People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

PPP 468 | How to Lead When You’re Suddenly In Charge. What To Do in the First 45 Days, with Executive Coach James Turk

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Jul 3, 2025

In this engaging conversation, James Turk, an executive coach and author of The Giving Game, shares his wisdom on navigating the leap from individual contributor to team leader. He emphasizes that expertise doesn’t guarantee effective leadership and outlines why the first 45 days are crucial. Listeners can expect practical tips on fostering team climate, the importance of clarity, and effective feedback. James also shares personal anecdotes on how emotional intelligence enhances leadership, making this a must-listen for new managers.

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ANECDOTE

Leadership Shaped by Family

James Turk learned leadership from growing up in a large family and watching his parents coach sports teams.
Caring for his developmentally disabled sister taught him empathy and emotional intelligence early on.

INSIGHT

Leadership as a Giving Game

Leadership is better seen as a game of giving, focusing on helping others rather than winning for oneself.
Viewing leadership as a game brings levity and frames challenges as levels to be mastered rather than obstacles.

ADVICE

Plan Your First 45 Days

New managers should pause to appreciate their promotion and assess their skills versus role requirements.
Develop a learning plan within the first 45 days to gain missing leadership skills like feedback and coaching.

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Summary

When you're promoted into management, the shift can feel like you're suddenly in charge, but with very little guidance. In this episode, Andy chats with executive coach and author James Turk about his insightful book The Giving Game: A Manager’s Playbook for the First Year of Leadership. James brings decades of experience helping leaders navigate that tricky transition from individual contributor to team leader.

They explore why being a subject-matter expert doesn’t automatically make you an effective leader, and why the first 45 days in a new role are so critical. James shares practical advice for building a strong team climate, coaching instead of controlling, and why clarity is one of the greatest gifts you can offer as a manager. Plus, they discuss what new managers often miss about feedback and delegation (and how to avoid those traps).

Whether you’re newly promoted or preparing to step into a leadership role, this conversation is filled with actionable insights. If you’re looking for real-world advice on how to lead when you’re suddenly in charge, this episode is for you!

Sound Bites

“The number one reason employees don’t do what they’re supposed to do is that they don’t know what it is.”
“Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about creating the conditions for others to succeed.”
“Climate is how it feels to work for you, and as a leader, that’s something you have the power to shape every day.”
“Coaching isn’t fixing the past. It’s investing in someone’s future performance.”
“Most people, when they’re promoted, don’t have the skills, and they’re afraid to admit it.”
“If I want people to do the work, they need to know what’s expected of them.”

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:57 Start of Interview
02:06 What early experiences shaped how you think about leadership?
05:30 Why call it 'The Giving Game'?
08:39 What would you coach me to do differently in my first 45 days as a new manager?
11:01 Why focus on climate instead of culture?
15:57 How do we shift teams from renter mode to ownership?
20:18 Why do so many managers think we're being clear?
21:42 How can leaders delegate in a way that builds ownership?
22:47 When did you make a delegation mistake because of lack of clarity?
25:25 What's an example of feedback that changed your career?
27:59 What do you think about the 'feedback sandwich' technique?
29:44 How can these ideas help parents at home?
32:10 End of Interview
32:31 Andy Comments After the Interview
36:15 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about James Turk and his work at TheTurkGroup.com/TheGivingGameBook.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

Episode 466 with Sabina Nawaz. Sabina was the executive coach for Bill Gates and other Microsoft leaders and wrote a book that would be an excellent follow-up to this one.
Episode 455 with Janet Polach. It’s a great follow-on to what we talked with James here today.
Episode 391 with Adam Bryant about his book The Leap to Leader.

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Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Leadership, First-Time Managers, Team Climate, Feedback, Coaching, Clarity, Delegation, Emotional Intelligence, Ownership, Communication, People Management, Personal Development, Project Management, Career Development

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Imagefilm 034 by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Fashion Corporate by Frank Schroeter License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license