Hi, and welcome to our team!
It's going to take a few weeks to get comfortable (and heck, probably longer to figure out where all the conference rooms are). Take your time, meet everyone, jump in on any meeting that looks interesting, ask tons of questions, and never be afraid to ask why we're doing something if it doesn't make sense or seems downright stupid.
The rest of this document is meant to give you some idea of how I work and manage our team, what you can expect out of the average week, and some of my other expectations and quirks.
We will have a thirty-minute one-on-one every week. I will never cancel these. If you feel that it's not a good use of time any given week, you're always welcome to cancel or reschedule one. You are always welcome to extend them or shorten them. These are for you. These are for discussing substantive topics (not for updates on project statuses) — what's working for you; what isn't; how I can better support you; your professional goals and development.
We also have weekly stand-ups (or staff meetings or whatever else you want to call them). These are once a week, between thirty and sixty minutes, and an opportunity to discuss any topics that impact our team, our stakeholders, or the company as a whole.
I'm usually in the office from around 08:00 to 16:00, give or take. I'll occasionally do a bit of work outside those hours or over the weekends. This is my choice. I do not expect that you work in the evenings or on the weekend.
I might e-mail or IM you outside of normal work hours. I have zero expectation that you read or respond to these until you're back in the office. Usually these are because either (1) I'm bored or (2) I get a random idea that I don't want to forget.
The converse is not true: very few things are more important to me than being available if you need to talk to me about anything. If it's outside of working hours, text or IM me. If it's during the day, stop by my desk or put something on my calendar.
Humans first. Energized, happy, informed humans build the most fantastic things. The work that we are doing is fundamentally about you: if you aren't engaged in a project, or if you feel like your time and skills are not being used effecively or appreciated, or if there are any other obstacles to you being able to work well and in your preferred environment, let me know. The time you spend with us should be focused on how you can learn, grow, and develop personally and professionally.
Leadership comes from everywhere. Managers do not have a monopoly on leadership, and job titles don't turn people into leaders. I will work hard to build opportunities for you to lead and expect you jump in and constantly challenge yourself. If I or others are demonstrating poor leadership, don't be afraid to speak to us about it and offer that feedback.
Diversity of ideas is crucial. Diversity of ideas, backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences is critical to our team and our company's success. You bring an important voice to the table and my expectation is that you do not hesitate to share your thoughts, to offer criticism where due, to challenge ideas and ways of doing things, and to engage meaningfully. The most damaging thing any of us can do is to stay silent because we don't want to disagree with someone more senior than us, or because we are afraid our ideas might be judged. We are all working towards the same goal, and you were hired specifically to add your voice to that conversation.
I bias towards action. I believe the best way to learn something is to just get started doing it. This can lead to mistakes and I'm sure can frustrate my coworkers. It is also not always the correct strategy. But given the choice between endless debate and doing, you should never be afraid to start before all of the is are dotted and ts are crossed.
Disagree but commit. I don't agree with every technical decision our team makes. I don't expect you to either. But we are one team and I expect each of us to be fully committed to the work we are doing. Each idea will be debated, and everyone's perspective will be heard, and we are all encouraged to voice dissent and disagreement. But once a decision is made, I expect us all to fully commit to making it a success.
Start with an assumption of positive intent. I've found this usually works out pretty well.
We have regular one-on-one meetings to provide and discuss feedback. This is a conversation that goes both ways, and I encourage any feedback you have for me. I also don't want you to wait until our next one-on-one if you have something important you want to talk to me about. Swing by my desk to chat. Or put time on my calendar to discuss it. If my calendar's full, ping me and let me know. I will always make time.
Disagreement is an important piece of feedback. Ideas don't improve from agreeing with everything. If you have an opinion, share it!
I go to a lot of meetings. I also set my calendar's visibility to public. If you have a question about a meeting on my calendar, ask me. If one looks interesting and you want to join, let me know. I personally, and we as a company, place a high value on transparency and openness.
My expectation is that meetings include an agenda or stated purpose. If I'm attending a meeting, I'd prefer that it start on time. If I'm running a meeting, I will start it on time. If you provide any materials a reasonable amount of time prior to a meeting, I will have reviewed them and will have any questions ready when we meet. If I have not reviewed them, I will tell you.
When I ask you to do something that is poorly-defined you should ask me to clarify the request and its importance. I might still be brainstorming.
I assume you're good at your job. If you weren't, you wouldn't be here. If it feels like I'm questioning you it's because I'm either trying to gain perspective to acting as a sounding board. If it sounds like I'm disagreeing, I'm probably just playing devil's advocate.
I assume I'm not very good at your job. My job is to get out of the way and let you do yours. I'll help you vet your ideas, and communicate if I disagree with you, but I will not overrule you.
I assume you will disagree with me and that you'll tell me when you do. I also assume you will call me out when I screw up.
I default to open. There is very little I will ever intentionally not share with you. If it feels like I'm misleading you or holding something back, bring it up with me. I'm probably not aware I'm doing it. If there is a legitimate reason for me not being able to discuss something, I will be clear about that fact.
Intentional carelessness annoys me. Precision and accuracy are hugely important to what we do and in how we communicate to the business. If it seems like I'm harping on something minute or unimporant, this is why. If someone is intentionally careless about the small things, I have a hard time trusting that they will be precise when it matters.
Time estimates are important. We do nebulous research tasks and it can be hard to put concrete timelines on them. But I have very little patience for "it will be done when it's done". I need some estimate of work effort, and I will never hold a missed deadline against you.
You control your own time. This means you're fully able to work from home when you need it. You can work around your home schedule and personal life. You manage your own working hours. I only expect that you will communicate to the team when you're out of office and will be productive.