Welcome to First-Time Bosses Leadership Series
- Deborah Ann Martin
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Practical Coaching for Supervisors Who Lead People First
Welcome to The First-Time Bosses Series from Surviving Life Lessons. It's a real-world coaching series for new supervisors, leads, and managers who want to lead well and still sleep at night. We’re here to break down the hard parts of leadership into tools, strategies, and honest lessons that actually make a difference.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve just been promoted, put in charge of a shift, or asked to supervise a team. Maybe you finally earned the title, or maybe you were the only one who stepped up. However it happened, you now have a new challenge:
You’re no longer just doing the work. You’re managing people.
Being a first-time supervisor or front-line team leader is one of the hardest jobs out there. You’re not just doing your own work anymore. You’re managing personalities, juggling expectations, hitting deadlines, and handling problems no one warned you about. And half the time, you're doing it without training, support, or a clear roadmap.
That’s exactly why this blog series exists.
This First-Time Bosses Leadership series is a collection of plain-talk, real-world blog posts designed to walk you through the transition from worker to leader. It’s not about power. It’s not about titles. It’s about learning how to work with people. So you can get the job done, keep your team together, and grow into a leader people actually want to work for.
Who is This First-Time Bosses Leadership Series For
This space is designed for:
New project managers who feel like they’re figuring it out as they go
First-line supervisors promoted for performance but not trained to lead
Business owners who are great at what they do but struggle to organize teams
Veterans entering civilian project roles who want to apply leadership in new ways
An active duty military member who was placed over someone
Anyone in charge of people and deliverables
You don’t have to be certified in PMP or Agile, but we’ll show you how to start thinking like someone who is.
What You Can Expect
Each post in this series tackles one piece of the supervisor puzzle. You’ll learn about:
Setting expectations
Giving feedback
Building trust
Leading your former peers
Dealing with drama
Managing time, tasks, and tough personalities
You’ll see real stories, tested strategies, and leadership models like Servant Leadership, Situational Leadership, and Transformational Leadership. But we’ll explain them in plain English, not buzzwords or textbook jargon.
You’ll get tools you can use in any workplace—on the floor, in the field, or behind a desk no matter what kind of team you lead.
Why This Series Matters
My name is Debbie. I’m a Navy veteran, MBA holder, cancer survivor, and a seasoned business leader who has worked in almost every type of setting—from small startups to legal firms, fast food to corporate tech, from military projects to large-scale government operations. I’ve built teams, led projects, and seen what happens when good people are thrown into management without the support they need
Throughout my career, I have seen that most first-time supervisors are thrown into leadership with little to no training. They’re expected to figure it out while carrying the weight of everyone else’s performance. That leads to stress, burnout, and teams that slowly fall apart. I’ve worked with people who wanted to succeed and people who didn’t.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can learn how to lead and do it well.
I know, because I’ve been there.
. And here’s what I’ve learned through it all:
The best supervisors don’t lead with fear or authority. They lead with trust, consistency, and communication.
That’s what I want to help you build.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just need a plan. This is your playbook. Let’s get started.
What You’ll Find in This Blog Series
This isn’t another dry business blog filled with textbook jargon and leadership clichés. This is for real people who got promoted into a supervisor role and thought, “Now what?”
If you're leading a team, especially for the first time, and you feel overwhelmed, unsure, or just need practical advice that actually works, you’re in the right place.
In this series, you’ll find:
Step-by-step coaching for real-life situations supervisors face every day
Simple frameworks for setting expectations, managing conflict, and staying sane
Tools to grow your confidence—even when your to-do list is impossible
Guidance on people, not just process—because no team succeeds without trust
Honest pep talks from someone who’s been there (and still wears the scars)
We don’t just talk about managing work. We talk about how to lead people.
Topics We Cover Include:
How to earn trust in your first 90 days
What to do when two employees won’t stop clashing
How to train different personality types (without losing your mind)
Motivating people after a layoff or team reorg
How to delegate when it feels faster to just do it yourself
Writing performance reviews that actually help someone grow
Leading through burnout, low morale, and rough patches
Recovering after you've made a mistake as a leader
Coaching the next generation of leaders without fear
Managing time when everyone wants “just a minute” of yours
We’ve included real-world examples, SMART goals, conflict resolution techniques, and even frameworks like Maslow’s Hierarchy, Herzberg’s Motivators, and Goal-Setting Theory, but made simple, and made human.
This series is for the new supervisor who wants to do right by their teameven when the road is hard, the rules change, and the manual is missing.
If it affects people and leadership, we talk about it here.
How to Use This Blog
Each post will be a standalone coaching session, focusing on one real-life challenge or concept. If you only have 5 minutes, you’ll leave with something useful.
No rigid posting schedule here—just real solutions delivered consistently. Whether it’s weekly or monthly, know that every post will be worth your time.
To get started:
Read a blog post that speaks to your current challenge
Share it with a teammate or colleague who could use it
Bookmark us so you can come back when you need clarity
Final Thought
You don’t have to know everything to be a good leader. You just need the right support at the right time. This blog is here to walk beside you while you learn to lead, manage, and grow with confidence.
Welcome to the journey. Let’s build something strong—together..
Want More?
This is just the beginning. You’re invited to:
Join our support community where business survivors help those still learning
Subscribe to updates for new blog drops and exclusive coaching tips
Check out our resources page with tools, templates, and book recommendations
Connect on LinkedIn where I share thoughts, stories, and business lessons
You’re not alone in this. Everyone starts somewhere—and now, you have a place that’s built for you.
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