In many ways, teachers and mentors have lasting effects on their students. In popular culture, they’re the wise, omniscient sages that guide protagonists on their journeys. For public figures, they occupy moments in inspirational speeches and manifest as words of gratitude during award ceremonies. At schools, educators subtly mold the trajectories of young minds in preparation for the real world.
Almost every person, at one point or another, has had an impactful teaching moment. That holds especially true for individual contributors looking to become managers at tech companies, where the same outsized role in mentorship is attributed to those who give them advice and help them grow.
To make the leap from IC to managing other people necessitates adaptation and much learning. Having good managers goes a long way to easing the transition, a lesson that Erika Waller, GetSales’ inside sales manager, has never forgotten.
“When I first started here, I was fortunate to have a supportive manager who helped me learn more than I could imagine and guided me every step of the way,” she recalled.
Others, like Elizabeth Luna, Brightpearl’s business development program manager, found it useful to absorb as much information from as many sources as possible in her jump into a managerial role. In a similar vein, BlackLocus’ technical support manager, Richard Goodly Jr, sought to emulate the valuable experiences gleaned from his managers.
“Much like an artist who takes their favorite parts from their inspirations, I find myself employing a similar strategy of embodying my favorite traits and abilities from my past managers and the ones I collaborate with now,” he said.
In time, these IC-turned-managers take on mentees of their own, passing down advice and sharing knowledge as they once benefited from those before. For Membersy’s member support manager Jorge Gonzalez, he opted to implement the same open-door policy as the one he had access to as an IC.
To get a closer look at how these ICs took a leap of faith — in themselves and their mentors — to take on a new role, Built In Austin sat down with all four to hear their takeaways from the other side.
GetSales is a customer acquisition and talent recruitment service for companies of any kind. Its end-to-end sales and marketing funnels combine data-powered technology and expertise from the company’s internal teams to convert prospects into new customers and staff.
Describe your growth journey from individual contributor to manager.
In 2021, I joined GetSales as an inside sales representative. During my first five months on the team, I proved myself to be a valuable individual contributor. I was one of the top performers on the sales floor and an even better teammate, so I was promoted to the team lead position. During my time in the role, I received even more coaching and feedback from my manager and director. From day one, they have done an amazing job ensuring my leadership skills are being developed. Because of their assistance, I was able to further develop the skills necessary to be promoted to inside sales manager in January of this year.
My transition from a sales rep to a manager has been a great learning experience, and I’m very appreciative of the career growth opportunities that GetSales has provided. When I first started here, I was very fortunate to have a supportive manager who helped me learn more than I could imagine and guided me every step of the way. I’m now more confident in my ability to successfully lead and manage a sales team, as well as continue to grow and develop in my current role or any future roles here at GetSales.
What is the biggest challenge of transitioning into management, and how are you overcoming that challenge?
The biggest challenge when transitioning to a management role was time management. Naturally, there are more meetings and responsibilities, so I had to learn how to prioritize my time where it is the most effective. To overcome this challenge, I have been able to lean on other managers to better understand their workflow, and mirror them. Having a mentor or colleague to turn to has made all the difference — all the other sales managers have been very supportive and helpful. They have made my transition seamless by answering all my questions and helping me be as efficient and effective with my time as possible.
Having a mentor or colleague to turn to has made all the difference.”
What advice do you have for individual contributors who have recently been promoted to a management role or hope to be in the future?
It’s important to believe in yourself and your abilities; never underestimate what you are capable of achieving. Work hard and be coachable. Sharing your goals with your managers can help them better support you in actually reaching them. And lastly, build strong relationships with your colleagues at all levels. Often, the people around you can teach you far more than you can teach them.
Brightpearl by Sage is an operating system for retailers, designed specifically to streamline and automate business processes for clients, from inventory management and warehousing to fulfillment, purchasing, accounting and more.
Describe your growth journey from individual contributor to manager.
I joined Brightpearl back in February 2021 as a business development representative. I knew growing into any position outside of the role would take time, as I had never worked in tech sales before and this role was very new to me. I did all that I could to ensure my work was above and beyond. Once I felt comfortable in my position and hit my metrics consistently, I asked my manager for guidance on what roles would best suit me. We had monthly one-on-ones to discuss my career progression and what I needed to do to further my education within the company, build on the skills I already had and develop new skills.
My manager and other leaders suggested that I shadow people within the company and set meetings with different department heads to ask questions about the different roles. They also suggested that I meet with other individual contributors in the different departments to learn more about their roles. Once I decided what position I wanted, I started to have more frequent meetings with my manager to take on different projects and responsibilities that aligned with the workflows of my desired position. I also used Linkedin Learning, along with help from everyone within the company, to guide my growth.
What is the biggest challenge of transitioning into management, and how are you overcoming that challenge?
I was a high-performing and driven individual contributor, and since moving into a management role, I’ve had to change my mindset from focusing on achieving numbers to helping my team avoid downfalls, earn wins and be successful.
One of the ways I have been able to adopt this mindset is by listening to my leaders and trusting their advice. After all, they have been in these types of positions for longer and have been quite successful.
I also read a few books such as The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo, Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson and, for my role in particular, The Sales Development Playbook by Tish Bertuzzi. Each of these books has helped in developing my skill sets and prepared me for what to expect in my role.
Lastly, I would like to think that being an individual contributor has given me the best advantage in navigating scenarios that might come up on a day-to-day basis with my team.
I’ve had to change my mindset from focusing on achieving numbers to helping my team avoid downfalls, earn wins and be successful.”
What advice do you have for individual contributors who have recently been promoted to a management role or hope to be in the future?
Never stop learning. You want to be a North Star for your team, and one way of achieving this is by continuing to build your skill set and knowledge within your company and industry.
Also, there are always going to be people who are smarter than you, have been in the business longer than you and have more skills than you; lean into that fact, use them as resources and mentors and let them help guide you through your career.
Lastly, you are a new manager, so you are not expected to know everything right out of the gate. Ask for help when you need it, accept feedback when it is given and own your mistakes. To say that you won't be overwhelmed is an understatement. There will be days harder than others, just remember that you were chosen for this role because your team believes you have what it takes to be successful — don’t forget that.
BlackLocus is the innovation hub for The Home Depot, working as the retailer’s development for all things data science, technology and design. With access to resources and investment, BlackLocus focuses on bringing cutting-edge innovation to The Home Depot’s large customer base and reach.
Describe your growth journey from individual contributor to manager.
The conversations I had early on with my manager were key for my understanding of what it takes to perform in this role. She was always readily available and receptive to my questions and concerns. The company also provided a lot of educational resources I could reference and utilize. One of the most beneficial resources came from my experiences as an individual contributor and recalling the times when I appreciated my managers’ feedback and input.
What is the biggest challenge of transitioning into management, and how are you overcoming that challenge?
The biggest challenge in this transition has been learning to manage the work instead of doing it. Initially, my first instinct was to take the reins and complete the work myself, but I quickly realized that I did not have the time to be an IC and a manager at the same time. Learning to trust and enable my team is the ongoing challenge. My strategy for overcoming that is to always be honest, open and receptive to their needs while providing as much or as little guidance necessary for that situation.
What advice do you have for individual contributors who have recently been promoted to a management role or hope to be in the future?
There’s a lot of literature about various management tactics that are available to digest and explore; still, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. There are many methods of management you will likely employ at any time in your career — just make sure you stay true to yourself when doing so. Managers are people, too.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution.”
Membersy is a subscription-focused membership platform for the dental industry. The company is the first of its kind, offering software infrastructure support in tech, marketing and administrative operations for dental practices that want to build member-based plans. With more than 4500 clients and almost a million members, Membersy is looking to help dentists and dental support organizations grow and retain customers.
Describe your growth journey from individual contributor to manager.
I started my journey with Membersy as a member support specialist in August 2020 — the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a strange period to navigate, as the majority of the company was working from home due to restrictions. After being in the role for over a year, my supervisor left the company without notice, and we were left without a direct manager. From the moment I was informed of her departure, I knew our support team could not miss a beat, regardless if we had a leader or not.
While in the Marine Corps, I was trained to always do the right thing even when no one was watching. I stepped into the role of supervisor without being told to do so to assist our EVP of operations, Mike DeBonville. I leaned on the training I received while in the Marine Corps and Mike provided me with the guidance needed to transition those skills to this role. After achieving high performance as an individual contributor and stepping up to the challenge when the opportunity presented itself, I was officially promoted to member support manager.
What is the biggest challenge of transitioning into management, and how are you overcoming that challenge?
The shift in mindset from being an individual contributor to a leader responsible for a team's success has been the biggest challenge for me. This requires a different set of skills and way of thinking. To overcome this challenge, it is important to understand that managing is not just about delegating tasks or giving orders, but also about inspiring and guiding the team to achieve their best. It's essential to learn how to coach, mentor and empower your team to take ownership of their work and grow in their roles.
I remind myself daily that transitioning into management is a learning process, and it’s OK to make mistakes and learn from them. With time and a willingness to grow, you can overcome the challenges of transitioning into management and become an effective leader for your team. My manager always emphasized the importance of communication and took pride in his open-door policy when it came to asking for assistance. He taught me that no matter what your title may be, no one is too big or too small to help someone on the team. From an entry-level position to CEO, everyone in the company matters and I strive to have this same open-door policy as I continue to grow.
Managing is not just about delegating tasks or giving orders, but also about inspiring and guiding the team to achieve their best.”
What advice do you have for individual contributors who have recently been promoted to a management role or hope to be in the future?
As a manager, you will be working with people in a different capacity. You’ll need to focus on building relationships with your team members, peers and stakeholders. Get to know people, their strengths and weaknesses, their goals and ambitions and how you can help them succeed. One of the best ways to learn how to be a good manager is to learn from others. You’ll be receiving feedback from your team members, your peers and your boss. Be open to feedback, both positive and negative, and use it to improve your skills and abilities as a manager.
