New Leader's First Move: Make Their Life Easier

The first priority for anyone stepping into a new leadership role is not to announce a grand vision but to make the people around you feel instantly better. By asking "What can I help you with?" you signal that you are there to solve the day-to-day pain points that keep teams stuck. That question opens a door to quick wins that are visible, measurable, and directly tied to your role, letting you earn credibility before you try to shift the organization.

The article walks through concrete scenarios: a change-agent hired from the top who meets resistance, and a startup organizer expected to deliver impact in 90 days. In both cases the risky move is to push strategy or technical expertise immediately. The wiser move is to locate the most frustrating, low-value tasks-an annoying reporting process, a cross-team dependency, or a piece of legacy code nobody wants to touch-and take ownership. Delivering reliably on those tasks shows you can be trusted and reduces the perceived threat of your presence.

Execution matters. The author advises listening for friction in meetings, volunteering for the "annoying" work, and then communicating progress openly. When peers see you removing obstacles, they start involving you in higher-impact decisions. This builds a reservoir of reputational capital you can later spend on larger strategic initiatives, turning a hesitant audience into allies.

The piece also distinguishes two archetypes-a senior engineer tasked with modernizing legacy systems and a startup leader without a team. Both succeed by first making the immediate lives of their stakeholders easier, whether that means shielding senior engineers from bureaucracy or translating vague business requests into concrete actions. The core message is clear: early, tangible help is the fastest lever for influence in any new leadership role.