Elaine's a New Manager

Elaine just landed a role as a Customer Education Manager at Vital, a healthcare SaaS company. After many years as a Customer Success Lead, she finally has felt ready to move into a leadership role in the learning space. She is excited and nervous to begin managing her new team. She knows the tough reality is that many managers fail in their first year. Despite this uncertainty, she is looking forward to engaging this talented group of people. ''Can you help Elaine navigate this complex and rewarding role as a manager? '' ''Remember that your choices in this interactive story matter.'' [[Get Started]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Elaine's first meeting is with, Tyler, the Community Manager on the small (but mighty!) Customer Education team. Follow along in their conversation:// Elaine: It's so great to meet you, Tyler! Tyler: Same here! I'm glad to have your support. Elaine: How are your current projects going? Is there anything you need from me? Tyler: Everything is going well. There aren't any issues really. ''What should Elaine do next?'' [[Learn a bit more about Tyler on a personal level.]] [[See what Tyler thought about the recent company meeting.]] [[Give Tyler some time back in their day and end the meeting early.]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Great choice! Tyler's engagement has been boosted!// Elaine finds out that, though Tyler enjoys being a Community Manager, they //really// enjoyed a recent project that involved some learning design work. Elaine jots this down in her meeting notes. ''Two days later...'' Elaine has her first meeting with the whole team. She can't wait to kick things off. She also has just been briefed about a new project coming down the pipeline with a fairly tight turn around. ''How should she proceed in the team meeting?'' [[Share the information she has about the project, what the business goals are, and have the team weigh in on potential challenges and needs moving forward.]] [[Wait to tell the team about the project once she has all the details.]] [[Describe the project in general, but get to know the team better. She can send the details over email when she knows more.]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Hmm, Elaine might want to rethink this decision. Tyler's engagement has gone down slightly.// While it is good have casual conversation, this was a missed opportunity to get to know Tyler more personally and build trust. [[Try again->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Yikes! Tyler's engagement and productivity have gone down. // While the intention to give Tyler some time back in their day is good, it could be misinterpreted as not being interested or invested in getting to know them. Looks like Tyler spent the extra 15 minutes of time browsing social media instead of getting started on work. [[Try again->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Nice choice! The team's engagement has been boosted!// Sharing information and involving the team in decision making contributes to building their trust and empowering them to make decisions. ''Two weeks later...'' Elaine's team presents their work to the stakeholders. They receive high praise! ''What should Elaine say in response to the kudos?'' [[Awesome job, team! You all did amazing!]] [[I'm glad I could be here to support and lead this team. There were a lot of challenges that came up along the way.]] [[I couldn't have done this without each person's effort on this team. I want to particularly recognize Tyler for taking on this learning design challenge so skillfully!]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Hmm, seems like another missed opportunity to boost engagement and productivity.// It is important to engage your team personally, but be sure to build in time to involve them in the project early on, set clear expectations, and identify potential challenges. Email isn't the best medium for this level of communication either. [[Try again->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Uh oh! This could work against Elaine in the long run! The team's engagement and productivity are at risk! // While sometimes sharing too much information too early on with a team can be overwhelming, it is still important to be transparent about things as much as possible. Keeping the team involved will help Elaine to slowly and carefully transfer responsibilities and motivate her team. [[Try again->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Hmm, does everyone feel recognized? This comment neither boosts or lowers the team's engagement.// Positive recognition packs an even more powerful punch when it is //specific// and //personalized//. Otherwise, it may not lead to a more motivated group. [[Try again->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Uh uh! Did Elaine just take credit for everything? Elaine's team is now more confused at best and disengaged at worst.// This response leaves room for misinterpretation among her team and doesn't recognize how each of them navigated the challenges and came out successful in the end. [[Try again->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))

//Nailed it!! Elaine's team is really motivated and even more productive!// Elaine spent the time to get to know her team and learned specifically about what Tyler was interested in and motivated by. In return, Tyler knocked it out of the park! ''Congratulations!! You helped Elaine succeed as a manager and increase her team's productivity and engagement! '' [[Start over->Elaine's Challenge]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(background:white))