Best Manager Ever Best Manager Ever: Seif Salama - Mastering Your First Manager Role
Apr 16, 2025
Seif Salama, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Fanatics and former marketing leader at Carta and Affirm, discusses the nuances of stepping into a management role. He shares insights on navigating the challenges of leadership and emphasizes the value of authentic communication in fostering team morale. Seif also explores the critical impact of hiring on team dynamics, focusing on competency-based tactics and adapting to ambiguity in startups. His experience highlights the delicate balance between maintaining high standards and cultivating a positive workplace culture.
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Define Why Manage Early
- Be clear about your reasons for wanting to manage, focusing on skills you enjoy using and sharing.
- Avoid pursuing leadership just for money or as a default career step.
Management Is a Different Job
- Managing requires stepping away from individual contributor tasks to focus on team operations and cross-functional work.
- This shift to a different role is often underestimated by new managers.
Hire for Competencies
- Use competency-based hiring to build a team with diverse strengths that elevate collective performance.
- Always ask in interviews if the candidate will make the team better and fill existing skill gaps.