Ask HN: Going from Developer to Manager. What should I know or learn?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tyranny_of_Structurelessne...

What I did was just googled architect fonts and downloaded a bunch of examples then used a field notes pocket dot journal[0] to practice.

I would just try to copy a font exactly, then do drills on problem letters. I probably drilled on four fonts I found that I liked. Focusing on accuracy monospacing and staying in the grid. A big thing I learned was that it was ok to slow down, it gives me more time to think about the thing, the clarity of the lettering seems to reflect the clarity of the idea. I think previous attempts to improve my handwriting had failed because I wanted to write as fast as I type. It's a different thing obviously, but I didn't really realize the benefits the slower pace has for processing things and concept recall.

I also bought some drafting tools. Angle rulers, protractor, etc. I decided to overdo a couple network layout projects and work on it in that context. The end product was so nice that I laminated a bunch and gave them to people and they’ve been a great reference!

Oh, there is also a tool called an architectural lettering guide[1] that can be helpful.

It took about three weeks to really kick in. Now I’ve got my own style and it changes a bit still and I experiment, but the core just adds to the rote process of the daily exercise. I can see by looking through the journal if I'm not fully on my game by how much drift there is.

I would probably drill for 10-20 minutes a day for the first week. After that, it was just here and there if I noticed something just wasn't working. Like when I decided Ps and Ys got flourishes, but only in some context. Also changing anything usually meant other letters would start regressing to my scrawl. It's weird how related the patterns are in your head.

Another thing that helped me was finding a pencil I liked. I ended up with a super fat 5.6mm HB firm lead on a woodworkers pencil[2]. It sharpens to a fine point and holds it forever and never breaks. Always using the same tool is really important to me now. I had to go through a bunch of stuff until I found a pencil I didn’t hate. It might not be the right one for you. I love them though and buy extras and hand them out to anyone that likes to write. My polling seems to agree that they are dope.

Here is a pretty good blog[3].

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Set-Dotted-Notebook-Travel-Journal/dp...

[1] https://www.dickblick.com/products/alvin-ames-lettering-guid...

[1] https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodcraft-woodworkers-pen...

[2] https://www.google.com/amp/s/artdepartmental.com/2009/10/12/...

Never assume your manager peers will do you a favor for free. No good deed will go unpunished.

If your role will include hiring and firing people on your team, start having regular 1:1's with your direct reports. Make it clear 1:1 time is for your direct reports to talk to you about whatever they want, and for you to listen. Not your time talk about their tasks.

If you have to give critical feedback, give it sooner, rather than wait for a 1:1. The absolute worst time to provide feedback is during a performance review.

For folks who struggle, make sure the performance bar is clearly defined for them and let them know you are there to help them, but it's their responsibility to meet that bar.

Develop your team. You'll have your all-stars, your role-players, and your under performers. A majority of your time naturally goes towards your best and worst people. Your goal is to move everyone on your team to the all-star category. That means not short-changing time with the people who are performing.

When you get promoted to the next level (managing managers) you'll be glad you can tap that bench of all-stars to take on additional responsibilities allowing you to take on bigger challenges.

Under performance is typically a motivation issue or a communication issue. Make sure you are doing your part to address your deficiencies in each (trust me).

Learn to delegate, but not just the crappy work.

People leave companies because of bad managers. Remember that. No matter how great of a manager you think you are, someone will ultimately lump you in as a bad manager.

It's easy to deal with under performers if they also have personality clashes. Dealing with under performers who you personally enjoy working with is a lot harder. I have no advice on how to deal with this. Firing people you have a personal connection with is tough, and it comes with the job.

Communicate often. My rule was no company news hit my team through the rumor mill before I got a chance to speak to them. The moment I had news I could share, I would share it.

Here is the top tip I can tell you to engender loyalty: talk to your team about promotions and career growth. Rarely ever do managers talk to their teams about career growth. Take an interest in the individuals on your team, and it will pay off immensely.

Source: My experience having built the 5 top performing software engineering teams at my last company.

So the question became, who do we send the car to. There was a young guy down the street. He was taking apart cars and putting them back together again. His friends were all into racing and while he had previously worked at a dealership, he quit to live the dream of repairing racing cars. Of course he was broke. I told my wife to wander over and see if he wouldn't mind looking after our car. Great mechanic and saved us thousands compared to what the swindlers were doing. Previously the car was breaking down all the time. After we switched it never had a problem. When we replaced our car recently, we gave him our old car as a thank you. Good mechanics are worth keeping happy :-)

It's not really a science for finding people who are good at what they do. There is not a thing that you can pinpoint and say, "That person is definitely good and that person is not". But I think if you start with the proxy of, "That person loves what they do and sacrifices a lot in order to do it", I think you are more likely to find someone good. Not 100%, but you've got a much better shot at it.

Edit: I misinterpreted your post and assumed you meant that you were looking for a good lieutenant to help you. I need more sleep! But either way, work at being that good mechanic in the same way -- love what you do and work hard at it. You'll definitely make progress, so don't worry about it.