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Manager's Handbook (2020)

themanagershandbook.com

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Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#51

Post by civilized »

rebeccaskinner wrote: post #37

I really dislike the idea that people should be required to have their cameras on for all meetings. I think for people who rarely see one another in person, it can be good to try to encourage people to be on video occasionally, but when and how often should really be left up to the individual. As a manager, I make it a point to try to turn my own video on most of the time, but I'd never ask someone to turn their came…

A decent, humane manager.

At my company, all the ICs I respect have camera off meetings. Only managers, obnoxious ladder climbers, and outside consultants are constantly pushing face time.

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#52

Post by civilized »

ericb wrote: post #42

> The first time someone doesn’t meet an agreement, you point it out to them immediately. If they apologize, you respond that apologies are not needed, and all that is required is that they only make agreements that they can commit to and that they meet all the agreements they make. If the person continues to fail at these, there is only one consequence that makes sense: they can no longer be part of the company.” Th…

> If they apologize, you respond that apologies are not needed, and all that is required is that they only make agreements that they can commit to and that they meet all the agreements they make. If the person continues to fail at these, there is only one consequence that makes sense: they can no longer be part of the company.”

Ugh. "Your apology is irrelevant. Just never make this mistake or we will fire you."

Strongly dislike this quietly, creepily hostile communication style.

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#53

Post by side_up_down »

civilized wrote: post #51
rebeccaskinner wrote: post #37

I really dislike the idea that people should be required to have their cameras on for all meetings. I think for people who rarely see one another in person, it can be good to try to encourage people to be on video occasionally, but when and how often should really be left up to the individual. As a manager, I make it a point to try to turn my own video on most of the time, but I'd never ask someone to turn their came…

A decent, humane manager. At my company, all the ICs I respect have camera off meetings. Only managers, obnoxious ladder climbers, and outside consultants are constantly pushing face time.

It sounds like there's some other cultural problems at your company :)

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#54

Post by ericb »

twayt wrote: post #46
jackblemming wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right? And why point it out immediately the first time? Everyone messes up occasionally. No need to be habitually breathing down their neck. Rebuking an apology just makes you sound like an asshole.

This works as intended to alienate people who can’t keep the commitments they make. Both by actively eliminating them and passively making it a painful place for them to work. The people who can keep commitments they make would enjoy working there. I’m sure once they’ve developed a track record of keeping the commitments they make, it won’t be as draconian as it seems. However this disincentivizes the often productiv…

Only management sufficiently divorced from reality can forget that "reality has a surprising amount of detail"

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital...

> suggests that half of all large IT projects—defined as those with initial price tags exceeding $15 million—massively blow their budgets. On average, large IT projects run 45 percent over budget and 7 percent over time, while delivering 56 percent less value than predicted. Software projects run the highest risk of cost and schedule overruns.

So, either this clearbit management magic makes all the normal scaling and estimation problems go away magically, or it is a really toxic management approach.

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#55

Post by civilized »

side_up_down wrote: post #53
civilized wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A decent, humane manager. At my company, all the ICs I respect have camera off meetings. Only managers, obnoxious ladder climbers, and outside consultants are constantly pushing face time.

It sounds like there's some other cultural problems at your company :)

Not with the people having the camera off meetings!

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#56

Post by jimbob45 »

rebeccaskinner wrote: post #37

I really dislike the idea that people should be required to have their cameras on for all meetings. I think for people who rarely see one another in person, it can be good to try to encourage people to be on video occasionally, but when and how often should really be left up to the individual. As a manager, I make it a point to try to turn my own video on most of the time, but I'd never ask someone to turn their came…

An okay compromise might be: cameras on for the first ten minutes, then it’s your choice.

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#57

Post by civilized »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #19
dominotw wrote: post #3

Being a manager in modern day means you have to accept being a devious person to a certain degree. You are in the middle of managing two conflicting goals of company and the employee. Each wants to extract as much as possible from the other. Promotions for example are always based on nebulous criteria that are often made up on the fly. Yea there are career ladders and stuff but those are totally ignored for all pract…

> Promotions for example are always based on nebulous criteria that are often made up on the fly. I think you’ve worked at some very toxic work environments, but it’s a mistake to suggest that your experience is the norm. It’s funny to read HN comments about how all managers are terrible, devious people who are only out to abuse employees. Most of us managers started out as ICs. Do you really think we surrender our h…

> No, most of us enter management because we really like working with people and like helping people succeed.

A lot of people who go into management are just ladder climbers at companies where management means more money, status, and power. They aren't particularly interested in or good at the actual job.

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#58

Post by civilized »

thenerdhead wrote: post #11

I went through half of it. I think it has promise, but not really sure I would call it a handbook. Some things are just strange to me: > A senior employee comes to you with a competitive offer in hand, asking for a promotion. You investigate the situation and decide that, since you really don’t want to lose this employee, you will cave and give them a promotion. > You have just created a strong incentive for politica…

What is "politics"? Anything the local workplace dictator doesn't like?

The camera thing is very HIPPO (highest paid person's opinion). We don't need explanations of the pros and cons of different policies so that people can make their own choices. We're lowly, dumb, lazy employees! We need to be ordered around!

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#59

Post by kjs3 »

rebeccaskinner wrote: post #37

I really dislike the idea that people should be required to have their cameras on for all meetings. I think for people who rarely see one another in person, it can be good to try to encourage people to be on video occasionally, but when and how often should really be left up to the individual. As a manager, I make it a point to try to turn my own video on most of the time, but I'd never ask someone to turn their came…

Sample set of 1, but my (large) company has been something like 20% work-from-home long before Covid threw a turd in the punchbowl. We're still something like 50% WFH. It seems like the sales and other customer facing teams do more live video in their con-calls (I'm asked to sit in occasionally), but in most of IT maybe 1 in 20 people have their camera on during meetings, and in my area virtually noone has it on. Hasn't impacted our ability to get things done at all.

Re: Manager's Handbook (2020)

#60

Post by [deleted] »

ericb wrote: post #42

> The first time someone doesn’t meet an agreement, you point it out to them immediately. If they apologize, you respond that apologies are not needed, and all that is required is that they only make agreements that they can commit to and that they meet all the agreements they make. If the person continues to fail at these, there is only one consequence that makes sense: they can no longer be part of the company.” Th…

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