How to embrace your Leadership role as a Data Nerd (or other creative types)

Accept that transitioning to leadership is a career change - it requires different expectations, responsibilities and mindset

Keep a beginner’s mindset (Shoshin) - be humble, admit mistakes, stay open to learning since you’re new to leadership

Finding ways to maintain creative work is important for satisfaction, but accept you’ll have less time for hands-on tasks

Aim for focused deep work time (average 20%) while balancing strategic work (47%) and operational tasks (25%)

Get organized with proper task/project management systems to handle increased meetings and email load

Consider having meeting-free days to boost productivity and job satisfaction

Build a strong peer network of other leaders for support and guidance

Reversing back to an individual contributor role is possible - knowing this can reduce stress

Focus on enabling your team rather than micromanaging technical details

Leadership satisfaction isn’t necessarily tied to having previous management experience - many successful leaders transition with no formal training

Find ways to measure success differently than technical achievements - focus on team enablement and strategic impact