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New manager introduction to your team: emails, a short speech and what to say

A good new manager introduction is short and is mostly about what happens next: who you are in two or three lines, what you'll do first (meet each person and listen), when the first team meeting is, and how to reach you. Send it as an email or message on day one, then say a spoken version of the same thing in your first team meeting. Leave out big plans and changes; the team wants to know you'll listen before you act.

This guide is for first-time managers about to meet their team as the boss. Below: what goes in the introduction, emails to copy for five situations, a 2-minute version to say out loud, how to answer the questions the team will ask, what to leave out, and what to do in the days after.

Who should announce you, and when

Usually your own boss announces the change first, then you introduce yourself. The order matters. If your hello lands before the official news, it looks like you announced your own promotion.

• Ask your boss how and when it will be announced. A team meeting, an email, or both. Ask to see the words if you can.
• Send yours the same day, after theirs. Ideally within a few hours, so there's no gap where people only have rumours.
• If you were promoted, tell anyone who also applied before the team hears. Your boss should do this, but check it happened. A two-minute private word saves weeks of awkwardness.
• If no one announces it, ask your boss to send even one line ("Please welcome Sam as the team's new manager from Monday"), then follow with yours.

What to put in your introduction

Five parts, in this order. Most good introductions are 120 to 200 words; anything longer stops being read on a phone.

A personal line is fine if it's short and true: "Outside work I coach my daughter's football team, badly." It makes you a person rather than a title. One line is enough.

Email to copy: you were hired from outside

Subject: Hello from your new manager

Hi everyone,

I'm Jordan, and I'm joining as the team's manager from today. Before this I led a team of six in customer support at a software company, and before that I did the job most of you do, for five years.

I know a new manager can mean a lot of change. For the first few weeks my plan is to learn how you work, what's going well and what gets in your way, before I suggest changing anything.

Two things this week:

• A team meeting on Thursday at 10:00 (30 minutes) so you can meet me and ask anything.
• A 30-minute 1:1 with each of you over the next two weeks. I'll send invites today; move them if the time is bad.

If you'd like to talk sooner, message me or stop by. Looking forward to meeting you all.

Jordan

Email to copy: you were promoted from the team

When the team already knows you, the email is shorter and names the change once. Don't apologise for the promotion and don't pretend nothing changed.

Subject: Next steps for the team

Hi all,

As Priya shared this morning, I'm stepping into the team lead role from Monday. I know this is a change for all of us, me included.

I've been on this team for three years and I know how much you carry. My job now is different: to clear the way so you can do yours. I'll get some of it wrong at first, and I'd rather you tell me than not.

I'd like to hear from each of you properly, so I'll book a 1:1 with everyone in the next two weeks. Even though we know each other, I want to ask questions I've never asked as a teammate: what you'd change, what you'd keep, and what you need from a manager.

We'll have our usual Monday meeting, and I'll use part of it to answer questions.

Thanks, all.
Alex

For the harder parts of this, such as managing a close friend or the colleague who wanted the job, see our guide to managing former peers after a promotion.

Email to copy: you're replacing a manager who left

If the last manager was popular, say so. If they left on bad terms or the team went months without one, acknowledge the gap without judging anyone.

Hi everyone,

I'm Sam, and I'm taking over as manager of the warehouse team from today. I know Chris led this team for a long time and that a change like this takes adjusting to. I'm not here to undo what works.

I've spent eight years in logistics, most recently running the day shift at our Fresno site.

My first job is to understand how things run here and what you think should be better. I'll book 20 minutes with each of you this week, on your shift. There's also a short team huddle Wednesday at 7:15 before the shift starts.

Thanks for the welcome so far.
Sam

Email or message to copy: a remote or spread-out team

For a remote team, the introduction is your first impression, so add a little more about how you'll work together and how to reach you.

Hi team,

I'm Morgan, your new manager from today. I'm based in Denver (Mountain time) and usually online 8:00 to 4:30 my time.

A bit about me: I've been a developer for seven years and led a small platform team for the last one.

Over the next two weeks I'll book a 30-minute video call with each of you, at a time that works in your time zone. We'll also have a team call on Tuesday at 11:00 Mountain. Cameras optional.

The fastest way to reach me is a direct message. For anything urgent, add "urgent" and I'll reply within the hour in working hours.

Glad to be here.
Morgan

A short version for chat or a small team

For a team of three to five, or a team that lives in a chat channel, a message is enough:

Hi all, I'm Riley, and I start as the team's manager today. For the first few weeks I'm mostly here to listen and learn how you work. I've booked 30 minutes with each of you this week, and we'll have a quick team chat Friday at 2. Ask me anything, any time.

What to say out loud: a 2-minute introduction

In your first team meeting, say a spoken version of your email. Two minutes, then stop and hand over to questions. Here's one you can adapt:

"Thanks for coming. You've had my email, so I'll keep this short.

I'm [name]. I've [one line of background]. I took this job because [one true reason].

Here's what the next month looks like. I'll meet each of you one to one over the next two weeks. I'll mostly be asking questions: what's working, what's in your way, what you'd change. I won't be changing anything big in that time, unless something is broken.

A few things about how I work: [one or two, for example 'I'd rather hear bad news early than late,' or 'if I'm in a meeting, message me and I'll reply when I'm out'].

And I want to hear from you. What questions do you have for me?"

Then wait. Count to ten in your head if the room goes quiet. If no one asks anything, offer one: "A question I'd ask if I were you is what changes I'm planning. The honest answer is none yet." If speaking in front of the team makes you nervous, our guide on how to lead a meeting with confidence has ways to prepare. For the rest of that first meeting, there's a 45-minute agenda in how to conduct your first team meeting.

Questions your team may ask, and how to answer

If you don't know an answer, say "I don't know yet; I'll find out and tell you by Friday," and then do. Keeping that first small promise counts for a lot. Our guide on how to build trust with your team covers what to do in the weeks that follow.

What to leave out of your introduction

• Your plans or vision. You don't know the team yet. "I'm going to transform how we work" reads as "I've decided without you."
• Your CV. Two lines of background is plenty. A long list of achievements reads as showing off.
• Comparisons with your old team or old manager. "At my last company..." or "unlike Chris, I..." both land badly.
• Jokes about being the boss now. "Bow down" or "I'm in charge now" lands differently on each person.
• Promises you can't keep. Raises, promotions, new hires, no more overtime. Promise what you will do (listen, meet everyone), not what will happen.
• Anything private about the old manager or a colleague. Even if you know why they left.

What to do in the days after your introduction

1. Hold every 1:1 you promised. If you said two weeks, finish in two weeks. Our guide to your first one on one meeting with an employee has the questions to ask.
2. Write down what you hear, and look for problems at least two people mention.
3. Follow up on anything you said you'd find out. Same day if you can.
4. Fix one small thing someone asked for in the first two weeks, and say who raised it.
5. Introduce yourself to the people your team depends on, the other teams, suppliers or departments. A short note works: "I've just taken over the support team; I'd like 20 minutes to hear how we can work better together."

For the full list of what to do in your first three months, see our new manager checklist, or the day-by-day plan for your first week as a new manager.

Want words like these ready for each talk in your first month? Take the 2-minute quiz and get a 10-minute lesson and one script a day.

Common mistakes in a new manager introduction

• Sending it before the official announcement. Wait for your boss's message.
• Making it all about you. Count the lines about you versus the lines about what happens next for them. The second should win.
• No dates. "We'll catch up soon" means nothing. Put the meeting and 1:1 dates in.
• Only an email. The email gives the facts; people judge you on how you say it in person or on a call.
• Going quiet after it. A warm hello followed by two weeks of closed doors undoes the hello.

Every new manager comes across a little differently in that first meeting: some sound in charge, some sound like they want to be liked. The free leadership style quiz takes 2 minutes and tells you which way you lean and which talks that makes harder.

Questions about introducing yourself as a new manager

How long should a new manager introduction email be?

About 120 to 200 words. Long enough to say who you are, what you'll do first and when you'll meet; short enough to read on a phone in under a minute.

Should I introduce myself by email or in person?

Both. Send a short email or message on day one so everyone has the same facts, then say a spoken version in your first team meeting and in each 1:1.

What subject line should I use?

Plain works best: "Hello from your new manager," "Introducing myself," or "Next steps for the team" if you were promoted and they already know you.

How do I introduce myself to a team that didn't want me?

Acknowledge the change without guessing at feelings, say what you'll do first (listen), and then keep every small promise. Trust comes from what you do in the next few weeks, not from the email.

What should I say about myself as a new manager?

Two or three lines: your background as it relates to their work, one true reason you took the job, and optionally one personal line. Then move on to what happens next.

Should I send an introduction to people outside my team?

Yes, to the five to ten people whose work connects to your team's. A short note asking for 20 minutes to hear how you can work together is enough.

Next: take the free leadership style quiz before your first team meeting, or browse all our guides for new managers.

Sources

• Michael D. Watkins, The First 90 Days, updated and expanded edition, Harvard Business Review Press, 2013.
• Linda A. Hill, Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership, 2nd edition, Harvard Business School Press, 2003.