A Guide for First-Time Managers
To me, managing well means leading well. Putting together a team of uber-talented people is one thing, managing them properly so they can do their best work is another.
To be a good manager-leader, you have to:
Be empathetic and an advocate for your team
Provide guidance and lead by example
Give feedback often - the good, the bad, the ugly
Listen and unblock your team as much as you can
Empathy and advocacy: you have to be the biggest advocate for your team. Listen to their concerns, find out what their blockers are, unblock them as much as possible and and carry their concerns up the organisational chart. Advocacy can also mean looking out for growth opportunities within the company for your direct reports.
Your job as a manager is also to be an advocate of the company to the employee and advance the company's mission, goals and objectives. Before you ask for more perks for your team, for example, be sure you understand and sympathise with the larger economic realities the company and its co-founders are navigating.
If the company were to double spend on perks and benefits for your team members, would it be able to sustain this expense long-term with the funds at its disposal or would the company bleed out in a few months?
Advocating for the company and your team do not have to be mutually exclusive and, I believe, can actually be done well together.
Listening and unblocking: If your direct report is having a hard time getting work done, as their manager you have to ask why, listen and figure out how best to help and unblock them.
Guidance and leadership: Your direct reports look to you for guidance at work. It's hardly ever in what you say they should do but more in what they see you do.
To be an effective manager-leader, you have to lead by example. If you're setting goals and targets for your team but falling behind on yours with no explanation or accountability to them, it's demotivating and difficult for your direct report to do their job well.
Setting goals, KPIs and OKRs: Everyone has a part to play to make sure your company is the best version of itself it can be. It's not the founders' job alone. You want a scenario where your team's engaged, building and not pushing pens at the office.
Having objectives as a team and as individuals help foster a sense of belonging. You should develop specific, measurable, relevant, time-based goals for your team and have check-in conversations weekly.
Feedback: Listening and providing feedback are crucial to managing people well. Listen for your direct report's opinion on things. Ask questions, probe gently and listen to their pain points or opinions on how your team should go about achieving its goals. By listening, you earn your team's trust and help them feel more confident and positive about their work.
Of course, providing feedback on your report's work is also very important to their growth as people and as employees. All feedback - positive and negative - is crucial. Give feedback every opportunity you get in a direct but kind and respectful way. It's much better for you to tell your report how they're doing instead of leaving them to assume the worst or make up how they think you feel about their work.
One on ones: One on ones are scheduled monthly meetings to check in with your direct report to see how things are going. Ideally, this should not replace weekly team meetings which should be done to monitor progress with work and team targets.
One on ones are a good way to impact your team's productivity, morale and engagement at work. One on ones should be private - just you and one direct report at a time - and in a comfortable environment. And your direct report should do most of the talking while you listen, ask questions and take notes.
As much as you can, take notes from your one on ones and refer to them as often as necessary. If there are any major negative or positive updates that come out of one on ones, these should be shared with the founders and/or senior management.
Sample One on One Agenda
Check in or "How are you, really?"
Discuss employee's objectives
Discuss challenges
Recognise wins
Set consequences
Sample questions to ask:
How are you, really?
What are you most proud of achieving in the past month?
How can I support you so you can do your job better?
If you were the CEO, what's the first thing you would change?
What's one thing you think we should be doing as a company that we're not?
Who on the team do you have the most difficulty working with and why?
What would make you leave this company for another ?
If you were me, what would you do differently as a manager?
How well do you think you met your objectives and KPIs this past month?
What keeps you up at night or worries you right now?
What are your short term and long term career goals?
What's one thing I can do to help you achieve your short and long term goals?
Do you feel challenged at work? Are you learning new things?
What's one thing I do as a manager that I should keep doing?
What's one thing I do, you think I could do better?
Do you have any questions for me or anything else you would like to discuss?
These questions are simply a guide; if the conversation is flowing and being steered in a different direction, please allow it and hash out things that come up and need to be discussed.
Happy managing!