Going from mate to manager can get weird, fast. One day you're in the group chat laughing with your colleagues, the next day they might be laughing at you behind your back. This week, we're tackling one of the trickiest workplace transitions: becoming the boss of your former teammates. We dig into why this shift feels so bloody awkward (spoiler: it's not just you), how to navigate the immediate identity crisis when suddenly nobody wants to gossip with you anymore, and the art of setting expectations without turning into a micromanager overnight.

Plus, we reveal the coaching trick that gets people to solve their own problems, why letting your team do "B plus work" is actually good leadership, and when to recognise that management might not be for you - and that's completely okay.

What you'll learn:

• The Reset Conversation: How to acknowledge the shift without making it weird
• The B Plus Work Philosophy: Why perfectionist managers fail their teams
• The Question Technique: The coaching trick that creates ownership instead of dependency
• The Identity Shift Reality: Why your value isn't in doing the job anymore, it's in helping others do it well

Our new BIZ hosts are Lisa Lie - a former Head of People & Culture and Organisational Coach - and Mamamia’s Em Vernem.

Learna is Lisa’s microlearning app for practical people skills at work. Expert-led lessons to build confidence, solve challenges, and work smarter - in under 7 minutes. Get it on Apple or Google Play.

Sign up to the BIZ newsletter here

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HOSTS: Lisa Lie and Em Vernem
SENIOR PRODUCER: Sophie Campbell
AUDIO PRODUCER: Tina Matolov

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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