0.8 How New Engineering Managers Should Introduce Themselves (with a Personal Map)
There’s a lot of advice for new engineering leaders - meet everyone, learn the systems, don’t change too much too soon. All true (you can read about them in First 90 Days as an Engineering Manager). But before you tune processes or shape roadmaps, do the single most important thing you can do in week one-even day one!
Introduce yourself - properly.
Not a 30-second “Hi, I’m Bartosz, happy to be here.” A structured introduction that does two things at once:
- Personal: share a short, human snapshot so people see the person behind the role.
- Leader: expose your core values-how you make decisions, what is important to you and what your team can expect from you.
Why introducing yourself as a new engineering manager matters
Your first message signals intent. In my view of engineering leadership (see: My post about 3Ps - Product, Process, People in What Is Engineering Leadership?), nothing has more compounding impact than how you treat people. A thoughtful introduction:
- Builds psychological safety: you model openness before asking others to be open.
- Creates clarity: values reduce ambiguity when trade-offs appear later.
- Accelerates trust: people decide faster whether to engage, escalate, or ask for help when they see in you a human, not just a supervisor.
This is not a soft extra. It’s a foundation for execution.
Personal Map: a tool for new leaders
On Management 3.0 training I was impressed with a tool called Personal Map.
It’s like a mind map but about you, with your name in the center, with branches around it. It takes 10-15 minutes to present, but it sets the tone for months.
Why I like and recommend Personal Map:
- Structure: personal map gives you a structure for your introduction as you go through each branch.
- Safe: add to the map only things you are comfortable to talk about.
- Clarity: show key information at a glance-5 seconds to know more about a person than 10 minutes of small talk.
- Humanize: shows you as human, the complex person behind the role.
The personal map: two parts, one message
Picture a circle with your name. Then arrow to a concise personal topics. Another to a cluster of 3-5 leadership values. That’s it. No life story. No manifesto. Just enough to be human and predictable.
Part 1: Personal note
This is where you open up a little and show you’re more than a title.
Pick 2-3 things that give a glimpse into your life outside of Jira boards and sprint reviews. Think hobbies, passions, quirks, a short story from your career journey.
Examples could be:
- Where you come from or where you live today.
- What energizes you outside of work (sports, cooking, books, kids, volunteering).
- A small fun fact that might surprise people or spark conversation.
The key: keep it short, real, and something you’re comfortable repeating in every context.
You don’t need to be overly vulnerable, but you do want to leave people thinking: “I see the person, not just the manager.”
This matters because teams connect to humans, not job descriptions. When you show something personal, you lower the barrier for others to do the same later in retros, 1:1s, or even code reviews.
Part 2: Your leadership values as an engineering manager
Once you’ve shared a glimpse of yourself as a person, shift gears into how you lead.
This is your “core values” part-the arrows that point from your name toward the principles that guide your decisions and behavior as a leader.
Pick 3-5 values that really matter to you. Keep them short, memorable, and explain them in practical terms so the team knows what they can expect in daily collaboration.
Examples:
- Transparency - I’ll share not only decisions but also the reasoning and uncertainties behind them. You’ll know what I know.
- Empowerment - I won’t micromanage. I’ll ask questions, support your ideas, and trust your expertise.
- Sustainable pace - I care about delivery, but not at the cost of burning out. We’ll plan realistically and make space for rest.
- Inclusion - Every voice counts. I will actively invite perspectives, not just wait for them.
The important part is to link each value to behavior: “Transparency” means open calendars and sharing context early-even bad news. “Inclusion” means I’ll explicitly ask quieter voices in the room for their take.
This way, your values stop being abstract statements and become practical agreements. The team knows how you operate, how you’ll respond in tough moments, and what you’ll expect of them in return.
Two parts, one message
By sharing both a personal note and your leadership values, you set the tone from day one: approachable human on one hand, intentional leader on the other.
This balance accelerates trust and lays the foundation for execution.
How to build your personal map in 15 minutes
- Write personal areas you are comfortable to share:
- Home / Family
- Hobbies
- Education
- Work Journey
- Friends
- List 5 values you believe in; keep the 3-5 you can explain with a behavior.
- Sketch a simple visual (whiteboard, Miro, slide). Name in the center, arrows out.
- Book a 15-minute slot with your team to present it. Record or share the slide afterward.
Tip: This is not a speech. It’s a conversation starter. Leave time for questions.
Common mistakes when introducing yourself to a team
- Going too personal: This is not a biography. Two or three lines is enough.
- Too many values: Five arrows feel like guidance. Ten feel like slogans.
- Aspirational only: Choose values you already practice. You can evolve later.
- No behaviors: “Integrity” means nothing without “This looks like…”.
- One-and-done: If you never reference the map again, it loses credibility.
Tie-ins to your first 90 days as a manager
If you’ve read my post on the First 90 Days as an Engineering Manager, you’ll notice how this plugs in:
- Weeks 1-2 (Listen and learn): Start with your introduction and 1:1s. The map accelerates trust so people tell you the real story faster.
- Weeks 3-4 (Map the terrain): Use values to guide which rituals to keep or fix.
- Month 2 (Small wins): Pick one improvement aligned to your values and deliver it.
- Month 3 (Lead with intent): Reference the map when shaping direction and delegation.
The earlier you anchor your leadership in explicit values, the easier these phases become.
Personal map example for new leaders
Below you can find an example Personal Map created using Miro.
It contains all we discussed: family, education, hobbies, career overview, and core values.
Final thoughts
Engineering leadership isn’t about being the smartest engineer in the room. It’s about creating clarity, safety, and steady momentum so smart people can do their best work. A short, well-designed introduction-with a personal map-does exactly that. It blends the human with the operational, the personal with the practical.
Start here. Introduce yourself. Share your values. Then make them visible in how the team plans, decides, and reflects. The map is simple. The impact is compounding.