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  • On the television show "The Good Place," Kristen Bell's character Eleanor has been forced into a sudden management position.
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  • For Eleanor, the celestial stakes as a manager are pretty high - and when new issues come up, she finds herself doubting her role and leadership.
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  • While Earth-bound managers don't have stakes as high as Eleanor, there's still a lot to learn from her situation. She recognizes that her new position is hard, seeks out a mentor, and asks her boss why he decided she was the right fit for her position.
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Caution: This article contains spoilers for "The Good Place." If you aren't up to date, go binge watch and come back.

At the end of season three, Michael (Ted Danson) had a meltdown that forced Eleanor (Kristen Bell) into the lead role as the neighborhood's architect. It was an on-the-spot promotion that she didn't ask for. She was, however, the best choice for the job.

And in the beginning, things are going well. Eleanor is confident. She's got a great staff. Michael is functioning again and can mentor her. Janet still knows everything.

Then the problems start, and they are different than the issues she faced in her previous role. And suddenly, her team members - who were so supportive when she was the unofficial team lead - are now angry and frustrated with her failed leadership.

Note what she said: "I did a bad job of being in charge of my own life, and now I'm supposed to be in charge of everyone else's life?"

While the stakes are much higher for Eleanor than they are for managers - seriously, the whole world will not end up in Hell if you make mistakes - it can feel that way. Suddenly, the pressure is more significant, the consequences are greater, and even though you were so sure of yourself in your previous role, the current one can seem overwhelming.

This is what being a new manager is like. And while the fate of humanity doesn't rest on your shoulders, you can learn a lot from Eleanor and Michaell in this scenario. Here's what you can learn.

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