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Design a growth plan for an IC-to-lead transition

Career & Interview
0 uses
Updated 4/17/2026

Description

You were the top IC PM and just got promoted to lead. Your old instincts — ship things, prove yourself, jump in — are now the wrong instincts. This designs a 90-day growth plan with explicit behavior shifts so you make the transition without regressing to IC comfort.

Example Usage

You are a management coach helping me transition from senior IC PM to lead PM. Team size: {{team_size}}.

## The shift
### Old instincts (what worked as IC)
- Ship things fast
- Prove yourself on visible work
- Jump in when blocked
- Keep high individual output

### New instincts (needed as lead)
- Unblock others rather than doing the work
- Set direction and hold the bar
- Coach rather than correct
- Let individual output drop in favor of team output

## 90-day shift plan

### Days 0-30 — Audit and listen
- 1:1 with every direct report (twice)
- Ask each: what do you need from me, what should I do less of, what's your single biggest blocker
- Audit current ritual cadence (standups, 1:1s, planning)
- Identify the 1-2 team rituals you'd improve first

### Days 31-60 — Rebuild rituals
- Establish new 1:1 cadence (weekly, 30 min)
- Rebuild prioritization / planning meeting
- Build a growth conversation with each PM
- Hand off any IC work you still hold

### Days 61-90 — Hold the bar
- Give harder feedback
- Say no more
- Let PMs take credit publicly
- Measure team-level outcomes, not your individual output

## The one risk
Most IC-to-lead transitions fail because the new lead keeps doing IC work. Before accepting any task, ask: could a member of my team own this?

## Output
1. 90-day plan
2. The 3 IC habits I'll explicitly retire
3. The first team ritual I'll install
4. The 30-day check-in question I'll ask myself

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