Hey friends,

When you left the org chart, you got a new job. Manager. Of you.

Nobody trained you. Nobody handed over a job description.

So we wrote one. Odds are, you're skipping a few of the roles.

This issue breaks down the five your old boss played: priorities, reviews, advocacy, morale, boundaries. Take the quick audit. Find the gaps.

Then start managing yourself on purpose.

– Ric & Shellie

P.S. Know someone who's crushing it but secretly convinced they're winging it? Send your unique referral link their way. 🙌🏼

Your old boss did five jobs. Now they’re all yours. 

By Will Samson

On my third day at a new job, I sent a meeting request to my boss. 

A few minutes later, the meeting decline was in my inbox with two simple words: "No agenda." My first thought was not generous. Damn. It must be nice to be that important. Weeks later, we finally met, and I asked about it. The answer changed how I work. 

My CIO wasn’t only protecting their time. They were protecting mine. They didn’t want me spending thirty minutes of my day without a clear sense of what I would get for it. 

That one decline taught me more than how to write an agenda. It showed me what a great boss does. They hold your priorities, your time, and your growth, often without you noticing.

See how many jobs Will’s boss was doing until I left the org chart →

You didn't just lose a boss when you went remote or independent. You lost an entire operating system, one person quietly running five jobs at once: setting your priorities, reviewing your work, advocating for your career, watching your energy, and enforcing your limits. Nobody handed you that job description. Most Allies are running one or two of these roles by instinct and leaving the rest vacant, which is exactly where the Gap gets in.

This tool lays out the five roles a decent manager actually performed, and gives you a fast, honest audit of which ones you've staffed and which ones are sitting empty.

Free thru Oct. ‘26 in The Exchange. Download The Org Chart of One →

✅ How To Be a Better Manager … Of Yourself. Turns out that a lot of bad managerial habits bubbled up to the surface when I became my own manager.

✅ How to Master Self-Management as a Freelancer (10 Proven Tips). You wanted to become a freelancer so you could be your own boss, right?

✅ How to stay motivated when you’re a team of one. Working solo can be lonely. These tips can help you stay energized.

Next week: The Body Kept Score Long Before "Burnout" Had a Name