How to Manage People

8 key lessons on effectively managing people and unlocking their full potential

Leading a team that has scaled from 3 to over a dozen people has been my ultimate crash course in philosophy, psychology, and leadership. This journey has taught me lessons so profound that I've become convinced that letting young people take on leadership roles early is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. It's like handing someone the answers to understanding human nature. In this blog, I want to pay it forward by sharing the key insights I've gained on my journey as a manager. My goal is for you, the reader, to be armed with this wisdom whenever your time comes to lead a team.

Lesson 1: Before Managing Others, Manage yourself first

I've discovered that the best managers aren't just good at directing others – they're masters of self-management first. The truth about leadership that you can't effectively lead others if you haven't earned their respect, and respect isn't something you can buy with a fancy dinner. It must be earned, day by day, decision by decision.

Here's how the best managers earn that respect:

Work Harder Than Your Team

There's just something that happens when a team sees their manager arriving earlier and leaving later than everyone else. It makes them feel not being taken advantaged of when you're in the trenches together with them. When you thoroughly prepare for every meeting and can dive deep into the details they care about, it makes the rest of the team subconsciously follow and listen to you.

Have Deep Expertise In Their Domain

Nothing kills credibility faster than a manager who doesn't know what they are talking about. The best and fastest way to earn respect isn't through authority – it's through being a "sensei" – a mentor who can guide others through challenges because they've walked the path themselves.

For me, as a generalist, I initially struggled with this when I was leading a team of designers and developers. I could feel their skepticism – here was this guy trying to lead them who didn't know what’s react or basic design principles. But just making the effort to understand their world made all the difference. I'd spend nights watching YouTube tutorials about common tech stacks, learning why developers preferred certain frameworks, and diving into design communities to understand how they think. Soon, I could speak their language, even if I wasn't fluent. When I'd come to design meetings having spent hours on Behance studying similar projects, or when I could actually follow along in technical discussions about architectures, I could see their respect growing. It wasn't about becoming an expert in their domains – it was about showing them I cared enough to learn.

Lesson 2: Set Crystal-Clear Expectations From Day One

I've burned bridges with incredibly talented people and wasted months simply because I was too afraid of making initial meetings "awkward" by being direct about expectations. I'd dance around requirements, hoping things would naturally fall into place. They never did. As managers, we'd often assume our employees can read our minds, then get frustrated when they don't deliver what we never clearly asked for.

To avoid this leadership pitfall, you must:

• Define not just what needs to be done, but why it matters and how it fits into the bigger picture

• Set concrete milestones with real deadlines – not vague "sometime next quarter" targets

• Lay out exactly what success looks like, in terms so clear a five-year-old could understand them

Lesson 3: Double-check that they can really handle the task

This is especially important when you're hiring somebody young or someone who doesn't have strong past experience for the role. I think it's good and essential to give people a chance and let them grow. But at the same time, you need to explicitly and clearly ask them if they are sure that they can perform the given role and deliver results.

Most people, especially eager young professionals, will reflexively say "yes" to any task out of enthusiasm or fear of looking incapable. By asking twice, you give them permission to be honest about their readiness. "Are you confident you can handle this?" followed by "Talk me through how you'll approach it" can reveal so much about their true preparedness. If you don't get their commitment upfront, they may deflect responsibility later, saying you weren't clear. That's why you need to double-check from the get-go that they can truly do their job. This provides accountability and will prevent so much future drama.

Lesson 4: Don't take people on an emotional ride

We're all emotional beings, even in professional settings. But as a leader, your emotions set the weather for your entire team. I learned this lesson the hard way: when I'd come in excited one day and moody the next, it created a ripple effect of confusion throughout the team and I could feel my team losing respect for me as a leader subtly. Stay cool, collected, and consistent at all times.

Lesson 5: Trust but verify

As a manager, I think it's important to grow your team to become more and more high-agency. Having a trusted core of high-agency individuals is the only way you can scale up the team and take on new initiatives. But people can be corrupted and swayed in tough times, especially when left unchecked. So, as a manager, it's important to be routinely involved in the details. People respect when you inspect.

Lesson 6: Praise publicly, criticize publicly

A lot of managers want to praise publicly but not criticize publicly because they are afraid of ruining the atmosphere and upsetting the person. But in my experience, that approach can breed a culture of superficiality, where everyone's putting on a happy face while problems fester beneath the surface.

Now, I'm not saying you should berate people in front of their peers. But I do believe in creating a culture of radical candor, where we can openly discuss what's working and what's not, without fear or ego. The key is to focus on behaviors and outcomes, not personal attacks. By modeling this openness yourself being the first to admit when you've messed up or need to improve, you create an environment where it's safe for everyone to do the same.

Lesson 7: Be there for them

Managers must be collected at all times, but this doesn't mean a manager can't lend a helping ear. The reality is, human lives are messy, and I think it's important for a manager to listen to their employees' professional and personal problems and help solve them where they can. Try to be the leader you wish you’d had during your toughest moments. This ultimately builds loyalty and strengthens bonds.

An important thing to note here is to not let sympathy cloud judgment. Do not get manipulated by employees who turn every performance discussion into a story about personal circumstances. You need to develop what I call a "BS detector." Listen with compassion, but watch for patterns. Are these genuine life challenges or constant excuses? Understanding someone's struggles doesn't mean accepting subpar results indefinitely.

Lesson 8: Always Be Raising the Bar

I think of a manager like being a coach for a high-performance athlete. You're not there to make them feel good about where they are – you're there to push them beyond what they think is possible. That means setting ambitious goals, providing tough feedback, and always expecting more. But it also means celebrating their wins and progress along the way.

Conclusion:

I am a person who follows the principle of "hire fast, fire fast"—which hasn't worked perfectly, but nothing in management is more satisfying than watching someone grow under your guidance.

One of my most rewarding experiences was taking a chance on a 17-year-old kid who cold-emailed me about a video editing position. His portfolio consisted of just two 15-second videos, but there was this raw spark of talent that I couldn't ignore. Something in my gut said "this kid has it." I hired him on the spot – a decision that would become one of my best. Watching him evolve has been incredible. He didn't just become our best video editor; I've watched him grow into a confident young professional with strong character and leadership qualities of his own.

And that's what I believe management is truly about. People will ultimately come and go – that's the nature of business. Your job isn't to create lifetime employees or build dependencies. A manager’s role is to help people realize their full potential, even if that potential eventually takes them elsewhere. The best managers don't just build teams—they build people who go on to build great things of their own.

May everyone be well.

James