaks first in meetings, and who waits to be asked? Agree a few simple team habits: how decisions are made, how feedback is given and how you check progress.

To see the whole team at once, try the free Team Simulator from Business Enneagram Asia: pick a leader and up to 12 people, and see how the team may work together.

Four common new-manager mistakes

Leading everyone the way you like to be led.
Fixing problems yourself instead of helping people solve them.
Waiting too long to have a hard conversation.
Giving feedback only when something goes wrong.

Start with your own style.

Take the free work test. Then try the free Team Simulator to see your whole team at once.

Take the free test Try the Team Simulator

Questions people ask

How do I manage a team for the first time?

Start with yourself, then each person, then the team as a whole. Learn your own style, have a one-to-one with everyone, and agree simple team habits for decisions and feedback.

How do I lead people who are older or more experienced than me?

Ask for their advice and give them real responsibility. Be clear about the goal, and let them help decide how to get there.

What if people on my team don't get along?

Look at where the friction happens: making decisions, feedback, deadlines or pressure. Talk about one situation at a time. The X-Map for Work helps you see each pair.