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So you're a manager now

scottkosman.com

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Re: So you're a manager now

#71

Post by poisonborz »

MrGilbert wrote: post #62
MrGilbert wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agile Coach / Scrum Master chiming in - I switched from an engineering position to this more people-centric role, and completely agree with you. What I find fascinating about this is how predictable people become once you know the different personalities and their nuances. It helps tremendously to also be interested in getting to know people. And yes, you will encounter people that are disruptive. Usually, and I can…

Curious to know why my comment received a downvote / downvotes.

I didn't, but guess: a lot of happy-babbly words without much substance or stark opinion. What's the summary? "I love this job, there are challenges, but I can master it well". Well..ok, thanks?

Re: So you're a manager now

#72

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

cbm-vic-20 wrote: post #65

Bottom tier manager is the worst role in tech. * You are responsible for sticking to commitments that depend almost completely on other people sticking to theirs. * You're still on the hook for delivery, so if someone you assigned a subtask can't get that job done, you either have to pass it on to someone else (which often ends up harming the social dynamic of the team) or just do it yourself. Throwing an employee un…

> "You get to be the "executioner" when a RIF rolls through..."

The other fun bit about that from the worm's eye view is bottom tier managers who haven't really internalized that their direct reports also are very aware that they're stuck with the "executioner" role and, before/during/shortly after layoffs, frequently reach out with "Got a minute to talk?" with no additional explanation or context, giving their reports a mini panic attack every time.

Re: So you're a manager now

#73

Post by falcor84 »

Surac wrote: post #18

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

Try to run a company without any managers for a while and then come back here and tell us all about how productive it was.

Re: So you're a manager now

#74

Post by dogleash »

MrGilbert wrote: post #62
MrGilbert wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agile Coach / Scrum Master chiming in - I switched from an engineering position to this more people-centric role, and completely agree with you. What I find fascinating about this is how predictable people become once you know the different personalities and their nuances. It helps tremendously to also be interested in getting to know people. And yes, you will encounter people that are disruptive. Usually, and I can…

Curious to know why my comment received a downvote / downvotes.

I didn't downvote, but you started out sharing credentials that aren't management and then recounted standard platitudes about collaboration and some personal experience with zero transferable utility. And you posted that in response to a comment saying how difficult topics necessary to succeeding as a manager don't happen often on the internet. I understand why people would evaluate your contribution as detracting from the conversation at hand and downvote.

Re: So you're a manager now

#75

Post by conrs »

jghn wrote: post #38
xnx wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In today's corporate world, it can be difficult or impossible to fire people Really? In the US you can fire an employee for any reason at any time (aside from a few illegal reasons: union activity, racism, etc.).

> In the US you can fire an employee for any reason at any time On paper, yes. In practice, especially in a larger company? It's often a long journey that involves a lot of energy on the part of the manager. And then of course you may not get a backfill rec. So then one needs to ask themselves: is this person truly a net negative when compared to the energy that'd be required to jettison them *and* replace them with…

The trouble is this calculus is being done at the local level despite the mantle of responsibility of management; the manager decides it is not worth their personal effort to lose a low performer, because they will generate more work for themselves. Meanwhile, the company suffers the net negative impact of such a decision - arguably even worse for the manager's career.

That's the main challenge I have coaching management folks - now you have the option of doing work, and often you'll be tempted to take the path of least resistance, but that'll usually lead you astray.

Edited to add - sorry I missed your net negative comment - to touch on that, as it's another thing I see often.. Giving up on the org's ability to satisfy your needs is another toxic pattern for management - it is a lose/lose essentially. Management is often in a position of needing to push for the things it needs and advocate for the people relying on them.

Re: So you're a manager now

#76

Post by b3lvedere »

orthoxerox wrote: post #44
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...

Yes, and setting deadlines is an important aspect of it. If you don't like how close the deadline is, then it's even more important to communicate it to your IC. You might think that saying "I need this done by the end of Friday" will make your IC sad. No, what will make him or her sad is you coming for the deliverable on Friday when they have just started.

Lots of short deadlines make people very frustrated, because it feels the manager just violently yanked them out of their (comfortable) working zone. Nobody likes that and there better be some huge reward for this very annoying disturbance in the force.

Continously demand short deadlines of the team and they will not get frustrated anymore but very much deathly hate management. Rewards will not cut it. Ever. The line has been crossed and there is not much that will repair this.

Sure, the manager may just only get their assignment that things need to be done asap, but it is also their task not to transfer that frustration to the team. You would be amazed how much respect a manager can get if they just tell 'No' or negotiate a differebt deadline and honestly tells the team just that.

Re: So you're a manager now

#77

Post by quietbritishjim »

swader999 wrote: post #17
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.

Especially if you've said something verbally (including on a call or even async text like Slack), it's important to follow up with a written record, ideally email, so that they remember. Also so you have something to point back to if they don't do it.

Re: So you're a manager now

#78

Post by gherkinnn »

throwaway91743 wrote: post #57

This was a great read! Saving this to re-read in the future. One question I have though is what are you supposed to do if as a new manager you aren't allowed to... well, do your job? I haven't been able to find a lot of resources on what to do in such a situation. I'm a new engineering manager (~8 months in) and my boss isn't letting me hire full-time devs to replace consultants whenever they leave or their contracts…

Sounds like you're fucked.

In all seriousness, the trick is not to burn yourself trying to change things you have no control over. Maybe that's means letting the company burn.

Re: So you're a manager now

#79

Post by josh_carterPDX »

I agree with most of this except the overcommunicating part. If you're setting the right expectations, overcommunicating may be mistaken for micromanaging.

Managers are judged by outcomes, not by contribution. Good leaders know how to shield their team from the chaos above while shielding the managers above from the challenges of managing many different personalities. They are a conduit for collaboration and inspiration.

Bad leaders are chaos agents and are the main drivers of attrition and should be rooted out quickly. They are a poison pill.

Re: So you're a manager now

#80

Post by icedchai »

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…

Performance management is challenging and has been a problem with my previous managers. I point out that person X is not doing their job well, not reviewing PRs (stamping LGTM on everything after about 30 seconds), writing buggy code, writing zero tests, no updating existing tests, not responsive to communication, not receptive to feedback. "I'll talk to him." No change. Two months later, I have the same discussion.
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