manager - README

The purpose of this overview is to provide some insight into who I am, how I lead, and what I expect from myself and those that are on the team. The hope is that this helps us set the foundation for a mutually successful partnership that we can feel proud of!

Why I'm here.

I’m here to help and support you, to set context for what you’re working on, help build things, hold you accountable to your goals, and to advocate for you and the team with the rest of the company. You will never hear me refer to you as a 'resource' that works for ME. You work for the company, not me or any other manager (except maybe the CEO). So, optimize for the company, and if I'm making you feel otherwise, let me know ASAP.

Be a professional.

• HIGH AUTONOMY. My default mode is to let you handle your work without much guidance or direction from me. If that makes you uncomfortable, let me know and we can work something out.
• You’re here because of your experience and your skills and I don’t want to override either of those. I’m here to help you succeed but not dictate how you should act or make decisions.
• If I think you’re headed down the wrong path, I’ll definitely try to dissuade you, but disagreeing with my input does not indicate that you’re doing something wrong.
• If I do something that feels more like telling you how to do your job than setting context or helping you work through a problem, then please tell me. Because I'm wrong.
• My scope of responsibility does not enclose your scope of responsibility.
• You are a professional so act like one.

Servant Leadership is important to me.

The principles of servant leadership guide how I (attempt to) lead, manage, and interact with others. Understand the principles and hold me accountable to them on a daily basis.

Personality Quirks

• I can be hard to read.
  • This is not intentional.
  • A non-response means I do not have a response (and also no judgement).
  • If you are unsure what I’m thinking, just ask.
• I look more serious than I really am.
  • My God given face looks very serious and intense. I'm sorry about that.
  • I walk fast in the hallways, and because of my face I may look intimidating, but I'm really not! Trust me!

Software development - it's not (all) about the process

I believe in putting people over process and changing process to accommodate the needs and goals of the team. 'Best Practices' are great, until they don't match the needs of the team. If the needs of the team are at odds with the standard then let's agree to change the standard. The process should support the team, not the other way around. Here are some things I value:

• Transparency about what’s happened, what’s happening, and what’s going to happen.
• Steady execution and incremental results over haphazard speed.
• Learning. I know that training up on a tech stack may not always be the fastest route to production, but it's still important.
• Your time. I do not want to impose any process that is neither beneficial to you nor required by law, policy, etc.

Team and Collaboration.

• There are no heroes. We are in this together and therefore successes and failures are for all of us to share.
• It's not about being right. Winning an argument or being able to say 'I told you so' should not be goals or a point of pride.
• Gaining consensus, agreement, and input from your teammates is paramount and expected.
• Kindness, humility, and solid character are not optional. Check your ego at the door so that we can do something great together.

An open and honest feedback loop is expected.

My job is to ensure that you give and receive feedback. In situations where anonymous feedback is suggested, you’ll probably hear me suggesting that you provide direct feedback instead, though anonymous feedback is better than providing none. I’m dedicated to giving you clear and timely feedback and hope that you’ll give me the same. I believe that feedback requires three attributes (in addition to being kind):

• Safety (you should feel safe to give and receive candid feedback)
• Effort (neither you nor I should feel defensive about the feedback)
• Benefit (giving/receiving feedback should have impact)

I go home when the day is done, and you should too.

Most people work between the hours of 7am and 5pm, and unless there’s an emergency, I don’t expect to communicate with you outside of these hours. I will rarely (work in progress) respond to e-mails, or chats (Microsoft Teams, Slack) off-hours and I don't expect you to, unless it’s an emergency or 'significant event' (which will be made clear). That said, I'm always available via phone or text should something come up.

I value work/life balance and flexibility.

I am busy outside of work, and so are you. Sometimes your professional life requires some flexibility in order for your real life to be successful. Trust me, I get it. However, the following are still important:

• A predictable work schedule that your teammates know and understand. Everyone should know when you will be available.
• If you need to go, go, but be sure to let someone know.
• When working remote you should be just as available as when you are in the office. Email, Microsoft Teams, Slack, WebEx, or phone!

1:1 meetings.

Consistently impactful 1:1 meetings are very important to me as a Manager and employee. The agenda for the meeting is not mine to own, it's on you! If you want to talk project status, let's do it, but hopefully that's not the norm. If there are things that I want to ask you, I'll ask, but this is your time. If we want to talk goals and discuss feedback, let's do it. To quote Ben Horowitz:

“The key to a good one-on-one meeting is the understanding that it is the employee’s meeting rather than the manager’s meeting. This is the free-form meeting for all the pressing issues, brilliant ideas and chronic frustrations that do not fit neatly into status reports, email and other less personal and intimate mechanisms.”

I'll generally lead the meeting with the simple question: What would you like to talk about? From there, it's up to you. If we need conversation starters then here are few questions to lead with:

• What’s going well?
• What’s bugging you?
• What’s not fun about working here?
• What’s the No. 1 problem with our organization? Why?
• What are we not doing that we should be doing?

No question or topic is off-limits. If I talk too much, tell me.

At a minimum, we'll meet for 30 minutes per week, but this can vary based on your needs. Let's make this time valuable to both of us.

P.S. If you want to talk at anytime, let's talk. Few things I do here are more important than that.

Other things I value a lot.

Here are some things that may or may not have been mentioned explictly that are really important to me. I may add to this list, but likely never remove.

• Candor
• Humility
• Kindness
• Professionalism
• Consistency
• Respect for others