Welcome! This is a guide that helps you understand me, as a manager better. This guide covers several aspects of what someone reporting to me can expect but also what I will expect from them. The intended audience is someone that reports directly to me. Hopefully anyone that interacts with me on a professional basis can also benefit from this guide. Please feel free to give me feedback or make any suggestions.
This guide is only a starting point. It is not meant to replace actually getting to know each other.
I like getting things done and doing them well. This applies to both work and life. I hold myself to a really high standard and I also hold everyone in my life to a similar standard. This will include you. If you feel the expectation is unreasonable please tell me. Hopefully this is something that we can work on together and it will be for the betterment of both of us.
I love exercise and a lot of it. Kayaking, kayak fishing, calisthenics, crossfit and trail running are the things that I spend my spare time on. I have always tried to maintain a good work life balance and I will make sure that you can maintain the same.
I am not very serious, you can expect a lot jokes and fun. This will not be to the detriment of our work. I am a social person and I am energised by interacting with people.
My top 5 CliftonStrenghts are:
As an Engineering Lead it is my job to:
- Manage and build teams that own their independently, have autonomy and enjoy what they do.
- Recruit great talent.
- Make sure teams are aligned with the business priorities.
- Provide context and make sure teams understand why they are doing something.
- Provide care and growth to each individual that reports to me.
If I fail at any of these or not do them well please tell me. This includes anything that I do or do not do that affects you directly in a negative way. In order for this relationship to work we need to be honest with each other an give each other feedback.
I work facing my teams with my back to business. This means that my teams are my main focus. I do have a responsibility to business but I will make sure it is not to the detriment of my teams or you as an individual. My success is measured by the success of my teams. My job is to support the team and you as an individual.
If you need help I will always make time to assist. I have a lot of meetings. I might not always be available but please reach out to me and I will make time for you.
We hired you for you expertise and skills. I expect you to apply that expertise and skills on a daily basis but also share it with your team. I do not like micro managing and believe that teams and individuals should be encouraged and enabled to own their own destiny. I should not be a dependency for you to do your job well. This does not mean that you are alone. I am here to provide you guidance and mentorship to get better at what you do. I will hold you accountable for your work and your actions. Mistakes will happen and that's ok. Own your mistakes and learn from it.
I will schedule a 45 minute 1on1 every 2 weeks. There will be times where this is just a personal check-in to see how you are doing outside of work.
These sessions are about you. You can decide what we talk about. There will always be items on my list to discuss but I want you to drive the agenda. This is not a work update meeting. We can talk about things that went well or things that you are struggling with both personally and professionaly. If there is feedback that I haven't given you yet, I will give it to you during these sessions. I expect the same from you.
I will make sure that you receive honest and actionable feedback on a consistent basis. There should be no surpises regarding your performance when we do a KPI review. If you are then we need to fix that. I try and give praise when it's due. If you feel that you are only receiving negative feedback, tell me.
Feedback goes both ways. I will give you feedback but I also expect you to give me honest and direct feedback. I need to know when I am doing something that negatively affects you, the team or the company.
- I think while I talk. I know that a lot of people need time to think and process. If that is you please communicate that to me.
- I generally move through things quickly. If I need to slow down, please tell me.
- When things go wrong and there are system issues I go in to fixing mode. There is a good chance that I will forget about the people and focus on fixing the problem. If you experience this behaviour regularly, please tell me.