I wrote this README primarily as a focusing instrument to spur myself to think in specific terms about how I work as a manager. If you report to me, you may find it useful in giving you as much context as I can about how I think and what you can expect from me. It's intended to be a living document, and is not about setting my expectations of you.
There should be nothing here that you won't learn from working with me and talking regularly, so if you don't feel like reading it - no problem.
I believe regular 1:1s are one of the most important things I do as a manager, and I will treat them as such. We'll have a half-hour (at least) weekly 1:1 at a regular day and time, and I'll do everything in my power to avoid canceling or rescheduling them. If I do have to reschedule, I'll give you as much notice as I'm able.
1:1s are for you, not for me: the point of a 1:1 is not for you to give me a status update (unless that's what you want or need at the time), but for discussions of substantive topics that are important to you. You own the agenda for your 1:1s and my goal is for you to be comfortable discussing with me whatever is on your mind.
There are few things more important in my job than speaking with you. You should feel free to message me at any time for any reason and I will respond as soon as I'm able. If you need to have a conversation and don't see space on my calendar, please let me know - I'll do whatever I can to make room.
Work/life balance is very important to me (both mine and yours). In my case, this means I'll disable standard work notifications on my phone outside of my working hours; I'd encourage you to do the same. If I send you an email or a chat message outside of your normal working hours, I do not expect an immediate response, and you should expect the same from me. I will share my cell number with you and encourage you to use it to call or text me if something important and urgent comes up that needs my attention.
A very important part of my job is keeping you informed and providing context. I am biased toward telling you everything I can. If you have a question about what is happening or why, please ask, and I will tell you as much as I'm able. If I don't know, I'll try to find out.
Disagreeing with me is not an indicator of bad judgment. If you don't agree with a decision I've made or the direction the team is going, please tell me. I will never claim to be right 100% of the time and am always open to having my mind changed. Occasionally there will be times when I have to override such objections; in such situations I'll always do my best to explain the reason.
I will not tell you how to do your work. I will provide as much context as I'm able, and as part of setting context, we'll agree on the appropriate level of initiative for each of us. If I disagree with a decision you've made, I may try to dissuade you. Again, you're always welcome to disagree with me - but I expect that you'll explain your reasoning and perspective if you do. You should expect the same from me.
I will strive to provide frequent, timely feedback on your performance, and I will ask for your feedback on my performance as your manager. If you ever feel like you're not sure where you stand, please ask directly and I will give you a direct answer.
My feedback for you may not always be positive; neither might yours for me. However, I will strive for my feedback to always be respectful and constructive, and I ask that you do the same. When feedback is negative, it should be focused on making positive change. I ask that you accept it in that spirit and not take it as a personal attack or get overly defensive, and I commit to the same. No team member will ever risk any sort of retaliation from me for any feedback on my performance.
As a manager, meetings are one of my primary modes of productive work. That said, I strongly believe that big, long meetings without a clear agenda not only waste time but are actively counterproductive.
If I'm invited to a meeting and it's not clear why, I'll ask for clarification and a rough agenda. If I can't get a clear answer or don't believe I'll be providing or receiving value from my attendendance of a meeting, I'll decline. You should so the same. If you and I are both invited to a meeting and you think I can cover it, feel free to decline the invitation (after confirming I'm able to make it). If you're invited to a meeting but think I could better handle it, feel free to forward the invitation to me and decline it for yourself.