How To Introduce Yourself to a New Team as a Manager

Do you remember your first day at your first job? Walking into an unknown office, meeting a bunch of new faces, and trying to remember everyone's name?

Those first impressions can be nerve wracking for you.

But for new managers, the pressure is even higher because you're not just navigating a new environment, you're actually setting the tone for the rest of your relationship with your entire team.

Doing this the wrong way can lead to crucial consequences that set you back.

Hey everyone. I'm Doug Howard. I'm a leadership coach and consultant, and I use this YouTube channel to equip you with the skills, tools, and training that you need to increase your overall confidence and effectiveness as a leader. If you're a manager who wants to level up your leadership skills, make sure you hit that subscribe button.

Today we're tackling the crucial first step for managers, and that's introducing yourself to your new team.

Creating a Positive First Impression with Your New Team

Your introduction is your first chance to make a lasting impression on your team, as well as build trust and establish rapport. But not only that, it sets the stage for a positive and productive working relationship with your team. So let's dive into some of the strategies you can use to ensure your introduction is a success that sets you on the right path.

Think about what goes on when you meet someone new for the first time. Their words, their demeanor, their body language, what they talk about, how they talk. All of this shapes what your perception of them is. It shapes how you perceive them and it frames up the rest of your interactions with that person.

The same goes for your team. A strong introduction sets a positive tone and shows your team you're confident, you're approachable, and that you're excited to be leading them. This also paves the way for open communication, collaboration, and ultimately a successful team dynamic.

But on the other hand, a negative first impression sets you back and you're actually fighting against that for the rest of your relationship with them. If they get the wrong impression about you, you're going to be working to change that perception of you.

I go a lot deeper into explaining the science behind first impressions and perceptions and how perceptions shape reality, as well as the science behind your brief window of opportunity to make a first impression with someone in my episode called The Best Way To introduce Yourself In Any Setting. I included a link to this episode in the description below just in case you're interested in checking it out.

Framework for Introducing Yourself as a Manager

Getting back on point, I want to focus on how do you introduce yourself to your new team as a manager. What should you actually say to your team during your introduction?

The first thing you want to do is start by introducing yourself by name and your new role as the team manager. You can also mention where you're coming from. Did you get promoted internally? Did you join the company from another role? Are you transitioning from another team within the company?

The next thing you want to do is you want to highlight your relevant experience and expertise, because this is going to show your team that you have the qualifications to lead them. When you're doing this, focus on achievements that connect to the team's goals and challenges.

For example, if you're a new marketing manager, you might mention a past project where you increase brand awareness by X percent.

You can also briefly touch on your leadership style when you're introducing yourself to your team. Are you a collaborative leader who thrives on brainstorming sessions or are you a more data driven leader who's focusing on metrics and results? By giving your team a sense of how you approach projects and decision making up front, it's going to help them adjust to work more effectively with you.

On this topic, if you're not sure what your leadership style is or how to describe it, you should check out my episode called the 8 Types of Leadership Styles in Management.

The last thing you want to do when you're introducing yourself to your team is you want to consider adding a relatable personal detail or two about yourself. So just to get you thinking about this, do you have a passion for hiking? Or are you a dog lover? Do you play the guitar? When you share a personal touch about yourself, it's going to help you connect with your team on a human level and that's really important. On this topic, make sure you keep it appropriate and avoid oversharing.

3 Introduction Examples

Now that we've covered the framework of introducing yourself, let's take a look at three examples of strong introductions that follow the tips we discussed.

For example one, let's use a marketing manager.

Hey everyone, I'm Doug, and I'm thrilled to be your new marketing manager. I come from a background in digital marketing where I recently led a social media campaign that increased our brand awareness by 25%. Now, the people who've worked with me before describe me as a collaborative leader because I thrive on brainstorming sessions and data driven insight.

In my free time, I love rock climbing and hiking and backpacking. So if anyone's interested in it, maybe we can plan a team outing where we're going backpacking or maybe we go rock climbing in a gym. For now, I'm just excited to learn more about your current projects and how I can support your success. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have.

The reason this introduction is good is because it hits all the key points. In it I'm highlighting my relevant experience with a quantifiable achievement, and I'm sharing about my leadership style and I'm adding a personal touch at the end. Most importantly, I encouraged questions and I expressed my desire to support the team.

In example two, let's use a software engineering manager.

Hey everyone, I'm Doug. I'm the new software engineering manager. I've been working in the software development field for the past seven years, and in all my roles, I've had a strong focus on building user friendly interfaces. I'm passionate about clean code and efficient development processes. What I'm looking forward to here is diving deeper into the current projects you're working on and to see how I can contribute my skills to help these projects move faster and more efficiently. Feel free to introduce yourself and to tell me a little bit about your role in the team.

This introduction is good because it's concise and it's focused on technical expertise. It mentions my passion for a relevant aspect of the job, but it also expresses my eagerness to learn more about the team's work. At the end, I invited everyone to introduce themselves, which encourages more interaction, which will help me quickly get to know my team members.

In example three, let's use a sales manager.

Hey everyone, I'm Doug, and I'm really excited to join your team as the new sales manager. For the past five years, I've been consistently exceeding our sales targets in the material handling industry. My leadership style is all about coaching and empowering my team to achieve your full potential. I'm a big believer in open communication and building strong client relationships.

In my first few weeks, I'll be scheduling one on one meetings with all of you to get to know each of you better and to discuss your goals. But since we're all here together right now, is there anything specific you'd like to chat about today?

This introduction is good because it showcases my proven track record in sales and it highlights my focus on team success. It also emphasizes open communication and it outlines my plan for connecting with individual team members so they're not wondering when they're going to get to know me. This proactive approach shows that I'm prepared and that I'm invested in building a strong team dynamic.

What Not to Say - Introduction Pitfalls

Now that we've gone through some positive ways to introduce yourself to your team, let's talk about what you shouldn't say and what you shouldn't do during your introduction.

Here are some seemingly harmless things that a lot of people make the mistake of doing when they introduce themselves to a team, and it ends up making a bad first impression.

The first one is describing accomplishments. Here's an example.

Hey everyone, I'm the new manager. I've been working in various leadership roles for a while now, and I'm really excited to be here and contribute. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you over the next few weeks.

This introduction is stiff and it's impersonal. It tells your team nothing about your specific experience or qualifications, and it also doesn't really establish a connection with the team. Instead, it sets more of a formal tone that might not be appropriate for the company culture. Remember, you want to be approachable and relatable.

The second thing you want to avoid is negative talk. Here's an example.

Hey, everyone, it's nice to meet all of you. Let's face it. Things haven't been going well lately, but I'm here to turn this team around and get things back on track.

This introduction is bad because it's focusing on negativity, which is a major turnoff to your team. Even if the team you're taking over is facing challenges, perhaps you were brought there to clean up the team. Despite that, your introduction needs to be positive. It needs to emphasize your desire to support the team in achieving success, rather than emphasizing how you're going to fix the mistakes they've been making.

Here's a few more things you should avoid doing during your introduction to your team. Steer clear of oversharing personal information or bragging about past achievements or any type of negativity about previous roles or companies you've worked for. Nobody likes complaining. Nobody likes negativity and nobody wants to hear how much you hated your last boss on day one.

Reading the Room and Tailoring Your Delivery

Now let's talk about how you should deliver your message. Make sure you speak clearly and confidently and make sure that you're projecting enthusiasm and excitement about your new role and towards the team. Tailoring your tone to the company culture is key.

For example, if you're at a casual startup with a relaxed dress code and ping pong tables in the break room, a super formal introduction in a suit is going to stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure you read the room and adjust your formality accordingly.

A few tips for how you can gauge the company culture in advance. First, do your research. Before your first day on the job, check the company website, check social media, and look for clues about the company culture. You can also ask the HR department. They'll quickly give you insights into the company's dress code and overall vibe.

Next you want to observe your team. When you arrive, take note of how your team members are dressed and how they interact with each other.

Tips on Delivering Your Introduction

Here's a few delivery tips on finding your voice for how you introduce yourself. First, and this is going to sound silly, but you should practice your introduction beforehand. A lot of times we take introductions for granted, but honestly, you're going to be introducing yourself to a lot of people over and over again, and you're going to repeat yourself a lot so why don't you get in the habit of practicing it? This is going to help you sound confident and polished.

When you're doing this, don't just practice the words, but you want to practice positive body language. You want to make sure you're making eye contact. You want to smile. You want to stand tall with good posture.

Also, you want to make sure you vary your tone. If you haven't noticed throughout this recording of me, I always vary my tone because if I give you a monotone delivery like this, it's going to lose your attention. It's going to feel very insincere and it's going to feel like I'm just reading from a script. So avoid monotone delivery.

Voice inflection is going to keep your introduction engaging. Humor can also be a powerful tool here. A well placed joke can break the ice, but avoid anything offensive or unprofessional.

Encourage Open Communication

Something else I want to emphasize here is you want to make sure that you're encouraging open communication in your introduction. Don't just deliver a monologue where it's a one way transactional introduction, where you just check the box and be done. You want to make your introduction very interactive and you want to do in a way that encourages questions and open communication. A very simple way to do this is by ending your introduction with an engaging question.

So some questions I like to use when I'm introducing myself is questions like these. Is there anything I can clarify about my background or leadership style? What are some of the biggest challenges you're currently facing as a team right now? Is there anything you'd like me to prioritize during my first few weeks here? What are some of the best practices you've developed here that I should be aware of right away? Is there a particular area where you think I can add the most value right away?

Asking questions like these right away when you first meet the team shows that you're open to feedback and it creates a two way conversation with your team. This would be a good time for you to briefly discuss upcoming plans for the team.

Now, when you're doing this in your introduction, this would also be a good time for you to briefly discuss any of your upcoming plans for team meetings or one on one sessions too, because this is going to give your team the heads up and it's going to show that you're organized and ready to hit the ground running.

Most importantly, when you're doing this, emphasize your commitment to open communication and transparency, because when you do this, it's letting them know that they can come to you with any questions and concerns. Because who knows, the manager that was there before you might not have been like that. Meanwhile, an open door policy quickly fosters trust and builds a collaborative team environment.

Expect These Questions from Your Team

One last tip before we wrap up, make sure you go into your introduction fully prepared to answer some of these common questions from your team, such as what is your leadership style? What are your goals for the team? What can we expect from you in the coming weeks? How can we best support you in this new role?

These are the questions that everyone on your new team will be wondering. So make sure you have clear and concise answers at the ready.

Remember a successful introduction is just the first step in building a strong and successful team. But if you want to make sure you hit the ground running in your new role, you need to know how to quickly build relationships with your team, your boss, and cross functional teams, which is why you should check out my episode called How To Quickly Build Relationships With Anyone.

check out my FREE pdf download - “OPTIMIZE ENGINEERING
TEAM EFFICIENCY”

Strategies to Dominate Productivity in Today's Shifting Landscape

Your company is tasking your team to produce more, with less - and you're struggling to figure out how to get it done.

Download this FREE handbook to gain insights into the 5
essential strategies engineering leaders and companies need to catapult your team's efficiency - even with limited resources!