Managers' First 90 Days – Intro & People Partners

Returning to the Fundamentals with Fresh Eyes

This week I joined the kickoff session of the Managers’ First 90 Days program. Even after nearly two years in the role, it felt genuinely valuable to reconnect with the foundational topics that continue to shape my day-to-day responsibilities as a manager.

Much of the content wasn’t new — and that’s a good thing. It’s reassuring to see how closely the practices I’ve been applying align with what’s formally encouraged and supported by the People team. From structuring 1:1s and managing probation periods to supporting growth conversations through the levelling framework, the systems reinforced what I’ve already lived through — and gave me more clarity where I had been navigating on instinct.

What stood out most was the tone of the session. It wasn’t a lecture. It was a conversation. It confirmed the intention behind our processes: they exist not just for compliance, but to truly support teams and guide managers through complexity. The People Partners are not just administrative support; they’re collaborators in helping us do our best work with confidence.

Some topics — like offboarding, terminations, or edge cases around compensation — I’ve been fortunate not to face yet. But knowing these structures exist, and that the guidance is consistent and fair, gives me peace of mind. It’s better to be ready before you need it.

# Start tracking my reflections for each module
mkdir -p managers_90_days/people_partners
touch managers_90_days/people_partners/reflections.md

Reaffirming Practice, Strengthening Confidence

The content around probation and performance documentation, for instance, confirmed practices I’ve already followed — like documenting expectations early, maintaining records, and having midpoint feedback conversations. What I appreciated most was hearing examples from peers and getting a clearer view of the structure behind what I’ve often done informally.

The walkthrough of the levelling framework was also useful. It’s a model I’ve used when discussing career development with my team, and seeing the criteria (impact, complexity, communication, and experience) laid out again gave me a language I can reuse more consistently going forward.

We reviewed processes like salary benchmarking, the engagement survey cycles, and flexible working policies. Having been through some of these cycles already, I wasn’t surprised — but I did learn useful details that will help me be more precise and efficient the next time I navigate them.

Here’s a quick view I jotted down for future reference:

# Track takeaways as checklist
learnings = {
    "Structured documentation": True,
    "Probation midpoint reviews": False,
    "Salary benchmarking support": True,
    "Career framework consistency": True
}
for key, value in learnings.items():
    print(f"{key}: {'✅' if value else '⏳'}")

A Strong Start to a Meaningful Cycle

I left the session feeling thankful — not because everything was new, but because the familiar was reframed with clarity. It’s energizing to confirm that the systems around me are solid, and that I’m using them in ways that match the company’s expectations.

It’s easy, two years into the role, to assume you’ve “got it.” But this session reminded me how important it is to stop, review, and recommit to what we do and why we do it. That kind of intentionality is what sets apart good leadership from reactive management.

The best part? I wasn’t alone. I had the chance to hear from other managers with different team structures and contexts. That exchange — real, honest, and grounded — is where most of the value comes from. I’m looking forward to the next modules, especially the deeper dives into performance and feedback.

# Confirm session completed in my 90-day track
echo "✅ May 3: Intro + People Partners module reviewed and noted." >> managers_90_days/log.txt