Before you put an employee on a performance improvement plan, there are a few leadership steps most managers skip.

In this episode, I break down how to tell the difference between real support and over-functioning, what to do before formal corrective action, and when poor performance becomes an accountability issue instead of just a coaching issue.

If you're a new manager dealing with defensiveness, repeated underperformance, or hard feedback conversations, this is the framework for what should happen first.

Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders.

Most managers avoid giving feedback to employees not because they don't care, but because nobody taught them how to have difficult conversations that also preserve the relationship. So they let it slide. And slide. Until it's a real problem.

This episode gives you a 4 step framework for how to give feedback that's clear, direct, and actually lands — without softening it so much it stops meaning anything. This isn't a one-time tool for when things go wrong. It's your everyday coaching framework — the thing that makes feedback normal before it becomes a crisis.

If you've ever avoided a feedback conversation because you don't know what to say, this one's for you.

Connect with Jen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

Are you a new leader looking for support? Check out Made to Lead, our 12-week cohort for first time people leaders.

You know you need to say something. But every time you get close to having that conversation, you find a reason to wait. Sound familiar? Avoiding feedback doesn't protect the relationship—it quietly erodes it until the problem is 10 times harder to fix.

In this episode, host Jen Arnold breaks down the 7 most common feedback mistakes new managers make, what each one is costing you, and what to do instead.

You'll learn why the compliment sandwich backfires, what makes feedback actually stick, and how to deliver hard messages clearly and kindly—without damaging the relationship.

If giving constructive feedback is the part of leadership that keeps you up at night, this episode will change how you approach it.

Watch The Made Leader @https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader for more leadership insights and strategies.

Connect with Jen —

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

Website: https://growthsignals.co/

You're not being kind by staying silent. You're avoiding a critical part of your job as a leader.

If you've been watching someone on your team struggle, missing deadlines, having a bad attitude, not showing up, and you haven't said a word, this episode is for you.

Most new managers avoid hard conversations because it feels like the compassionate thing to do. Give them another chance. Wait and see. But here's the truth: silence doesn't protect your employee.

It just delays the damage — and makes you responsible for it.

In this episode, Jen shares a personal story of being blindsided by feedback her boss had been sitting on for months. She breaks down exactly why new leaders avoid these conversations (hint: it's not kindness — it's fear wearing a disguise).

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

Connect with Jen:

https://growthsignals.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

New leaders often struggle with delegation, because being the solo superstar is far more familar (and comfortable) than being the coach.

In this episode, Jen breaks down the three common delegation mistakes – hoarding, mind-reading, and hovering/vanishing – and how to avoid them using the DEAL framework to improve team performance and avoid frustration.

Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@themadeleader

Find out how you're doing with delegating and 4 other leadership skills through our free GUIDE new leader assessment: https://guide.scoreapp.com/

Connect with Jen:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

https://growthsignals.co/

If you feel like you're constantly fixing your team's work or "just doing it yourself" because it's faster, you have fallen into the "Doer Trap."

It is a big reason top performers fail when they get promoted to management.

In this episode, I talk about why your "helpful" interventions are actually destroying your team's growth—and your own sanity.

Plus, I'll teach you the "Two-Way Door" framework—a decision-making tool used by Amazon—so you know exactly when to let your team fail and when you actually need to step in.

Watch on YouTube @themadeleader

You can take the free GUIDE assessment for new leaders here: https://guide.scoreapp.com/

Think being good at your job is enough to make you a great leader? That's what most new managers think — until the first real challenge hits and emotions take over.

The truth is, what got you promoted won't be what makes you successful in leadership. Emotional intelligence matters more than technical skills — and most of us were never taught how to manage our emotions under pressure.

In this episode, I'm sharing 4 strategies to help you stop letting your emotions run the show:

- How to pause before you blow it - Why venting is making things worse (and who you should actually talk to) - The mindset shift that gives you your power back - Why your mood is setting the temperature for your whole team — whether you realize it or not

This isn't soft stuff — it matters for your career.

Not sure where you stand as a new leader? Take the free 2-minute GUIDE Assessment to see where you're strong and where your emotions might be getting in your own way. 👉 https://guide.scoreapp.com/

Want support as a new leader? Join our next Made to Lead cohort: https://growthsignals.co/leadership-training/

Are you a new leader struggling with your transition from peer to manager?

In this episode, I break down the 3 things you're probably still doing that are quietly destroying your credibility as a leader – and what to do instead.

If you just got promoted to lead your old team, your role changed overnight. But your identity didn't. And that gap is costing you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ Why venting to your team feels like bonding but actually destroys trust

✅ How inconsistency (in decisions AND how you treat people) kills your credibility

✅ Why doing the work yourself is keeping you stuck as an IC instead of growing as a leader

This is the first principle in my GUIDE framework: Get clear on your leadership identity.

Because the best leaders don't stumble into who they are – they decide who they want to be, and they lead from there.

Want to see where you're strong and where you might be getting in your own way?

Take the free 2-minute GUIDE Assessment: https://guide.scoreapp.com/

CONNECT with Jen:

Website: www.growthsignals.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

90% of us aren't natural-born leaders—we have to develop those skills. Unfortunately, most companies promote great individual contributors and then leave them to figure out leadership on their own.

In this episode, I break down the three most common mistakes I see new leaders make in their first few years of managing people—and more importantly, how to avoid them.

If you're navigating that awkward transition from peer to manager, struggling with micromanagement tendencies, or avoiding hard conversations, this episode will give you a practical approach to leadership and help you become the leader your team actually needs.

Watch on YouTube@themadeleader

Take the New Leader Guide Assessment to discover where you're strong and where you need support: https://guide.scoreapp.com

THE GUIDE FRAMEWORK

G - Get Clear on Your Leadership Identity U - Understand and Manage Your Emotions I - Invest in the Development of Your Team D - Delegate with Intention E - Expect and Prepare for Hard Conversations

CONNECT WITH JEN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/ Website: https://growthsignals.co/

After years of hosting an interview show, a few things weren't sitting right with host, Jen Arnold. In this episode, she walks through what's changing with The Made Leader, why it came to be, and what's coming next for new leaders.

Going forward, the show will be primarily solo episodes focused specifically on helping new leaders navigate those first few years of managing people. Guests will still appear occasionally, but solo content will be the backbone of the show.

It's a little uncomfortable. She's already making rookie mistakes. She's doing it anyway.

Follow The Made Leader on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMadeLeader

Made to Lead (12-week program for new leaders): https://growthsignals.co/leadership-training/