Inspiration for this document originated with this article. Expect a few inaccessible links within this document if you're not currently my coworker.
As a manager, it is my job to:
- Support and help develop high-functioning teams
- Set context, share expectations, and build trust
- Attract and retain world-class talent, adding to the diversity of perspectives represented in the team
I keep my calendar up-to-date, so please grab time in it as needed. Alternately, we do not always have to wait for a formal 1:1 to discuss something, and you are always welcome to reach out to me on Slack.
If I am unavailable I will update my calendar to reflect my status, and I ask that you do the same.
Meetings can easily take over our calendars if we let them. I'd like us to be deliberate about why and when we call them and what we do with that time. Here's how you can help me in this, and here are some more great tips.
The best way to reach me immediately is via Slack, which I have also enabled on my phone but which I have silenced overnight and occasionally on weekends unless I am on-call. (Personal and family time is important!) In the event that you need to reach me urgently by phone, my number is listed in our company directory.
Sometimes we will chat in-person, and sometimes we will need to rely on phone or video calls instead. (We are a part of a distributed team.) Let's find a communication form that we feel comfortable with.
When I am on-call I expect to remain near my phone and laptop, and I expect the same of you.
1:1 meetings are a dedicated, regular time for us to meet and discuss whatever you'd like. They are not intended to be status reports, unless that's the direction you'd like to take them. If you're uncertain what to discuss we could start with these questions (below) or this guide.
- Am I happy with my job?
- Do I like my team and my manager?
- Is this project I’m working on fulfilling?
- Am I learning?
- Am I respected?
- Am I growing?
- Do I feel fairly compensated?
- Is this company/team going anywhere?
- Do I believe in the vision?
- Do I trust the leaders?
You, and therefore our 1:1 times, are important to me. I will do my best to make sure these meetings are not rescheduled, but in the event that I do need to move them I will let you know why I made an update.
What you share with me during 1:1s is held in confidence but it is not confidential. This means that, while I will always do my best to keep feedback and our discussions anonymous, there may be rare times when I am required to share information with others (People Operations, for example). I will let you know when I would like to share with others something we have discussed.
I like to capture, at a high level, a bullet list of items we discuss in our 1:1s (excluding the more personal and/or sensitive topics). I like to record action items in a space where we can both see them, and I encourage you to do the same if you would like to keep a list of topics you want to discuss in our next meeting.
You are responsible for progressing in your career. My job is to help you find opportunities and challenges that stretch--without straining--you where and when appropriate, to allow for growth. (Note: "Growth" doesn't necessarily mean "promotion" unless you want it to.)
When it comes to measuring work performance, I believe in assessing outcomes instead of work quantity. I care about the quality of your work, and I will observe how you contribute to the team. Do you have a positive impact on this organization and those around you?
Furthermore, I will not measure your performance against other team members. We all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences, which is what makes us stronger as a team. Instead, I will measure your progress against your past self and ask, "Is this person learning and seeking to improve?" We all take different paths, and I want to be respectful of this.
Sometimes I have limited opportunities to directly observe you and your work, so in addition to my observations I will rely on peer feedback to evaluate your impact on your team and other teams within the company. Further, I encourage you to constantly give peer feedback whenever someone else's efforts have positively impacted you.
I believe in leaving a thing better than it was when I found it, and I will encourage you to do the same. How are you contributing not only to your team, but also to our department and the company as a whole? Perhaps you'll retire from this company, and perhaps you'll retire from another company; for the time that you're in your current role, I expect you to be working to improve yourself and our team. If you have reached the end of what you can or want to do in this role or with this company, let's talk about it. (I have been there, a few times! I will support you however I can.)
I actively work to build rapport with all members of an organization, both in our department and in others. This is critical to my, and our, success, and I do generally enjoy it. I encourage you to do the same as much as possible (even if you're just seeking out opportunities to listen within your team!), because building strong relationships is critical to understanding the problems we solve as a team, why we're solving these particular problems, and how we can best work together.
I value and take feedback very seriously, and I expect that you will treat it with the same care. I believe open, candid feedback is critical for the success and growth of our team and of myself. If you have something you would like to share about myself, a peer, a product, our department, or the company, please feel free to do so. I believe you should feel safe giving feedback, and I will not punish someone for giving it. I prefer to receive feedback directly, but if you do not feel safe providing it directly please feel free to reach out to one of my peers or my manager for help.
If you are unsure what to say but you want to share feedback, you can also consider using the start/stop/continue format to refine your thoughts. (What should I start doing? What should I stop doing? What should I continue doing?)
I believe nondescript praise can be dangerous, and instead we should strive to provide feedback that is specific and constructive. I will strive to always do this for you.
I highly value honesty and integrity.
I value self-organizing teams. As such, I expect contributors to take responsibility for their own work.
I think managers should be servant leaders, rather than bosses who command and control. Just as you should expect this of me, I also expect this of the people to whom I report.
I believe we should hold one another accountable and have one another's backs, expecting excellence.
I believe we should assume positive intent. (When I'm stressed this is a weak spot of mine! Please help keep me on track when you see me slipping here.)
I believe we should be willing to respectfully question decisions instead of making assumptions or just following along.
I believe we should always continue learning and thinking about our place within the organization and within the world.
I believe people are more important than process, but I am a big fan of process that works for the people involved. (Was that confusing enough?)
Provide context. A significant amount of my time at work is spent in meetings, filtering and sharing information from different areas within the company. I aim to be as transparent as possible when sharing this information, without overwhelming you with it.
Celebrate! It's my job to take hits for the team and to celebrate you when things go well. If you are not comfortable self-promoting and you'd like to get the word out about something, let me know. I want to see you do well and receive recognition for your work, and helping you get proper visibility for the hard work you do is my favorite part of my job!
Provide coverage. I can run interference if you need help focusing. If you need support for an uncomfortable situation, I can help you.
Supply an outside perspective. I don't write code day-to-day, but I have worked as a software quality engineer and I will be close to the projects you work on, to help provide informed opinions or share my thoughts. Please feel free to use me as a sounding board for your ideas.
Show up. This doesn't mean "sit in your seat 8-5 Monday through Friday". This means, "be predictable and accountable" and be a reliable teammate to your peers. Sometimes events outside our control interfere with our schedules, but when you can plan ahead, please let us know by keeping your calendar current. As an extension of this, I ask that you make your calendar public (but I invite you to mark meetings and appointments "private" as needed).
Do amazing work and show ownership. I believe we're operating at our best when we show ownership, follow through, and take pride in the quality and impact of our work. If something prevents you from doing work that you are proud of, I want to know.
Disagree when you need to. Healthy debate is essential to getting to the best solutions. Don't be afraid to debate with me. Egos, mine included, have no place on the team. When I challenge your ideas it's in the spirit of making sure we arrive at the best possible solution, and I encourage you to challenge me the same way.
Tell me when I messed up. I'm human, and I make lots of mistakes! Sometimes I don't know that I messed up, so when I do please let me know.
Ask questions and be curious. If you want to know something, just ask. In a group setting this has the added benefit of encouraging others who are not naturally outspoken to feel more comfortable asking questions, as well.
I'm an ambivert who leans toward introversion, but please don't confuse my occasional quietness with a lack of interest or engagement. I'm an internal thinker who is often quiet in large group settings or brainstorming sessions and who prefers to follow up directly when I have something I believe adds value to the conversation.
I appreciate a good opportunity to laugh at something, even if that something is myself.
If you also find this type of thing interesting (or at least to be a good conversation starter), you might like to know that I've been identified as an ISTJ, an Analyzing Implementor, and a Coordinating Observer.
I am fascinated and motivated by visions of the future and what could be. When the present is too frustrating, I conjure images of what the future might be like. My Deliberative top strength helps to balance this one by keeping me from wandering too far away from the present reality.
I love to learn. I thrive in dynamic work environments where I'm expected to learn a lot in a short period of time. This doesn't mean I seek to become a subject matter expert. I want to continuously improve myself, and I am thrilled when I get a chance to dive into a new topic then reflect later on what I learned.
I am logical and disciplined, insisting that others' ideas be sound and demanding that they prove things to me. I pride myself on my ability to find patterns, analyze data, and research, and I often find comfort in this.
I am inquisitive, and I collect information that I find interesting. I'm very interested in the variety and complexity of things around me, and I like to store away what I learn and experience. I take a lot of notes, I keep lists of the books I like, and I bookmark a lot of Web pages for later reference.
I am careful, vigilant, and private, and I know that the world is unpredictable. I draw risks out in the open in order to assess them, and I am typically not very effusive. This top strength works to balance my Futuristic top strength.
Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet
Your Team is Not "Them" by Sarah Drasner