The Three Conversations

The set of explicit discussions that a newly promoted manager must have with former peers before their first day in the management role: 

• The expectations conversation (what will change and what will not)
• The feedback conversation (how feedback will now flow in both directions) 
• The authority conversation (which decisions the new manager will make unilaterally and which require team input)

The absence of these three conversations is the primary cause of peer-to-manager transition failure.