Managers are responsible for results and retention1. There is a tendency to focus on the former, and this is often how they are judged in the short run. However, the former is not sustainably possible without the latter. A manager accomplishes both by growing and coordinating their team. Additionally managers must possess a handful of specific skills and perform a series of regular activities. The best managers are those known for their powers of persuasion, negotiation, good-will, and large reservoirs of trust2.
Management Skills
Time Management
- Defending your calendar: block out time for “real” work so that you are not perpetually in meetings3.
- Calendar Tips
Asking for things
Managing people besides your direct reports
Contractors
Resource for Learning Management
- Management Training
- Books
- High Output Management
- Armonstrong’s Handbook for Human Resource Management Practice
Anti-patterns
Predictors of failure for managers include4:
- Lacking self awareness which leads to defensiveness in response to feedback or poor delegation skills
- Lack of team empathy for manager (empathy is a one way street)
- Unproductive manager-employee relationships (meetings are ad hoc, lack ownership, focused on output rather than behavior, and do not include other team members)
- IC behavior does not align goals
References
1.
Horstman, M. & Auzenne, M. Results and Retention. at https://www.manager-tools.com/2015/06/results-and-retention-part-1-hall-fame-guidance.
2.
DeMarco, T. Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency. (Currency, New York; London, 2002).
3.
Gamon, T. What I Learnt Becoming a Tech Lead Tom Gamon. at https://tomgamon.com/posts/things-i-have-learned-new-tech-lead/ (2021).
4.
Shepp, J., Das, A., Bretas, V. & Basu, S. 4 Reasons Why Managers Fail. Harvard business review at https://hbr.org/2024/04/4-reasons-why-managers-fail?ab=HP-latest-image-2 (2024).