Reading 2022-03-28

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As a manager, everything is your fault

There is no point being angry at your team – ever
You are in charge of processes and people. And you got more information than they do, always
You either created the processes where this outcome happened or you hired (or did not fire) the wrong people

You manage processes; you lead people

a misunderstanding of what the role of a manager is
- your job is not to manage people
- but to manage processes and lead people
You manage processes on how you expect work to be done, where each person's authority starts and ends, how their careers are made, and how all this can be discussed, and/or changed
you are leading people by example and through empathy
- They have goals, fears and motivations. Frequently also problems outside of work
- Act how you would want them to act if the role would be reversed

Processes are expectations made explicit

Processes are not complex chains of people doing things that are burdened by horrible overheads
They can be as simple as "every morning we all do X to ensure everyone else is unblocked".
Have few but very explicit processes and expect them to be followed

Decisions vs Opinions

In every discussion/project/problem/situation, it needs to be clear who makes decisions
- Ideally, the person who will afterward do (or lead) the follow-up work makes the decisions
  - everyone else only adds opinions, even people of higher "rank" or pay
Their manager has a handbrake they can use to hard-stop decisions
Hire based on good decision-making skills
- Fire based on poor decision-making skills
- Good decision-making skills include listening to other people's opinions
- In case of doubt, see if you can trust the decision-maker by default

Ownership

The worst thing that can happen is that you frequently step in, and people disassociate from their work
Don't confuse autonomy and abandonment

Avoid back and forth

When defining processes, avoid back and forth
if you give feedback on something assume that they will either do it or get back to you with reasons why not
Don't expect them to get your approval

Trust

Always reflect if your nervousness is due to other people's work or your insecurity
Always differ between your frustration about a situation and your frustration about a person
Stay in the loop, set expectations, voice opinions, but let them handle it. Use your handbrake if needed
Trust through transparency
- Have everything accessible where people would look for it
- The easiest way to have people trust your work is by transparently sharing it without request

Decision Layering

Different people in the company on various levels rely on each other on doing their work
- for example, a product manager can't do their job if the CEO doesn't know what their current priorities are
Don't load your work onto others in the company
Avoid stepping into others' work just because looks more fun

Avoid drive-by management

the manager comes by a group of people having a discussion. They throw requests, change mandates, and ideas around like bullets, create confusion, panic, chaos, and when they leave, they leave a bloody mess behind

Feedbacking people

people x context = output
When you feedback work, it's usually easier to discuss the context objectively than the person themselves
- What is the situation that led to current problems?
- What changed? What is currently required?
Always assume people you hired are motivated, and have the best intentions in mind. And fire the ones that don't

Firing should never be a surprise

People should never be surprised that they are fired
When you discontinue someone, you do it usually because of context. Context changed; new requirements should have been communicated
- The company changed
- The expectations of the role changed
- You realized you looked for the wrong hiring criteria
Never delay firing
- Set up a call and discontinue them
  - Start directly with the topic and have explicit clarity on the next steps
  - Make sure to communicate it as fact and truth
- Then help them find new roles

Explicit > Implicit

Clear decisions after meetings. No clear decision? Make that explicit too
Clear owners. No clear owner? Make that explicit too
Hear everyone's opinions. Make explicit who makes the decision. And what the decision is

Chaos is felt less by the people creating it

A common frustration of founders is that their team can't keep up with pivots
As a founder, you most likely got more context on changes, you know earlier of them, and most importantly, you have control over them. Employees don't