edwardgeorge / readme

Your Manager, Ed: A Guide

Why have I written this?

If we're just starting to work together this document should hopefully give you a little head start on getting to know me and how I work.

There's a lot of stuff that I try to practice on a daily basis. I've set some of those values here in this document to provide a small blueprint for what having Ed as your manager should be like.

In part this helps me as it's easy to forget what I believe makes a good manager when in the middle of the daily grind--I'm only human--but also so that you feel you can hold me to account when I fall short. In setting these values out in writing I hope that it makes you feel safer when giving me feedback and telling me I'm getting it wrong.

First things first: Need to talk about something?

Most importantly, I'm here to support you. If you need to chat about anything I'm happy to be interrupted. Really! If people feel safe in being able to approach me with whatever is bothering them then I see that as a sign that I'm one or two things right.

If you can see me at my desk or idling the office, regardless of any time I may have blocked out in my calendar, then I promise you I'm open to being interrupted. If you can't see me then send me and email or message me in Slack. Also feel free to put something in my calendar if it's clear, you don't need to ask first. I will have scheduled regular 1-to-1s with you but they don't always fall on exactly the day that you most want to talk, so don't feel you need to wait until the next scheduled 1-to-1.

Feeling frustrated? Bored? Felt I didn't listen adequately to a suggestion you had in a meeting? Didn't enjoy a particular piece of peer review you got? Want to vent about whatever is that you've got on your mind or just want to run some idle thoughts by someone? Let's talk! I promise that I will try to foster an open and honest relationship between us.

How I see my role

This is a common trope in Manager READMEs but it really is worth repeating: My role is all about you!

I'm here to make you feel safe, to provide what you need to do your work and develop your strengths and to get rid of all the stuff that ruins your day!

I'm here to be a cheerleader for your work. To ensure there's a little friction as possible and as much context as possible.

I'm here to make sure you don't get confused about decisions that seem ad-hoc, to remove conflict, and make your success seem tangible and achievable.

If I'm failing at any of the above then tell me!

Process

Whether we're doing Scrum, Kanban, standups, retrospectives; Whether we're using DRI, acceptance criteria, pair programming; Whether we have note-takers or observers in meetings; We're going to have processes.

Some people see the P-word as an impediment to getting things done. For me the P-word is People and "process" is all about the communication. It's the glue between the people. I believe process is there to help all of us, as a team, to communicate more effectively, to self-organise, to feel safe, and to feel like the sky isn't falling down around us.

And for me, the most important piece of process that I have in my arsenal as a manager is...

1-to-1s

I will schedule regular 1-to-1s with you either weekly or fortnightly, but never less frequently. These are for you. These are to give you a chance to talk about whatever you want to talk about. I want you to feel safe in being able to use these sessions for anything that you need.

We'll use these sessions to explore our expectations of each other, and our personal goals and challenges within the company. We'll also use these to figure out how we can tailor your career journey and build upon your strengths.

Don't be afraid of repeating yourself or talking about something you think is irrelevant or small, I promise you i'll listen. I may also pick your brains on any problems that are bothering me, it should be a dialogue after all!

It's my personal rule never to postpone a scheduled 1-to-1 unless it's out of my control. I understand that sometimes you may just want to keep your head-down and carry on working so if you feel like postponing regularly then talk to me about re-scheduling at a different time or cadence which is less disruptive for you.

Feedback (is a gift)

Most important for my own personal development is your feedback. I'm still developing in my own role and there's much I can learn from you as well as much that I will get wrong. I want to hear your feedback and I promise that I will listen with empathy and without argument.

And in the event that you find yourself with a mental block when it comes to feedback, here's a selection of the questions Google ask about managers to help get you started:

• My manager gives me actionable feedback that helps me improve my performance.
• My manager does not “micromanage” (i.e., get involved in details that should be handled at other levels).
• My manager shows consideration for me as a person.
• The actions of my manager show that he/she values the perspective I bring to the team, even if it is different from his/her own.
• My manager keeps the team focused on our priority results/deliverables.
• My manager regularly shares relevant information from his/her manager and senior leaders.
• My manager has had a meaningful discussion with me about career development in the past six months.
• My manager communicates clear goals for our team.
• My manager has the technical expertise required to effectively manage me.
• I would recommend my manager to others
• I am satisfied with my manager’s overall performance as a manager.

Troubleshooting

I can be grumpy in the mornings sometimes. I apologise for this in advance. A coffee usually helps. If you're a coffee drinker too then let's grab one together. I usually start the day with a freshly brewed V60 filter coffee and whenever I visit another city I always bring back beans from the local roastery.

Sometimes I can be overly terse. There are people who talk a lot and then there's me. My natural inclination is not to overload with words or patronise and allow people to ask if something wasn't clear but I can sometimes be a little too sparing with detail. A commonly held maxim for managers is "say everything twice" but this doesn't necessarily help if i've not given you all the information you need the first time. Let me know if something is not clear, or if I've not explained something in enough detail.

I promise that I will always try to be clear in my expectations or instructions to you however particularly when doing Code Reviews I will tend to ask questions rather than dictate. I want to explore the decisions, tease out the motivations, and see if we both arrive at the same conclusions to my initial gut feeling. I've had feedback in the past that some people don't like this and prefer to have explicit comments so do let me know. On the topic of Code Reviews, this is a great blog post: http://www.alexandra-hill.com/2018/06/25/the-art-of-giving-and-receiving-code-reviews/

My favourite baked good? Do almond croissants count?