The step up from employee to supervisor has always been a big one. Taking on new assignments, getting work done through others, shifting from being a buddy to a boss—any one of these transitions is a handful. Together, they can be overwhelming, as any novice supervisor—or firsttime manager, for that matter—can tell you. In the past, new supervisors had some time during their first weeks and months on the job to pick up what they needed to know. There were people around—managers, other supervisors—who could show them the ropes, and even step in to help when the going got tough. That was then. Today it’s a new world.