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So you're a manager now

scottkosman.com

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Re: So you're a manager now

#11

Post by NalNezumi »

>Sometimes it means shielding your team from dumb shit.

I think this is a generally good advice, but can also be misused.

I liked my previous manager, he had a principle for that part. Shielding the team from those crap, especially paperwork stuff. The trouble was that I could see how it was grinding him down, and I knew I could help him with it (because this was Japan, he didn't speak Japanese, I do and language barrier create inefficiencies) but he refused. My manager before him (this time the opposite: Japanese but couldn't articulate himself on English so I took care of all the English team communication) did and it worked smoothly.

If you're a small team (in a startup) doubly so, since grasping the full context of your team & outside is not as big of a task.

Best is to at least be open if your team members are open to helping you with the trickling down bullshit.

Re: So you're a manager now

#12

Post by mewpmewp2 »

b3lvedere wrote: post #5

"Be Clear. Painfully Clear. You think you’re being obvious. You’re not. Spell out expectations. Over-communicate. Set goals in plain language." Lots of managers i had the pleasure of working with, missed this memo entirely...

This is a really tough one isn't it? On the other hand I personally don't like when leaders or managers are over communicating (contrasting to this article). Of course I never say it, so the author can claim that nobody has criticised managers for over communicating, but I do despise too frequent check ins, meetings that are going too long, people who talk for too long when I just want to get started already. Managers who repeat the same stuff, talk overly verbose, speak 5 paragraphs of something that could be a sentence, etc.

They are not bad people, but I do personally feel annoyed by it, and I do feel it drains me of energy and flow. I feel like there are too many 1 hour meetings that shouldn't have been there at all or could have summarized in 5 minutes.

Re: So you're a manager now

#13

Post by 2d8a875f-39a2-4 »

Nah, this lays out what everyone knows going in and leaves out what you really need to know as a newby.

Budget. Getting some for your team or at least for your priorities. Protecting what you get. Capex vs Opex.

Upward management. Translating messages upwards. Interpreting C suite decrees. Pacing and leading. Inducting new leadership before they fuck things up.

Retention. Keeping the people you need on your team. Cutting the people you don't. Compensation and promotions.

All of which is to say, Politics. How to not come out a loser at the game of thrones next time there is a merger, reorg, budget season, or just end of quarter.

Re: So you're a manager now

#14

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

The lack of communication one doesn't seem like it needs saying, but I've had managers who literally hid information from me, or would keep me out of meetings, on stuff I would eventually have to work on anyway. Don't be that guy. Spread information throughout the team and invite people to meetings even if they don't need to be there (clarifying that they're optional).

Also keep in mind that as a manager, you are a custodian of culture. What you do and don't do will shape your team's culture which will (in part) shape the whole company's culture. So think about how you can develop positive culture (and also, ask!).

Re: So you're a manager now

#15

Post by mewpmewp2 »

NalNezumi wrote: post #11

>Sometimes it means shielding your team from dumb shit. I think this is a generally good advice, but can also be misused. I liked my previous manager, he had a principle for that part. Shielding the team from those crap, especially paperwork stuff. The trouble was that I could see how it was grinding him down, and I knew I could help him with it (because this was Japan, he didn't speak Japanese, I do and language bar…

I also have a counterpoint to that: manager "shielding" has previously led me into this telephone game sort of thing where I have to guess if there is something going politically wrong or if the ask is actually honest and straightforward. If I exactly understood the politics, or the bs going on, I could give better solutions without tiptoeing around it.

Re: So you're a manager now

#17

Post by swader999 »

b3lvedere wrote: post #5

"Be Clear. Painfully Clear. You think you’re being obvious. You’re not. Spell out expectations. Over-communicate. Set goals in plain language." Lots of managers i had the pleasure of working with, missed this memo entirely...

Repetition is critical.

Re: So you're a manager now

#18

Post by Surac »

Now the dark side grows in you. Managers are the anchors in every company. They make sure nothing moves ever again. They are like a parasite sitting on the shoulder of thinking engineers. They get there money for nothing

Re: So you're a manager now

#19

Post by flashgordon »

Aurornis wrote: post #3

Some good advice. It’s missing one of the most difficult topics: Performance Management. Most first-time managers have already read a lot of advice about being humble, delegating, celebrating your team’s wins, and the other feel good topics. If you want to write internet advice that gets upvoted and shared you almost have to avoid the difficult conversation topics and assume that the team is full of perfect people th…

This is really nice. I've been doing this for quite a while (and also ping pong ic-em and back). Oh and I've also been "the" poor performer. A couple of observations:

1. Performance management is never easy and I don't think it should be. I don't mean the technique or process of it bit the mental weighing of it. You are affecting a person's livelihood so you don't want to approach it robotically always (despite what the hr training tells you about it not being personal etc)

2. This is a big one. Performance has a huge under rated aspect that is environmental and circumstantial. I've seen really strong performers drop and fail because of personal situations and not being able (or rather not given the space and bandwidth to recover organically). And similarly those with a poor perf in one company go to a supposedly "higher tier" company and really thrive and sky rocket.

Management is really a mixed bag. I loved the coaching, direction setting, strategy, etc but always having to sell opaque higher up decisions as your own and being an inverted $hit umbrella for leadership can be draining. I guess the solution is to just join executive leadership ha.

Re: So you're a manager now

#20

Post by mewpmewp2 »

2d8a875f-39a2-4 wrote: post #13

Nah, this lays out what everyone knows going in and leaves out what you really need to know as a newby. Budget. Getting some for your team or at least for your priorities. Protecting what you get. Capex vs Opex. Upward management. Translating messages upwards. Interpreting C suite decrees. Pacing and leading. Inducting new leadership before they fuck things up. Retention. Keeping the people you need on your team. Cut…

Yeah, handling stack ranking, calibrations, proving your team's worth, priorities, making sure your team gets work that is visible and highly rewarding, selling your team (did we make a mistake because our team is incompetent or because the project was that challenging), etc.
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