https://simplecast.com Managing Up Management tips, stories, and interviews to help navigate the challenges of managing creative and technical teams. © 2018 Managing Up en-us Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:55:29 +0000 Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:55:40 +0000 http://www.managingup.show Managing Up https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/5937f822-346f-4a5b-9b71-e76d77fc6a35/67ec779e-50f7-41f7-8c5f-e696b0e3e746/3000x3000/screen-shot-2021-02-04-at-1-49-13-pm.jpg?aid=rss_feed http://www.managingup.show episodic Management tips, stories, and interviews to help navigate the challenges of managing creative and technical teams. Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means no https://feeds.simplecast.com/GyHPV5ma management, technology Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means brandon.hays@gmail.com bc83a059-9504-428a-82cf-74e7174858a9 What If Meetings… Were Good, Actually? In this episode of the Managing Up Show, Brandon, Travis, and Nick talk about meetings. How did they get a bad reputation? How can they be better? And no, the answer is not to abolish meetings, but rather to put the effort into making them actually good.

They share disaster stories of meetings gone wrong and what makes one actually work. They cover:

  • Setting a clear purpose for meetings
  • Identifying the roles of participants, and
  • Setting up discussions that unstick our work and sharpen our focus

Yep, there is such a thing as an effective, engaging meeting, and once you’ve had them, you’ll never go back.

Mentioned this episode:

]]> Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:55:29 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nick Means) http://www.managingup.show In this episode of the Managing Up Show, Brandon, Travis, and Nick talk about meetings. How did they get a bad reputation? How can they be better? And no, the answer is not to abolish meetings, but rather to put the effort into making them actually good.

They share disaster stories of meetings gone wrong and what makes one actually work. They cover:

  • Setting a clear purpose for meetings
  • Identifying the roles of participants, and
  • Setting up discussions that unstick our work and sharpen our focus

Yep, there is such a thing as an effective, engaging meeting, and once you’ve had them, you’ll never go back.

Mentioned this episode:

]]> What If Meetings… Were Good, Actually? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nick Means 01:02:20 In this episode of the Managing Up Show, Brandon, Travis, and Nick talk about meetings. How did they get a bad reputation? How can they be better? And no, the answer is not to abolish meetings, but rather to put the effort into making them actually good. In this episode of the Managing Up Show, Brandon, Travis, and Nick talk about meetings. How did they get a bad reputation? How can they be better? And no, the answer is not to abolish meetings, but rather to put the effort into making them actually good. no full 44 c06b3024-a302-470a-81d6-6bf8c8d2ab61 Moving Past "Hero Culture" Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk "hero culture" and how that affects teams. What are the drawbacks of encouraging hero culture? How do you draw the distinction between necessary heroism and chronic hero culture? What's the difference between heroism and professionalism? They also discuss common pitfalls of trying to overcome hero culture, and what it means to set a sustainable example.

Show Notes:

  • Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
    • https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Things-Resilience-Surprising-Toughness/dp/006309861X/
  • Navy Seals "Hell Week"
    • https://navyseals.com/nsw/hell-week-0/
  • Radar Charts
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_chart
  • Kevin Goldsmith's Lead Dev talk on combining ingredients for the perfect engineering team
    • https://leaddev.com/team/finding-right-ingredients-perfect-engineering-team
]]> Wed, 15 Feb 2023 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk "hero culture" and how that affects teams. What are the drawbacks of encouraging hero culture? How do you draw the distinction between necessary heroism and chronic hero culture? What's the difference between heroism and professionalism? They also discuss common pitfalls of trying to overcome hero culture, and what it means to set a sustainable example.

Show Notes:

  • Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
    • https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Things-Resilience-Surprising-Toughness/dp/006309861X/
  • Navy Seals "Hell Week"
    • https://navyseals.com/nsw/hell-week-0/
  • Radar Charts
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_chart
  • Kevin Goldsmith's Lead Dev talk on combining ingredients for the perfect engineering team
    • https://leaddev.com/team/finding-right-ingredients-perfect-engineering-team
]]> Moving Past "Hero Culture" Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:58:35 Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk "hero culture" and how that affects teams. What are the drawbacks of encouraging hero culture? How do you draw the distinction between necessary heroism and chronic hero culture? What's the difference between heroism and professionalism? They also discuss common pitfalls of trying to overcome hero culture, and what it means to set a sustainable example. Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk "hero culture" and how that affects teams. What are the drawbacks of encouraging hero culture? How do you draw the distinction between necessary heroism and chronic hero culture? What's the difference between heroism and professionalism? They also discuss common pitfalls of trying to overcome hero culture, and what it means to set a sustainable example. no full 43 59e61618-61f3-45e4-b887-902ffdeb4405 Actually Managing Up OK, fine, y'all win. We finally did the episode of "Managing Up" about managing up. In it, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about techniques for managing up, how they're similar to managing your own team members, and how it is sometimes very different. They share books and resources that helped them and talk about how communication, being crisp, and (gasp) _feelings_ play into managing your upward relationships.

Show Notes:

  • Managing Up article by Stephen Gossett from Built In
    • https://builtin.com/people-management/managing-up
  • Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues by Dr. David Bradford, Ph.D & Dr. Carole Robin, Ph.D 
    • https://www.amazon.com/Connect-Building-Exceptional-Relationships-Colleagues/dp/0593237099
  • Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David
    • https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Agility-Unstuck-Embrace-Change/dp/1592409490
  • Ted Lasso: Darts scene ("Be curious, not judgmental")
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S16b-x5mRA
]]> Wed, 16 Nov 2022 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show OK, fine, y'all win. We finally did the episode of "Managing Up" about managing up. In it, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about techniques for managing up, how they're similar to managing your own team members, and how it is sometimes very different. They share books and resources that helped them and talk about how communication, being crisp, and (gasp) _feelings_ play into managing your upward relationships.

Show Notes:

  • Managing Up article by Stephen Gossett from Built In
    • https://builtin.com/people-management/managing-up
  • Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues by Dr. David Bradford, Ph.D & Dr. Carole Robin, Ph.D 
    • https://www.amazon.com/Connect-Building-Exceptional-Relationships-Colleagues/dp/0593237099
  • Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David
    • https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Agility-Unstuck-Embrace-Change/dp/1592409490
  • Ted Lasso: Darts scene ("Be curious, not judgmental")
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S16b-x5mRA
]]> Actually Managing Up Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:02:20 OK, fine, y'all win. We finally did the episode of "Managing Up" about managing up. In it, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about techniques for managing up, how they're similar to managing your own team members, and how it is sometimes very different. They share books and resources that helped them and talk about how communication, being crisp, and (gasp) _feelings_ play into managing your upward relationships. OK, fine, y'all win. We finally did the episode of "Managing Up" about managing up. In it, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about techniques for managing up, how they're similar to managing your own team members, and how it is sometimes very different. They share books and resources that helped them and talk about how communication, being crisp, and (gasp) _feelings_ play into managing your upward relationships. no full 42 e4f0a16f-a52d-453e-83af-d132e94f6273 How We've Changed the Way We Manage in the Pandemic, with Estella Gonzalez Madison The Managing Up Crew is joined by Estella Gonzalez Madison (@chicagoing) to discuss how they've changed the way they manage since the start of the pandemic 2+ years ago. They discuss tactical changes and how they've changed philosophically during this time, and how they square their own humanity and that of their teams during the last 2 years, as well as how this affects how they plan to manage in the future.

Show Notes:

]]> Mon, 13 Jun 2022 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show The Managing Up Crew is joined by Estella Gonzalez Madison (@chicagoing) to discuss how they've changed the way they manage since the start of the pandemic 2+ years ago. They discuss tactical changes and how they've changed philosophically during this time, and how they square their own humanity and that of their teams during the last 2 years, as well as how this affects how they plan to manage in the future.

Show Notes:

]]> How We've Changed the Way We Manage in the Pandemic, with Estella Gonzalez Madison Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:02:59 The Managing Up Crew is joined by Estella Gonzalez Madison (@chicagoing) to discuss how they've changed the way they manage since the start of the pandemic 2+ years ago. They discuss tactical changes and how they've changed philosophically during this time, and how they square their own humanity and that of their teams during the last 2 years, as well as how this affects how they plan to manage in the future. The Managing Up Crew is joined by Estella Gonzalez Madison (@chicagoing) to discuss how they've changed the way they manage since the start of the pandemic 2+ years ago. They discuss tactical changes and how they've changed philosophically during this time, and how they square their own humanity and that of their teams during the last 2 years, as well as how this affects how they plan to manage in the future. no full 41 69cc60b4-2bd2-4ec1-a1a3-4340bc31e9c8 Pain, Learning Organizations, and Trainwrecks Nick, pondering the Texas electric grid and the 2021 power crisis posits the question to Travis and Brandon: What role does pain play in leading teams? What is the role of a manager in managing and reacting to pain on our teams? What are the dangers of hiding or deflecting this pain? This leads to a discussion of processing feedback, helping teams learn from pain, and yes, launching trains at meteors. What roles do curiosity and fear play in managing organizational pain? What role do retrospectives play in this? How do you pronounce "gigawatt"?

Show notes:

]]> Wed, 16 Feb 2022 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, pondering the Texas electric grid and the 2021 power crisis posits the question to Travis and Brandon: What role does pain play in leading teams? What is the role of a manager in managing and reacting to pain on our teams? What are the dangers of hiding or deflecting this pain? This leads to a discussion of processing feedback, helping teams learn from pain, and yes, launching trains at meteors. What roles do curiosity and fear play in managing organizational pain? What role do retrospectives play in this? How do you pronounce "gigawatt"?

Show notes:

]]> Pain, Learning Organizations, and Trainwrecks Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:05:01 Nick, pondering the Texas electric grid and the 2021 power crisis posits the question to Travis and Brandon: What role does pain play in leading teams? What is the role of a manager in managing and reacting to pain on our teams? What are the dangers of hiding or deflecting this pain? This leads to a discussion of processing feedback, helping teams learn from pain, and yes, launching trains at meteors. What roles do curiosity and fear play in managing organizational pain? What role do retrospectives play in this? How do you pronounce "gigawatt"? Nick, pondering the Texas electric grid and the 2021 power crisis posits the question to Travis and Brandon: What role does pain play in leading teams? What is the role of a manager in managing and reacting to pain on our teams? What are the dangers of hiding or deflecting this pain? This leads to a discussion of processing feedback, helping teams learn from pain, and yes, launching trains at meteors. What roles do curiosity and fear play in managing organizational pain? What role do retrospectives play in this? How do you pronounce "gigawatt"? no full 40 89551c43-39bc-4637-848b-217733b7bacc Accountability & Trust in a Distributed World Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the word "accountability". What does it mean? Why has it developed a negative connotation? What's the connection between "trust" and "accountability"? They discuss the sometimes uncomfortable conversations that must take in place before a conversation about accountability can bring real results. They also talk about how remote culture changes the shape of this conversation by removing shortcuts some leaders have leaned on in offices.

Show Notes:

]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the word "accountability". What does it mean? Why has it developed a negative connotation? What's the connection between "trust" and "accountability"? They discuss the sometimes uncomfortable conversations that must take in place before a conversation about accountability can bring real results. They also talk about how remote culture changes the shape of this conversation by removing shortcuts some leaders have leaned on in offices.

Show Notes:

]]> Accountability & Trust in a Distributed World Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:02:23 Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the word "accountability". What does it mean? Why has it developed a negative connotation? What's the connection between "trust" and "accountability"? They discuss the sometimes uncomfortable conversations that must take in place before a conversation about accountability can bring real results. They also talk about how remote culture changes the shape of this conversation by removing shortcuts some leaders have leaned on in offices. Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the word "accountability". What does it mean? Why has it developed a negative connotation? What's the connection between "trust" and "accountability"? They discuss the sometimes uncomfortable conversations that must take in place before a conversation about accountability can bring real results. They also talk about how remote culture changes the shape of this conversation by removing shortcuts some leaders have leaned on in offices. no full 39 cfc24fd6-a288-4958-86ed-7e100672dc46 One on Ones: Beyond the Basics Nick, Travis, and Brandon revisit the one-on-ones topic from several years ago and go beyond "1:1s 101". The hosts dive past the scripts and formulas to discuss challenges with regular one-on-one meetings with your team. How do you discern "gripe sessions" from a genuine request to intervene? When do you share context vs. listen? How do you get people to shift past surface-level concerns to the most important topics? What are some 1:1 antipatterns? Also: The group restrains themselves to only one Ted Lasso reference.

Show Notes:

]]> Wed, 29 Sep 2021 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon revisit the one-on-ones topic from several years ago and go beyond "1:1s 101". The hosts dive past the scripts and formulas to discuss challenges with regular one-on-one meetings with your team. How do you discern "gripe sessions" from a genuine request to intervene? When do you share context vs. listen? How do you get people to shift past surface-level concerns to the most important topics? What are some 1:1 antipatterns? Also: The group restrains themselves to only one Ted Lasso reference.

Show Notes:

]]> One on Ones: Beyond the Basics Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:59:00 Nick, Travis, and Brandon revisit the one-on-ones topic from several years ago and go beyond "1:1s 101". The hosts dive past the scripts and formulas to discuss challenges with regular one-on-one meetings with your team. How do you discern "gripe sessions" from a genuine request to intervene? When do you share context vs. listen? How do you get people to shift past surface-level concerns to the most important topics? What are some 1:1 antipatterns? Also: The group restrains themselves to only one Ted Lasso reference. Nick, Travis, and Brandon revisit the one-on-ones topic from several years ago and go beyond "1:1s 101". The hosts dive past the scripts and formulas to discuss challenges with regular one-on-one meetings with your team. How do you discern "gripe sessions" from a genuine request to intervene? When do you share context vs. listen? How do you get people to shift past surface-level concerns to the most important topics? What are some 1:1 antipatterns? Also: The group restrains themselves to only one Ted Lasso reference. no full 38 bb08409d-88ef-4529-9c85-e10ba3c02ba9 "Marketing" Your Team as a Manager Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss the term "Marketing" and the myth that doing good work will speak for itself. How can you advocate for your team's work authentically without feeling like you're bragging? They talk about using tracking documents to track and showcase team accomplishments, and why it's important to demonstrate your team's impact, and not just their efforts. 

Episode links:

  • Get your work recognized: write a brag document
    • https://jvns.ca/blog/brag-documents/
]]> Wed, 7 Jul 2021 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss the term "Marketing" and the myth that doing good work will speak for itself. How can you advocate for your team's work authentically without feeling like you're bragging? They talk about using tracking documents to track and showcase team accomplishments, and why it's important to demonstrate your team's impact, and not just their efforts. 

Episode links:

  • Get your work recognized: write a brag document
    • https://jvns.ca/blog/brag-documents/
]]> "Marketing" Your Team as a Manager Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:42:55 Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss the term "Marketing" and the myth that doing good work will speak for itself. How can you advocate for your team's work authentically without feeling like you're bragging? They talk about using tracking documents to track and showcase team accomplishments, and why it's important to demonstrate your team's impact, and not just their efforts. Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss the term "Marketing" and the myth that doing good work will speak for itself. How can you advocate for your team's work authentically without feeling like you're bragging? They talk about using tracking documents to track and showcase team accomplishments, and why it's important to demonstrate your team's impact, and not just their efforts. no full 37 649fa876-7f18-41b1-b108-eaa339b4db84 Inviting Feedback and Creating Psychological Safety Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about how they increase psychological safety on teams to create space for a variety of voices, starting by debating the value of "strong opinions, weakly held". They explore the questions: How do you bootstrap trust and safety when joining a team? How can you make space for less vocal team members? What are things managers do that reduce trust within their teams? How can you encourage and receive important and valuable feedback?

Episode links:

  • Strong Opinions Loosely Held Might be the Worst Idea in Tech
    • https://blog.glowforge.com/strong-opinions-loosely-held-might-be-the-worst-idea-in-tech/
  • How to Get Your Team to Challenge Your Ideas
    • https://medium.dave-bailey.com/how-to-get-your-team-to-speak-up-4d403bfc10c9
]]> Wed, 16 Jun 2021 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about how they increase psychological safety on teams to create space for a variety of voices, starting by debating the value of "strong opinions, weakly held". They explore the questions: How do you bootstrap trust and safety when joining a team? How can you make space for less vocal team members? What are things managers do that reduce trust within their teams? How can you encourage and receive important and valuable feedback?

Episode links:

  • Strong Opinions Loosely Held Might be the Worst Idea in Tech
    • https://blog.glowforge.com/strong-opinions-loosely-held-might-be-the-worst-idea-in-tech/
  • How to Get Your Team to Challenge Your Ideas
    • https://medium.dave-bailey.com/how-to-get-your-team-to-speak-up-4d403bfc10c9
]]> Inviting Feedback and Creating Psychological Safety Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:53:41 Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about how they increase psychological safety on teams to create space for a variety of voices, starting by debating the value of "strong opinions, weakly held". They explore the questions: How do you bootstrap trust and safety when joining a team? How can you make space for less vocal team members? What are things managers do that reduce trust within their teams? How can you encourage and receive important and valuable feedback? Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about how they increase psychological safety on teams to create space for a variety of voices, starting by debating the value of "strong opinions, weakly held". They explore the questions: How do you bootstrap trust and safety when joining a team? How can you make space for less vocal team members? What are things managers do that reduce trust within their teams? How can you encourage and receive important and valuable feedback? no full 36 23d9bb30-f626-46d8-a688-a8b21fff72d1 Is "Resources" a Dirty Word? In this episode, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the word "resources", thinking of humans versus abstract notions of people, and balancing company needs with individual needs. What changes as your role moves further from managing individual contributors?

Show Notes

  • GE's "Up or out" environment
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitality_curve
  • Episode 1: OKRs
    • https://managingup.simplecast.com/episodes/podcast-episode-1-measure-what-matters
  • The Passionate Programmer by Chad Fowler
    • https://pragprog.com/titles/cfcar2/the-passionate-programmer-2nd-edition/ 
]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2021 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show In this episode, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the word "resources", thinking of humans versus abstract notions of people, and balancing company needs with individual needs. What changes as your role moves further from managing individual contributors?

Show Notes

  • GE's "Up or out" environment
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitality_curve
  • Episode 1: OKRs
    • https://managingup.simplecast.com/episodes/podcast-episode-1-measure-what-matters
  • The Passionate Programmer by Chad Fowler
    • https://pragprog.com/titles/cfcar2/the-passionate-programmer-2nd-edition/ 
]]> Is "Resources" a Dirty Word? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:56:29 In this episode, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the word "resources", thinking of humans versus abstract notions of people, and balancing company needs with individual needs. What changes as your role moves further from managing individual contributors? In this episode, Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the word "resources", thinking of humans versus abstract notions of people, and balancing company needs with individual needs. What changes as your role moves further from managing individual contributors? no full 35 4c3a8eb6-9070-4f7c-b999-a39af31f0b77 Just Culture, Blame, and Accountability In the last episode we recorded in the "before times", Nick and Brandon discuss the connection between blameless culture, systems thinking, and just culture. Nick explains how blame robs learning, and how to foster an environment that allows the system to learn and improve. They talk about how accountability fits into a blameless culture, and Nick introduces Sidney Decker's idea of Forward Accountability and shifting behavior rather than assigning blame.

Show notes:

]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2020 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show In the last episode we recorded in the "before times", Nick and Brandon discuss the connection between blameless culture, systems thinking, and just culture. Nick explains how blame robs learning, and how to foster an environment that allows the system to learn and improve. They talk about how accountability fits into a blameless culture, and Nick introduces Sidney Decker's idea of Forward Accountability and shifting behavior rather than assigning blame.

Show notes:

]]> Just Culture, Blame, and Accountability Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:43:50 In the last episode we recorded in the "before times", Nick and Brandon discuss the connection between blameless culture, systems thinking, and just culture. Nick explains how blame robs learning, and how to foster an environment that allows the system to learn and improve. They talk about how accountability fits into a blameless culture, and Nick introduces Sidney Decker's idea of Forward Accountability and shifting behavior rather than assigning blame. In the last episode we recorded in the "before times", Nick and Brandon discuss the connection between blameless culture, systems thinking, and just culture. Nick explains how blame robs learning, and how to foster an environment that allows the system to learn and improve. They talk about how accountability fits into a blameless culture, and Nick introduces Sidney Decker's idea of Forward Accountability and shifting behavior rather than assigning blame. no full 34 e7a86ee5-e27e-413d-a744-ca08df2655d3 How Much Process Is Enough? How Much Is Too Much? In another episode recorded in the "before times", Travis talks about finding the balance between not enough and too much process. Is Scrum too much process? How do you tell when process is designed to help versus be a remote control for a team? What if the process is being blamed for other problems? They discuss the signals that tell you when a process isn't working for you and when to modify existing processes versus throw them out.

Notes:

]]> Wed, 21 Oct 2020 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show In another episode recorded in the "before times", Travis talks about finding the balance between not enough and too much process. Is Scrum too much process? How do you tell when process is designed to help versus be a remote control for a team? What if the process is being blamed for other problems? They discuss the signals that tell you when a process isn't working for you and when to modify existing processes versus throw them out.

Notes:

]]> How Much Process Is Enough? How Much Is Too Much? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:57:54 In another episode recorded in the "before times", Travis talks about finding the balance between not enough and too much process. Is Scrum too much process? How do you tell when process is designed to help versus be a remote control for a team? What if the process is being blamed for other problems? They discuss the signals that tell you when a process isn't working for you and when to modify existing processes versus throw them out. In another episode recorded in the "before times", Travis talks about finding the balance between not enough and too much process. Is Scrum too much process? How do you tell when process is designed to help versus be a remote control for a team? What if the process is being blamed for other problems? They discuss the signals that tell you when a process isn't working for you and when to modify existing processes versus throw them out. no full 33 1d3c1c8e-d3d0-47c2-8005-6ccf6bd1bb19 The Manager's Calendar In an episode recorded in "the before times" that we feel is still relevant, Nick suggested we talk about what to do when you can't do it all. Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss how the game of "Calendar Jenga" is symptomatic. What happens when your calendar is so full of "valuable" things that you have to choose between lunch or more meetings? Nick talks about using WIP limits to keep your calendar clean, and Travis talks about how designing your schedule is like designing teams.

Notes:

]]> Wed, 30 Sep 2020 09:30:29 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show In an episode recorded in "the before times" that we feel is still relevant, Nick suggested we talk about what to do when you can't do it all. Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss how the game of "Calendar Jenga" is symptomatic. What happens when your calendar is so full of "valuable" things that you have to choose between lunch or more meetings? Nick talks about using WIP limits to keep your calendar clean, and Travis talks about how designing your schedule is like designing teams.

Notes:

]]> The Manager's Calendar Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:48:04 In an episode recorded in "the before times" that we feel is still relevant, Nick suggested we talk about "what to do when you can't do it all". Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss how the game of "Calendar Jenga" is symptomatic. What happens when your calendar is so full of "valuable" things that you have to choose between lunch or more meetings? Nick talks about using WIP limits to keep your calendar clean, and Travis talks about how designing your schedule is like designing teams. In an episode recorded in "the before times" that we feel is still relevant, Nick suggested we talk about "what to do when you can't do it all". Nick, Brandon, and Travis discuss how the game of "Calendar Jenga" is symptomatic. What happens when your calendar is so full of "valuable" things that you have to choose between lunch or more meetings? Nick talks about using WIP limits to keep your calendar clean, and Travis talks about how designing your schedule is like designing teams. no full 32 a1621098-8312-4c6e-88d3-f03333a31349 Getting Clarity in Times of Change Travis, Nick, and Brandon ask: what do you do when you have a sense that things are about to change? What about when your work evaporates due to a startup pivot or major organizational change? They talk about how to help maintain a team's composure and capability during times of uncertainty or lack of clear direction, including leaning on your own manager.

]]> Wed, 9 Sep 2020 09:30:17 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon ask: what do you do when you have a sense that things are about to change? What about when your work evaporates due to a startup pivot or major organizational change? They talk about how to help maintain a team's composure and capability during times of uncertainty or lack of clear direction, including leaning on your own manager.

]]> Getting Clarity in Times of Change Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:51:08 Travis, Nick, and Brandon ask: what do you do when you have a sense that things are about to change? What about when your work evaporates due to a startup pivot or major organizational change? They talk about how to help maintain a team's composure and capability during times of uncertainty or lack of clear direction, including leaning on your own manager. Travis, Nick, and Brandon ask: what do you do when you have a sense that things are about to change? What about when your work evaporates due to a startup pivot or major organizational change? They talk about how to help maintain a team's composure and capability during times of uncertainty or lack of clear direction, including leaning on your own manager. no full 31 6945a6d1-a693-45ae-b735-0b8b072d04a7 Breaking the Cycle of "Burnout Debt" Burnout is a very real problem right now, and is often aggravated in our jobs as managers, ironically in our work to help others avoid burning themselves out. Nick, Travis, and Brandon ask: how do you stop the cycle of overwork that led you to success in the first place? How do you take a break? Once you do, how do you come back to work? They discuss learning to set boundaries and say no, even to things we want. Travis compares burnout to technical debt. Nick explains how systemic thinking can alleviate the "trapped" feeling that can exacerbate burnout.

Show notes:

]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2020 09:30:10 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Burnout is a very real problem right now, and is often aggravated in our jobs as managers, ironically in our work to help others avoid burning themselves out. Nick, Travis, and Brandon ask: how do you stop the cycle of overwork that led you to success in the first place? How do you take a break? Once you do, how do you come back to work? They discuss learning to set boundaries and say no, even to things we want. Travis compares burnout to technical debt. Nick explains how systemic thinking can alleviate the "trapped" feeling that can exacerbate burnout.

Show notes:

]]> Breaking the Cycle of "Burnout Debt" Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:59:52 Burnout is a very real problem right now, and is often aggravated in our jobs as managers, ironically in our work to help others avoid burning themselves out. Nick, Travis, and Brandon ask: how do you stop the cycle of overwork that led you to success in the first place? How do you take a break? Once you do, how do you come back to work? They discuss learning to set boundaries and say no, even to things we want. Travis compares burnout to technical debt. Nick explains how systemic thinking can alleviate the "trapped" feeling that can exacerbate burnout. Burnout is a very real problem right now, and is often aggravated in our jobs as managers, ironically in our work to help others avoid burning themselves out. Nick, Travis, and Brandon ask: how do you stop the cycle of overwork that led you to success in the first place? How do you take a break? Once you do, how do you come back to work? They discuss learning to set boundaries and say no, even to things we want. Travis compares burnout to technical debt. Nick explains how systemic thinking can alleviate the "trapped" feeling that can exacerbate burnout. no full 30 55bdbbf4-f1ef-4e1b-ba26-025867fead0b Remote Teams, Coping, and Bringing Your Whole Self to Work Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the chaotic and downright scary state of the world and our own prior adjustments to remote work. They discuss ways to lead authentically in these times, and how remote work has helped them learn how integrate life and work (and also, paradoxically, how to keep them separate).

Show notes:

]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2020 17:30:47 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the chaotic and downright scary state of the world and our own prior adjustments to remote work. They discuss ways to lead authentically in these times, and how remote work has helped them learn how integrate life and work (and also, paradoxically, how to keep them separate).

Show notes:

]]> Remote Teams, Coping, and Bringing Your Whole Self to Work Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:58:18 Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the chaotic and downright scary state of the world and our own prior adjustments to remote work. They discuss ways to lead authentically in these times, and how remote work has helped them learn how integrate life and work (and also, paradoxically, how to keep them separate). Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the chaotic and downright scary state of the world and our own prior adjustments to remote work. They discuss ways to lead authentically in these times, and how remote work has helped them learn how integrate life and work (and also, paradoxically, how to keep them separate). no full 29 d75e2cfb-422d-41b7-9a4e-feda03a3ed92 "Big Picture Strategists" vs. "Tactical Tornadoes" Travis and Brandon talk about the tendency of software developers to fall into an "overly strategic" or "overly tactical" style of thinking. How do you encourage individuals and teams to consider both near and long term impact in their day to day work? How does team design factor in? What can you do if external factors are causing or aggravating these challenges? Is there a way to achieve balance?

Show notes:

]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2020 10:30:01 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis and Brandon talk about the tendency of software developers to fall into an "overly strategic" or "overly tactical" style of thinking. How do you encourage individuals and teams to consider both near and long term impact in their day to day work? How does team design factor in? What can you do if external factors are causing or aggravating these challenges? Is there a way to achieve balance?

Show notes:

]]> "Big Picture Strategists" vs. "Tactical Tornadoes" Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:01:28 Travis and Brandon talk about the tendency of software developers to fall into an "overly strategic" or "overly tactical" style of thinking. How do you encourage individuals and teams to consider both near and long term impact in their day to day work? How does team design factor in? What can you do if external factors are causing or aggravating these challenges? Is there a way to achieve balance? Travis and Brandon talk about the tendency of software developers to fall into an "overly strategic" or "overly tactical" style of thinking. How do you encourage individuals and teams to consider both near and long term impact in their day to day work? How does team design factor in? What can you do if external factors are causing or aggravating these challenges? Is there a way to achieve balance? no full 28 51f4569c-9fd5-4697-845e-284fdf225539 Seasonality and Rhythms in Engineering Teams Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the seasonality of work and how that affects individuals and teams. They talk about how they work with low points in the cycle and how to capitalize on the high points, rather than fighting these cycles. How can you change the rhythm when things are flagging too much? What do you do when you can't move dates or deadlines around? When is it OK to ask the team for an "above and beyond push"?

Notes:

]]> Wed, 8 Jan 2020 16:51:49 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the seasonality of work and how that affects individuals and teams. They talk about how they work with low points in the cycle and how to capitalize on the high points, rather than fighting these cycles. How can you change the rhythm when things are flagging too much? What do you do when you can't move dates or deadlines around? When is it OK to ask the team for an "above and beyond push"?

Notes:

]]> Seasonality and Rhythms in Engineering Teams Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:41:04 Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the seasonality of work and how that affects individuals and teams. They talk about how they work with low points in the cycle and how to capitalize on the high points, rather than fighting these cycles. How can you change the rhythm when things are flagging _too_ much? What do you do when you can't move dates or deadlines around? When is it OK to ask the team for an "above and beyond push"? Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the seasonality of work and how that affects individuals and teams. They talk about how they work with low points in the cycle and how to capitalize on the high points, rather than fighting these cycles. How can you change the rhythm when things are flagging _too_ much? What do you do when you can't move dates or deadlines around? When is it OK to ask the team for an "above and beyond push"? no full 27 46846d91-cd38-4214-9ecf-8c69fa3922aa Creating Self-Managing Teams Brandon asks Nick about a piece of advice he doesn't even remember giving about teaching teams to manage themselves. Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore tough questions around self-managing teams: How do you know when to let go and when to step in? What is the job of a manager on a self-managing team? How do you deal with micromanagement from above? How do you dig out if your team can't live without you?

]]> Mon, 23 Dec 2019 10:30:09 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Brandon asks Nick about a piece of advice he doesn't even remember giving about teaching teams to manage themselves. Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore tough questions around self-managing teams: How do you know when to let go and when to step in? What is the job of a manager on a self-managing team? How do you deal with micromanagement from above? How do you dig out if your team can't live without you?

]]> Creating Self-Managing Teams Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:48:00 Brandon asks Nick about a piece of advice he doesn't even remember giving about teaching teams to manage themselves. Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore tough questions around self-managing teams: How do you know when to let go and when to step in? What is the job of a manager on a self-managing team? How do you deal with micromanagement from above? How do you dig out if your team can't live without you? Brandon asks Nick about a piece of advice he doesn't even remember giving about teaching teams to manage themselves. Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore tough questions around self-managing teams: How do you know when to let go and when to step in? What is the job of a manager on a self-managing team? How do you deal with micromanagement from above? How do you dig out if your team can't live without you? no full 26 059a3005-0f4e-491b-b190-9f9ae7b52209 Supporting Early-Career Devs and Defining "Engineer" Travis and Brandon talk about how teams can support early-career developers and career changers. What environments are they a good fit for? How do you set expectations for newer folks? How can you help them get and stay productive? Is the cost of doing so worth it?

They also talk about the surprising lack of definition around the space between "Entry-Level" and "Senior" engineers to define the main role that the rest are supposedly based on. They talk about the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, how folks get stuck in "Advanced Beginner" stage, and how to help them move to "Competent" and toward real, holistic expertise.

Notes:

]]> Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:30:20 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis and Brandon talk about how teams can support early-career developers and career changers. What environments are they a good fit for? How do you set expectations for newer folks? How can you help them get and stay productive? Is the cost of doing so worth it?

They also talk about the surprising lack of definition around the space between "Entry-Level" and "Senior" engineers to define the main role that the rest are supposedly based on. They talk about the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, how folks get stuck in "Advanced Beginner" stage, and how to help them move to "Competent" and toward real, holistic expertise.

Notes:

]]> Supporting Early-Career Devs and Defining "Engineer" Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:06:46 Travis and Brandon talk about how teams can support early-career developers and career changers. What environments are they a good fit for? How do you set expectations for newer folks? How can you help them get and stay productive? Is the cost of doing so worth it? They also talk about the surprising lack of definition around the space between "Entry-Level" and "Senior" engineers to define the main role that the rest are supposedly based on. They talk about the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, how folks get stuck in "Advanced Beginner" stage, and how to help them move to "Competent" and toward real, holistic expertise. Travis and Brandon talk about how teams can support early-career developers and career changers. What environments are they a good fit for? How do you set expectations for newer folks? How can you help them get and stay productive? Is the cost of doing so worth it? They also talk about the surprising lack of definition around the space between "Entry-Level" and "Senior" engineers to define the main role that the rest are supposedly based on. They talk about the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, how folks get stuck in "Advanced Beginner" stage, and how to help them move to "Competent" and toward real, holistic expertise. no full 25 a858b3c9-3bf2-41a9-b6a2-c0f2b1e17dd2 Personality Conflicts and the "Us vs. Them" Mindset Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss a tough-but-frequent listener question: "How do I coach senior developers and tech leads to work better with each other when they have opposing personality types or passions?" They explore the personality types of "ship it" vs. "perfect it". Brandon talks about what happens in the 1 out of 5 times when the conflict is ego- and control-driven rather than just slightly different values (hint: it's not great news). They discuss techniques to draw out the benefits of these personality differences to lower drama, build trust, and balance a team's ability to focus on outcomes with technical and product excellence.

Notes:

]]> Wed, 27 Nov 2019 10:30:08 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss a tough-but-frequent listener question: "How do I coach senior developers and tech leads to work better with each other when they have opposing personality types or passions?" They explore the personality types of "ship it" vs. "perfect it". Brandon talks about what happens in the 1 out of 5 times when the conflict is ego- and control-driven rather than just slightly different values (hint: it's not great news). They discuss techniques to draw out the benefits of these personality differences to lower drama, build trust, and balance a team's ability to focus on outcomes with technical and product excellence.

Notes:

]]> Personality Conflicts and the "Us vs. Them" Mindset Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:49:54 Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss a tough-but-frequent listener question: "How do I coach senior developers and tech leads to work better with each other when they have opposing personality types or passions?" They explore the personality types of "ship it" vs. "perfect it". Brandon talks about what happens in the 1 out of 5 times when the conflict is ego- and control-driven rather than just slightly different values (hint: it's not great news). They discuss techniques to draw out the benefits of these personality differences to lower drama, build trust, and balance a team's ability to focus on outcomes with technical and product excellence. Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss a tough-but-frequent listener question: "How do I coach senior developers and tech leads to work better with each other when they have opposing personality types or passions?" They explore the personality types of "ship it" vs. "perfect it". Brandon talks about what happens in the 1 out of 5 times when the conflict is ego- and control-driven rather than just slightly different values (hint: it's not great news). They discuss techniques to draw out the benefits of these personality differences to lower drama, build trust, and balance a team's ability to focus on outcomes with technical and product excellence. no full 24 9aa10391-5481-4fd6-b9e9-2df974294ba1 Lessons from Captain Haynes Nick pays homage to one of his heroes, Captain Al Haynes, who saved hundreds of lives by managing a crisis during a famous airplane crash. Captain Haynes demonstrated one of the canonical examples of Crew Resource Management and "just culture". They ask why we still adhere to the "unquestionable captain" myth and point out some of the (very public) disasters that created. Nick talks to the group about how he pivots into "questions/curiosity" mode from "assumptions/making a point" mode. They discuss the impact and legacy of Captain Haynes and how that's impacted the way we choose to lead and live.

Notes:

]]> Wed, 16 Oct 2019 09:30:04 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick pays homage to one of his heroes, Captain Al Haynes, who saved hundreds of lives by managing a crisis during a famous airplane crash. Captain Haynes demonstrated one of the canonical examples of Crew Resource Management and "just culture". They ask why we still adhere to the "unquestionable captain" myth and point out some of the (very public) disasters that created. Nick talks to the group about how he pivots into "questions/curiosity" mode from "assumptions/making a point" mode. They discuss the impact and legacy of Captain Haynes and how that's impacted the way we choose to lead and live.

Notes:

]]> Lessons from Captain Haynes Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:41:59 Nick talks about one of his heroes, Captain Al Haynes, who saved hundreds of lives by managing a crisis during a famous airplane crash. Captain Haynes demonstrated one of the canonical examples of Crew Resource Management and "just culture". They discuss why we still adhere to the "unquestionable captain" myth and the disasters that created. Nick talks to the group about how he pivots into "questions/curiosity" mode from "assumptions/making a point" mode. They discuss the impact and legacy of Captain Haynes and how that's impacted the way we choose to lead and live. Nick talks about one of his heroes, Captain Al Haynes, who saved hundreds of lives by managing a crisis during a famous airplane crash. Captain Haynes demonstrated one of the canonical examples of Crew Resource Management and "just culture". They discuss why we still adhere to the "unquestionable captain" myth and the disasters that created. Nick talks to the group about how he pivots into "questions/curiosity" mode from "assumptions/making a point" mode. They discuss the impact and legacy of Captain Haynes and how that's impacted the way we choose to lead and live. no full 23 dd8922ff-b0e0-4f83-9941-0d8519b1adf9 Summer Vacations and Self-Care Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about vacations after a summer full of them. When is it OK for managers to take vacations? How do you set things up to actually let yourself relax? What if something breaks while you're gone? Nick talks about the power of asking "When's the last time you took time off?" and how to clearly set the cultural expectations in "unlimited PTO" policies. The group discusses vacations as part of an overall self-care strategy.

Notes:

  • Nick's "self care" Twitter thread
    • https://twitter.com/nmeans/status/1161331494406840320
]]> Thu, 19 Sep 2019 09:30:14 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about vacations after a summer full of them. When is it OK for managers to take vacations? How do you set things up to actually let yourself relax? What if something breaks while you're gone? Nick talks about the power of asking "When's the last time you took time off?" and how to clearly set the cultural expectations in "unlimited PTO" policies. The group discusses vacations as part of an overall self-care strategy.

Notes:

  • Nick's "self care" Twitter thread
    • https://twitter.com/nmeans/status/1161331494406840320
]]> Summer Vacations and Self-Care Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:50:03 Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about vacations after a summer full of them. When is it OK for managers to take vacations? How do you set things up to actually let yourself relax? What if something breaks while you're gone? Nick talks about the power of asking "When's the last time you took time off?" and how to clearly set the cultural expectations in "unlimited PTO" policies. The group discusses vacations as part of an overall self-care strategy. Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about vacations after a summer full of them. When is it OK for managers to take vacations? How do you set things up to actually let yourself relax? What if something breaks while you're gone? Nick talks about the power of asking "When's the last time you took time off?" and how to clearly set the cultural expectations in "unlimited PTO" policies. The group discusses vacations as part of an overall self-care strategy. no full 22 2f4e8a77-6071-4d8c-8531-aacd2a801844 Should I Care about "Manager READMEs"? There is a healthy and active debate in the management community around Manager READMEs. Are they self-indulgent excuses for asking people to "deal with" your shortcomings? Or an essential tool to guide future conversations? Nick and Brandon explore the nuance in there and how their views about Manager READMEs have evolved (and continue to evolve) as they're exposed to more examples of them in practice.

Notes:

  • Jay Desai's Indespensable Guide for the Modern Manager
    • https://firstround.com/review/the-indispensable-document-for-the-modern-manager/
  • Calmille Fournier's I Hate Manager READMEs
    • https://medium.com/@skamille/i-hate-manager-readmes-20a0dd9a70d0
]]> Wed, 4 Sep 2019 10:00:12 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show There is a healthy and active debate in the management community around Manager READMEs. Are they self-indulgent excuses for asking people to "deal with" your shortcomings? Or an essential tool to guide future conversations? Nick and Brandon explore the nuance in there and how their views about Manager READMEs have evolved (and continue to evolve) as they're exposed to more examples of them in practice.

Notes:

  • Jay Desai's Indespensable Guide for the Modern Manager
    • https://firstround.com/review/the-indispensable-document-for-the-modern-manager/
  • Calmille Fournier's I Hate Manager READMEs
    • https://medium.com/@skamille/i-hate-manager-readmes-20a0dd9a70d0
]]> Should I Care about "Manager READMEs"? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:30:21 There is a healthy and active debate in the management community around Manager READMEs. Are they self-indulgent excuses for asking people to "deal with" your shortcomings? Or an essential tool to guide future conversations? Nick and Brandon explore the nuance in there and how their views about Manager READMEs have evolved (and continue to evolve) as they're exposed to more examples of them in practice. There is a healthy and active debate in the management community around Manager READMEs. Are they self-indulgent excuses for asking people to "deal with" your shortcomings? Or an essential tool to guide future conversations? Nick and Brandon explore the nuance in there and how their views about Manager READMEs have evolved (and continue to evolve) as they're exposed to more examples of them in practice. no full 21 32c31fee-0bbc-4550-bf42-6ab685ce4a15 The Invisible Work of Management A thread on the "orange website" got Nick thinking: What are signs a manager is succeeding? What are red flags that they're on the wrong track? They ask the big question: How do you know when you are doing a good job? Are there any actual, useful measures you can use to know a manager is effective? And once you have an idea of what success looks like, how can we help scale that across an organization?

Notes:

  • The original HN thread about "What are the signs that you have a great manager?":
    • https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20230133
  • Brandon's reply
    • https://twitter.com/tehviking/status/1142480785733234689
]]> Wed, 21 Aug 2019 10:30:06 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show A thread on the "orange website" got Nick thinking: What are signs a manager is succeeding? What are red flags that they're on the wrong track? They ask the big question: How do you know when you are doing a good job? Are there any actual, useful measures you can use to know a manager is effective? And once you have an idea of what success looks like, how can we help scale that across an organization?

Notes:

  • The original HN thread about "What are the signs that you have a great manager?":
    • https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20230133
  • Brandon's reply
    • https://twitter.com/tehviking/status/1142480785733234689
]]> The Invisible Work of Management Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:48:57 A thread on the "orange website" got Nick thinking: What are signs a manager is succeeding? What are red flags that they're on the wrong track? They ask the big question: *How do you know when you are doing a good job?* Are there any actual, useful measures you can use to know a manager is effective? And once you have an idea of what success looks like, how can we help scale that across an organization? A thread on the "orange website" got Nick thinking: What are signs a manager is succeeding? What are red flags that they're on the wrong track? They ask the big question: *How do you know when you are doing a good job?* Are there any actual, useful measures you can use to know a manager is effective? And once you have an idea of what success looks like, how can we help scale that across an organization? no full 20 d25a8f45-48e0-4f2b-a466-aad04905fa27 Building Trust with Teams Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore trust as a pillar of successful teams. What does a high trust environment look like? How do you build trust? How do managers accidentally lower trust on their teams? How do you build (or rebuild) trust between a team and the rest of the organization? They relay the "marble jar" metaphor and explore what that means for teams.

Show notes:

  • John Cutler's trust flowchart
    • https://twitter.com/johncutlefish/status/1144292646120120320
  • Turn the ship around
  • https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Ship-Around-Turning-Followers-ebook/dp/B00AFPVP0Y
  • No Hard Feelings
    • https://www.amazon.com/No-Hard-Feelings-Embracing-Emotions/dp/0525533834
  • The Power of Vulnerability (Seminar)
  • https://www.amazon.com/Power-Vulnerability-Teachings-Authenticity-Connection/dp/B00D1Z9RFU
]]> Wed, 17 Jul 2019 10:30:21 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore trust as a pillar of successful teams. What does a high trust environment look like? How do you build trust? How do managers accidentally lower trust on their teams? How do you build (or rebuild) trust between a team and the rest of the organization? They relay the "marble jar" metaphor and explore what that means for teams.

Show notes:

  • John Cutler's trust flowchart
    • https://twitter.com/johncutlefish/status/1144292646120120320
  • Turn the ship around
  • https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Ship-Around-Turning-Followers-ebook/dp/B00AFPVP0Y
  • No Hard Feelings
    • https://www.amazon.com/No-Hard-Feelings-Embracing-Emotions/dp/0525533834
  • The Power of Vulnerability (Seminar)
  • https://www.amazon.com/Power-Vulnerability-Teachings-Authenticity-Connection/dp/B00D1Z9RFU
]]> Building Trust with Teams Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:35:21 Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore trust as a pillar of successful teams. What does a high trust environment look like? How do you build trust? How do managers accidentally lower trust on their teams? How do you build (or rebuild) trust between a team and the rest of the organization? They relay the "marble jar" metaphor and explore what that means for teams. Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore trust as a pillar of successful teams. What does a high trust environment look like? How do you build trust? How do managers accidentally lower trust on their teams? How do you build (or rebuild) trust between a team and the rest of the organization? They relay the "marble jar" metaphor and explore what that means for teams. no full 19 7969969d-809f-4fdc-a6d8-97f91bddc89a Performance Reviews: When and How to Use Them This week, Nick, Travis, and Brandon respond to a listener's question about when and how to successfully use performance reviews. Nick shares the idea of using "pattern matching" as a basis for evaluating performance. They discuss whether to tie performance to raises, and how to gather and provide feedback outside the performance review process.

Notes:

  • Listener question:
  • I just had a fairly junior engineer ask in our 1:1 for something like a performance review. This is not something I - or my company - have done before. How do I provide good feedback for eager juniors and jaded seniors? How do I set clear expectations and give small feedback regularly in 1:1s so there are no surprises? How do I keep my experience/perspective from having too much influence? Is it a bad idea to tie raises to just one evaluation? Is there a way to give periodic bigger-picture evaluation and advice to those who want it without doing formal reviews? Thanks!
]]> Wed, 12 Jun 2019 09:00:12 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show This week, Nick, Travis, and Brandon respond to a listener's question about when and how to successfully use performance reviews. Nick shares the idea of using "pattern matching" as a basis for evaluating performance. They discuss whether to tie performance to raises, and how to gather and provide feedback outside the performance review process.

Notes:

  • Listener question:
  • I just had a fairly junior engineer ask in our 1:1 for something like a performance review. This is not something I - or my company - have done before. How do I provide good feedback for eager juniors and jaded seniors? How do I set clear expectations and give small feedback regularly in 1:1s so there are no surprises? How do I keep my experience/perspective from having too much influence? Is it a bad idea to tie raises to just one evaluation? Is there a way to give periodic bigger-picture evaluation and advice to those who want it without doing formal reviews? Thanks!
]]> Performance Reviews: When and How to Use Them Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:36:20 This week, Nick, Travis, and Brandon respond to a listener's question about when and how to successfully use performance reviews. Nick shares the idea of using "pattern matching" as a basis for evaluating performance. They discuss whether to tie performance to raises, and how to gather and provide feedback outside the performance review process. This week, Nick, Travis, and Brandon respond to a listener's question about when and how to successfully use performance reviews. Nick shares the idea of using "pattern matching" as a basis for evaluating performance. They discuss whether to tie performance to raises, and how to gather and provide feedback outside the performance review process. no full 18 5bfeb74d-5c0d-4203-9d80-d3a19da24fb0 How Do You Assess Technical Ability in Interviews? Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore how they've tried to improve at assessing the technical abilities of potential hires during the interview process. They talk take-home tests, pair programming exercises, and Nick shares a technique that has worked better for his teams than either of those.

Notes:

  • Yahtzee problem
    • http://codingdojo.org/kata/Yahtzee/
  • Trek Glowacki: "Tired: Engineering Interviews; Hired: Engineering Auditions"
    • https://medium.com/@trek/tired-engineering-interviews-hired-engineering-auditions-5f9f00147a57
  • Kevin Goldsmith: The right ingredients for your perfect team
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnCYxM9z1dEp
  • Kevin Goldsmith: Let's build a product development organization (workshop)
    • https://www.slideshare.net/kevingoldsmith/lets-build-a-product-development-organization
]]> Wed, 29 May 2019 10:30:02 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore how they've tried to improve at assessing the technical abilities of potential hires during the interview process. They talk take-home tests, pair programming exercises, and Nick shares a technique that has worked better for his teams than either of those.

Notes:

  • Yahtzee problem
    • http://codingdojo.org/kata/Yahtzee/
  • Trek Glowacki: "Tired: Engineering Interviews; Hired: Engineering Auditions"
    • https://medium.com/@trek/tired-engineering-interviews-hired-engineering-auditions-5f9f00147a57
  • Kevin Goldsmith: The right ingredients for your perfect team
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnCYxM9z1dEp
  • Kevin Goldsmith: Let's build a product development organization (workshop)
    • https://www.slideshare.net/kevingoldsmith/lets-build-a-product-development-organization
]]> How Do You Assess Technical Ability in Interviews? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:40:11 Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore how they've tried to improve at assessing the technical abilities of potential hires during the interview process. They talk take-home tests, pair programming exercises, and Nick shares a technique that has worked better for his teams than either of those. Nick, Travis, and Brandon explore how they've tried to improve at assessing the technical abilities of potential hires during the interview process. They talk take-home tests, pair programming exercises, and Nick shares a technique that has worked better for his teams than either of those. no full 17 b37219f4-6656-450c-8e9f-fb1ca17988b5 Who's in Charge of Shipping? Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about Rule #1 in running software teams: The Software Must Ship. How much of that is on you, the manager? They explore that question and talk about their experiences managing work backlogs, delivery cadences, and giving teams slack to help them go faster.

  • Ron Jeffries's tweet:
    • https://twitter.com/RonJeffries/status/1120486947569446914
  • Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, et al.
    • https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/1942788339
]]> Mon, 13 May 2019 21:18:03 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about Rule #1 in running software teams: The Software Must Ship. How much of that is on you, the manager? They explore that question and talk about their experiences managing work backlogs, delivery cadences, and giving teams slack to help them go faster.

  • Ron Jeffries's tweet:
    • https://twitter.com/RonJeffries/status/1120486947569446914
  • Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, et al.
    • https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/1942788339
]]> Who's in Charge of Shipping? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:37:38 Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about Rule #1 in running software teams: The Software Must Ship. How much of that is on you, the manager? They explore that question and talk about their experiences managing work backlogs, delivery cadences, and giving teams slack to help them go faster. Travis, Nick, and Brandon talk about Rule #1 in running software teams: The Software Must Ship. How much of that is on you, the manager? They explore that question and talk about their experiences managing work backlogs, delivery cadences, and giving teams slack to help them go faster. no full 16 ea1b19c4-b1c9-4457-b04a-90fc68782e19 Priorities, Impact, and Wrangling the "Manager's Calendar" Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the vast array of "priorities" that can overwhelm a manager. The group talk through strategies they use to wrangle the "manager's calendar" and reclaim control over your time. Nick talks about how useful procrastination can be as a signal, and the group talks about using focus to make an impact in the face of "busy-ness".

Notes:

  • Effective DevOps
    • https://www.amazon.com/Effective-DevOps-Building-Collaboration-Affinity/dp/1491926309
  • Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
    • https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Oneself-Peter-Ferdinand-Drucker-dp-1633694836/dp/1633694836
  • Possible Minds by John Brockman
    • https://www.amazon.com/Possible-Minds-Twenty-Five-Ways-Looking/dp/0525557997
  • Deep Work by Cal Newport
    • https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692
  • Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator
    • https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator
]]> Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:54:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the vast array of "priorities" that can overwhelm a manager. The group talk through strategies they use to wrangle the "manager's calendar" and reclaim control over your time. Nick talks about how useful procrastination can be as a signal, and the group talks about using focus to make an impact in the face of "busy-ness".

Notes:

  • Effective DevOps
    • https://www.amazon.com/Effective-DevOps-Building-Collaboration-Affinity/dp/1491926309
  • Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
    • https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Oneself-Peter-Ferdinand-Drucker-dp-1633694836/dp/1633694836
  • Possible Minds by John Brockman
    • https://www.amazon.com/Possible-Minds-Twenty-Five-Ways-Looking/dp/0525557997
  • Deep Work by Cal Newport
    • https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692
  • Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator
    • https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator
]]> Priorities, Impact, and Wrangling the "Manager's Calendar" Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:46:35 Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the vast array of "priorities" that can overwhelm a manager. The group talk through strategies they use to wrangle the "manager's calendar" and reclaim control over your time. Nick talks about how useful procrastination can be as a signal, and the group talks about using focus to make an impact in the face of "busy-ness". Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about the vast array of "priorities" that can overwhelm a manager. The group talk through strategies they use to wrangle the "manager's calendar" and reclaim control over your time. Nick talks about how useful procrastination can be as a signal, and the group talks about using focus to make an impact in the face of "busy-ness". no full 15 e4b74b34-f305-4e60-9ed9-39cf8155bb44 Working Alongside Product Teams: What We've Learned Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about their successes and failures working alongside product teams. They discuss what keeps engineering teams from feeling empowered and how to avoid becoming an "onshore offshore" team. They talk about how to achieve collaborative, healthy tension between product, marketing, and design, and how this work is at the heart of good engineering management.

Show notes:

  • Lara Hogan's venn diagrams
    • https://twitter.com/lara_hogan/status/966837809603600386?lang=en
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE27GQKB3p0
    • https://larahogan.me/blog/team-leader-venn-diagram/
  • What would you say it is ya do here?
    • https://jonathancshan.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/what-would-you-say-you-do-here.jpg
  • Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's quote:
    • https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/384067-if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up
]]> Mon, 8 Apr 2019 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about their successes and failures working alongside product teams. They discuss what keeps engineering teams from feeling empowered and how to avoid becoming an "onshore offshore" team. They talk about how to achieve collaborative, healthy tension between product, marketing, and design, and how this work is at the heart of good engineering management.

Show notes:

  • Lara Hogan's venn diagrams
    • https://twitter.com/lara_hogan/status/966837809603600386?lang=en
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE27GQKB3p0
    • https://larahogan.me/blog/team-leader-venn-diagram/
  • What would you say it is ya do here?
    • https://jonathancshan.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/what-would-you-say-you-do-here.jpg
  • Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's quote:
    • https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/384067-if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up
]]> Working Alongside Product Teams: What We've Learned Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:40:20 Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about their successes and failures working alongside product teams. They discuss what keeps engineering teams from feeling empowered and how to avoid becoming an "onshore offshore" team. They talk about how to achieve collaborative, healthy tension between product, marketing, and design, and how this work is at the heart of good engineering management. Nick, Travis, and Brandon talk about their successes and failures working alongside product teams. They discuss what keeps engineering teams from feeling empowered and how to avoid becoming an "onshore offshore" team. They talk about how to achieve collaborative, healthy tension between product, marketing, and design, and how this work is at the heart of good engineering management. no full 14 3f5baee2-aa8c-4b9a-bbb7-7791daded9a5 New Manager, Existing Team: Where Do You Start? Travis, Nick, and Brandon respond to a thought-provoking question about jumping in to manage a team that's already established. They also talk about what to do when the team needs culture or performance improvements.

  • Amy Unger's question:
    • "Walking into a new to you but established team, whether you were hired into a job or you got a team as part of a re-org, how do you approach coming into an established dynamic as a person of formal authority, but little knowledge or informal influence?"
  • The coaching habit
    • https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749/
  • Atomic habits
    • https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/
  • Learned Helplessness:
    • https://www.amazon.com/Learned-Helplessness-Theory-Personal-Control/dp/0195044673
]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon respond to a thought-provoking question about jumping in to manage a team that's already established. They also talk about what to do when the team needs culture or performance improvements.

  • Amy Unger's question:
    • "Walking into a new to you but established team, whether you were hired into a job or you got a team as part of a re-org, how do you approach coming into an established dynamic as a person of formal authority, but little knowledge or informal influence?"
  • The coaching habit
    • https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749/
  • Atomic habits
    • https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/
  • Learned Helplessness:
    • https://www.amazon.com/Learned-Helplessness-Theory-Personal-Control/dp/0195044673
]]> New Manager, Existing Team: Where Do You Start? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:39:54 Travis, Nick, and Brandon respond to a thought-provoking question about jumping in to manage a team that's already established. They also talk about what to do when the team needs culture or performance improvements. Travis, Nick, and Brandon respond to a thought-provoking question about jumping in to manage a team that's already established. They also talk about what to do when the team needs culture or performance improvements. no full 13 bb3d7a05-79e9-410d-8ffa-0a75ff9961d3 "Being the Bull": What to Do When Words Have Weight Now that you're a leader, you may be surprised to find that your words sometimes carry weight that you didn't intend, feeling like the proverbial "Bull in a china shop". Nick, Brandon, and Travis share stories about this, and discuss power dynamics and how to shift power to the people who can actually do the work.

Show Notes:

  • Transforming the Difficult Child
    • https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Difficult-Child-Nurtured-Approach-ebook/dp/B079DT5TXT/
  • The Power of Moments
    • https://www.amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
]]> Mon, 4 Mar 2019 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Now that you're a leader, you may be surprised to find that your words sometimes carry weight that you didn't intend, feeling like the proverbial "Bull in a china shop". Nick, Brandon, and Travis share stories about this, and discuss power dynamics and how to shift power to the people who can actually do the work.

Show Notes:

  • Transforming the Difficult Child
    • https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Difficult-Child-Nurtured-Approach-ebook/dp/B079DT5TXT/
  • The Power of Moments
    • https://www.amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
]]> "Being the Bull": What to Do When Words Have Weight Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:29:48 Now that you're a leader, you may be surprised to find that your words sometimes carry weight that you didn't intend, feeling like the proverbial "Bull in a china shop". Nick, Brandon, and Travis share stories about this, and discuss power dynamics and how to shift power to the people who can actually do the work. Now that you're a leader, you may be surprised to find that your words sometimes carry weight that you didn't intend, feeling like the proverbial "Bull in a china shop". Nick, Brandon, and Travis share stories about this, and discuss power dynamics and how to shift power to the people who can actually do the work. no full 12 0b5fded5-9e31-4af0-bf19-e41f5d408d62 Estimation: Where Everything is Made Up and the Points Don't Matter Estimation is the bane of many software developers' existence. Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss (and argue) about why estimation can be valuable, whether it's too expensive, and what you can do to help your team deliver consistent value whether or not you're expected to estimate software.

We estimated this episode should last about 30 minutes, so naturally it's just over 50.

  • John Cutler on twitter: Hybrid Kanban board
    • https://twitter.com/johncutlefish/status/1080740227092639744
  • Scrum Guide (It's actually good and a quick read)
    • https://www.scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2017/2017-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf
  • Dave Thomas: Agile is Dead (Long Live Agility)
    • https://pragdave.me/blog/2014/03/04/time-to-kill-agile.html
  • Martin Fowler: The State of Agile in 2018
    • https://martinfowler.com/articles/agile-aus-2018.html
  • Welcome to Scrum, where everything is made up and the points don't matter
    • https://memegenerator.net/instance/46928911/welcome-to-whose-line-welcome-to-scrum-where-everything-is-made-up-and-the-points-dont-matter
  • Nickolas Means: The Original Skunk Works
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL3Yzjk5R4M
  • Soft Skills Engineering podcast
    • https://softskills.audio/
]]> Mon, 18 Feb 2019 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Estimation is the bane of many software developers' existence. Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss (and argue) about why estimation can be valuable, whether it's too expensive, and what you can do to help your team deliver consistent value whether or not you're expected to estimate software.

We estimated this episode should last about 30 minutes, so naturally it's just over 50.

  • John Cutler on twitter: Hybrid Kanban board
    • https://twitter.com/johncutlefish/status/1080740227092639744
  • Scrum Guide (It's actually good and a quick read)
    • https://www.scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2017/2017-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf
  • Dave Thomas: Agile is Dead (Long Live Agility)
    • https://pragdave.me/blog/2014/03/04/time-to-kill-agile.html
  • Martin Fowler: The State of Agile in 2018
    • https://martinfowler.com/articles/agile-aus-2018.html
  • Welcome to Scrum, where everything is made up and the points don't matter
    • https://memegenerator.net/instance/46928911/welcome-to-whose-line-welcome-to-scrum-where-everything-is-made-up-and-the-points-dont-matter
  • Nickolas Means: The Original Skunk Works
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL3Yzjk5R4M
  • Soft Skills Engineering podcast
    • https://softskills.audio/
]]> Estimation: Where Everything is Made Up and the Points Don't Matter Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:52:46 Estimation is the bane of many software developers' existence. Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss (and argue) about why estimation can be valuable, whether it's too expensive, and what you can do to help your team deliver consistent value whether or not you're expected to estimate software. Estimation is the bane of many software developers' existence. Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss (and argue) about why estimation can be valuable, whether it's too expensive, and what you can do to help your team deliver consistent value whether or not you're expected to estimate software. no full 11 ac8ed3e6-a9f2-43cc-8d85-56658a3a2109 Overcoming Crappy Leadership and the Illusion of Control With Travis out this week, Nick and Brandon discuss a strongly-worded Twitter thread calling out bad leaders, what they've done that has and hasn't worked, and how listening and vulnerability play into more effective leadership (and parenting).

  • Simon Wardley's Twitter thread calling out bad leadership
    • https://twitter.com/swardley/status/1083124264142815233
  • Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, PhD, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim
    • https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/1942788339
  • Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
    • https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-Out-Box/dp/1523097809
  • The Power of Vulnerability by Dr. Brené Brown
    • https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23500254-the-power-of-vulnerability
]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2019 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show With Travis out this week, Nick and Brandon discuss a strongly-worded Twitter thread calling out bad leaders, what they've done that has and hasn't worked, and how listening and vulnerability play into more effective leadership (and parenting).

  • Simon Wardley's Twitter thread calling out bad leadership
    • https://twitter.com/swardley/status/1083124264142815233
  • Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, PhD, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim
    • https://www.amazon.com/Accelerate-Software-Performing-Technology-Organizations/dp/1942788339
  • Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
    • https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-Out-Box/dp/1523097809
  • The Power of Vulnerability by Dr. Brené Brown
    • https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23500254-the-power-of-vulnerability
]]> Overcoming Crappy Leadership and the Illusion of Control Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:31:37 With Travis out this week, Nick and Brandon discuss a strongly-worded Twitter thread calling out bad leaders, what they've done that has and hasn't worked, and how listening and vulnerability play into more effective leadership (and parenting). With Travis out this week, Nick and Brandon discuss a strongly-worded Twitter thread calling out bad leaders, what they've done that has and hasn't worked, and how listening and vulnerability play into more effective leadership (and parenting). no full 10 5168f23f-8a70-4c8b-b8fa-b9ab82640bdb Transitioning into Management with Blithe Rocher Blithe Rocher, Engineering Manager at Fastly joins Nick, Brandon, and Travis to discuss how and when to transition to management, what to expect, and what advice she'd give her past self as she started managing her peers.

  • Blithe Rocher
    • https://twitter.com/blithe
  • If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?
    • https://www.amazon.com/Understood-Would-Have-This-Look/dp/1524781924
  • Harrison Metal: General Management Course
    • https://www.harrisonmetal.com/classes/foundations-general-management
]]> Mon, 7 Jan 2019 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Blithe Rocher, Engineering Manager at Fastly joins Nick, Brandon, and Travis to discuss how and when to transition to management, what to expect, and what advice she'd give her past self as she started managing her peers.

  • Blithe Rocher
    • https://twitter.com/blithe
  • If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?
    • https://www.amazon.com/Understood-Would-Have-This-Look/dp/1524781924
  • Harrison Metal: General Management Course
    • https://www.harrisonmetal.com/classes/foundations-general-management
]]> Transitioning into Management with Blithe Rocher Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:45:46 Blithe Rocher, Engineering Manager at Fastly joins Nick, Brandon, and Travis to discuss how and when to transition to management, what to expect, and what advice she'd give her past self as she started managing her peers. Blithe Rocher, Engineering Manager at Fastly joins Nick, Brandon, and Travis to discuss how and when to transition to management, what to expect, and what advice she'd give her past self as she started managing her peers. no full 9 b278170a-f105-4f9e-9fdc-a4f6ea613fd4 Fearless Politics and Eiffel's Tower Travis and Brandon talk with Nick about his recent Lead Developer talk about Gustav Eiffel, the story of his iconic tower, and how that led to learning to fearlessly and authentically engage in "politics" to accomplish great things in your career.

  • Eiffel's Tower by Nick Means
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RslVT-L2A40
  • You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen
    • https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Negotiate-Anything-Negotiator/dp/0553281097
  • Controversial tweet by Jason Fried
    • https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1058816651284623361
  • Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
    • https://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms-ebook/dp/B007P7HRS4/
]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis and Brandon talk with Nick about his recent Lead Developer talk about Gustav Eiffel, the story of his iconic tower, and how that led to learning to fearlessly and authentically engage in "politics" to accomplish great things in your career.

  • Eiffel's Tower by Nick Means
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RslVT-L2A40
  • You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen
    • https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Negotiate-Anything-Negotiator/dp/0553281097
  • Controversial tweet by Jason Fried
    • https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1058816651284623361
  • Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
    • https://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms-ebook/dp/B007P7HRS4/
]]> Fearless Politics and Eiffel's Tower Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:39:54 Travis and Brandon talk with Nick about his recent Lead Developer talk about Gustav Eiffel, the story of his iconic tower, and how that led to learning to fearlessly and authentically engage in "politics" to accomplish great things in your career. Travis and Brandon talk with Nick about his recent Lead Developer talk about Gustav Eiffel, the story of his iconic tower, and how that led to learning to fearlessly and authentically engage in "politics" to accomplish great things in your career. no full 8 b5aedb88-9eee-467b-bb94-cea019b80910 Engineering Ladders and Growing Developers with Sean Massa and Trek Glowacki Engineering leaders Sean Massa and Trek Glowacki join Travis, Nick, and Brandon to discuss what they've learned from their research on engineering ladders and growth tracks across dozens of companies.

Hosts:

  • Nick Means
    • https://twitter.com/nmeans
  • Travis Swicegood
  • https://twitter.com/tswicegood
  • Brandon Hays
    • https://twitter.com/tehviking

Guests:

  • Sean Massa
    • https://twitter.com/endangeredmassa
  • Trek Glowacki
    • https://twitter.com/trek

Show notes:

  • Rent the Runway engineering ladder
    • http://dresscode.renttherunway.com/blog/ladder
  • Medium's skill point based engineering growth framework
    • https://medium.com/s/engineering-growth-framework
]]> Mon, 3 Dec 2018 10:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Engineering leaders Sean Massa and Trek Glowacki join Travis, Nick, and Brandon to discuss what they've learned from their research on engineering ladders and growth tracks across dozens of companies.

Hosts:

  • Nick Means
    • https://twitter.com/nmeans
  • Travis Swicegood
  • https://twitter.com/tswicegood
  • Brandon Hays
    • https://twitter.com/tehviking

Guests:

  • Sean Massa
    • https://twitter.com/endangeredmassa
  • Trek Glowacki
    • https://twitter.com/trek

Show notes:

  • Rent the Runway engineering ladder
    • http://dresscode.renttherunway.com/blog/ladder
  • Medium's skill point based engineering growth framework
    • https://medium.com/s/engineering-growth-framework
]]> Engineering Ladders and Growing Developers with Sean Massa and Trek Glowacki Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:49:26 Engineering leaders Sean Massa and Trek Glowacki join Travis, Nick, and Brandon to discuss what they've learned from their research on engineering ladders and growth tracks across dozens of companies. Engineering leaders Sean Massa and Trek Glowacki join Travis, Nick, and Brandon to discuss what they've learned from their research on engineering ladders and growth tracks across dozens of companies. no full 7 c37c373f-77bd-4a63-a7b6-ac2dc037fe7e How Technical Should A Manager Be? Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the technical requirements of being a manager, the cultural impact of a manager's technical skills, and why hiring engineering managers is so difficult.

Notes:

  • DevOps Transformation/ DevOps Handbook:
    • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M9ASFQ3/
  • The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
    • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F1WZGNC/
]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2018 10:00:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the technical requirements of being a manager, the cultural impact of a manager's technical skills, and why hiring engineering managers is so difficult.

Notes:

  • DevOps Transformation/ DevOps Handbook:
    • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M9ASFQ3/
  • The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
    • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F1WZGNC/
]]> How Technical Should A Manager Be? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:33:16 Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the technical requirements of being a manager, the cultural impact of a manager's technical skills, and why hiring engineering managers is so difficult. Travis, Nick, and Brandon discuss the technical requirements of being a manager, the cultural impact of a manager's technical skills, and why hiring engineering managers is so difficult. no full 6 b1e3a7b7-6bcb-41ba-a65f-0eb2acaf3d63 One on Ones: The Basics Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss the purpose of one on ones, how to help get the most from them, avoiding common pitfalls, and share resources on improving them for you and your team.

Show notes:

  • Radical Candor by Kim Scott
    • https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kim-Scott/dp/B01KTIEFEE/
  • Questions for your first 1:1
    • https://larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions/
  • 87 Questions great managers ask
    • https://getlighthouse.com/blog/one-on-one-meeting-questions-great-managers-ask/
]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2018 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss the purpose of one on ones, how to help get the most from them, avoiding common pitfalls, and share resources on improving them for you and your team.

Show notes:

  • Radical Candor by Kim Scott
    • https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kim-Scott/dp/B01KTIEFEE/
  • Questions for your first 1:1
    • https://larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions/
  • 87 Questions great managers ask
    • https://getlighthouse.com/blog/one-on-one-meeting-questions-great-managers-ask/
]]> One on Ones: The Basics Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:33:16 Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss the purpose of one on ones, how to help get the most from them, avoiding common pitfalls, and share resources on improving them for you and your team. Nick, Travis, and Brandon discuss the purpose of one on ones, how to help get the most from them, avoiding common pitfalls, and share resources on improving them for you and your team. no full 5 1a2aa2c6-fc3c-4d36-b3af-8813626490fb CTO vs. VP Engineering: What's the Difference? Travis and Brandon welcome new co-host Nickolas Means, Engineering Manager at GitHub, to talk about the tracks in engineering management, and the differing roles and responsibilities of the CTO and VP of Engineering.

Show Notes:

  • Eric Brooke: Software Engineering Leadership
    • https://ericbrooke.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/software-engineering-leadership/
  • Camille Fournier: The Manager's Path
    • https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Growth/dp/1491973897
  • Lara Hogan: Engineering Ladders at Meetup
    • https://medium.com/making-meetup/engineering-ladders-at-meetup-caacbea4916e
  • Camille Fournier: Rent the Runway's Engineering Ladder
    • http://dresscode.renttherunway.com/blog/ladder
]]> Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:30:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis and Brandon welcome new co-host Nickolas Means, Engineering Manager at GitHub, to talk about the tracks in engineering management, and the differing roles and responsibilities of the CTO and VP of Engineering.

Show Notes:

  • Eric Brooke: Software Engineering Leadership
    • https://ericbrooke.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/software-engineering-leadership/
  • Camille Fournier: The Manager's Path
    • https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Growth/dp/1491973897
  • Lara Hogan: Engineering Ladders at Meetup
    • https://medium.com/making-meetup/engineering-ladders-at-meetup-caacbea4916e
  • Camille Fournier: Rent the Runway's Engineering Ladder
    • http://dresscode.renttherunway.com/blog/ladder
]]> CTO vs. VP Engineering: What's the Difference? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:38:24 Travis and Brandon welcome new co-host Nickolas Means, Engineering Manager at GitHub, to talk about the tracks in engineering management, and the differing roles and responsibilities of the CTO and VP of Engineering. Travis and Brandon welcome new co-host Nickolas Means, Engineering Manager at GitHub, to talk about the tracks in engineering management, and the differing roles and responsibilities of the CTO and VP of Engineering. no full 4 10759e93-f324-4273-8c1f-2be8cc6c1830 How do I become a better coach? Travis and Brandon discuss how central coaching is to quality management, the 2-way nature of coaching, and the critical role listening plays in becoming a better coach.

HBR: The 9 Skills of Great Coaches

https://hbr.org/2018/08/managers-think-theyre-good-at-coaching-theyre-not

  • listening
  • questioning
  • giving feedback
  • assisting with goal setting
  • showing empathy
  • letting the coachee arrive at their own solution
  • recognizing and pointing out strengths
  • providing structure
  • encouraging a solution-focused approach

Mindset by Carol Dweck

https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

f I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda

https://www.amazon.com/Understood-Would-Have-This-Look/dp/1524781924

Hill Climbing algorithm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_climbing

]]> Mon, 27 Aug 2018 10:00:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis and Brandon discuss how central coaching is to quality management, the 2-way nature of coaching, and the critical role listening plays in becoming a better coach.

HBR: The 9 Skills of Great Coaches

https://hbr.org/2018/08/managers-think-theyre-good-at-coaching-theyre-not

  • listening
  • questioning
  • giving feedback
  • assisting with goal setting
  • showing empathy
  • letting the coachee arrive at their own solution
  • recognizing and pointing out strengths
  • providing structure
  • encouraging a solution-focused approach

Mindset by Carol Dweck

https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

f I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda

https://www.amazon.com/Understood-Would-Have-This-Look/dp/1524781924

Hill Climbing algorithm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_climbing

]]> How do I become a better coach? Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:42:51 Travis and Brandon discuss how central coaching is to quality management, the 2-way nature of coaching, and the critical role listening plays in becoming a better coach. Travis and Brandon discuss how central coaching is to quality management, the 2-way nature of coaching, and the critical role listening plays in becoming a better coach. no full 3 131aa44a-7cd4-461a-819c-7f190e4417e4 The Manager's Job: Applying Google's 10 Traits In this super-sized episode, Travis and Brandon discuss what makes a great manager, using 10 skills and traits developed by Google's Project Oxygen and updated over the last 10 years.
What is the job of a manager?

We discuss the role of a manager with this Google-developed evaluation framework as a guide:

https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-behaviors-make-great-google-manager

https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/managers-identify-what-makes-a-great-manager/steps/learn-about-googles-manager-research/

Carol Dweck, fixed vs growth mindset

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/

Travis’s magic question: “How would you like me to help with this?”

Brandon’s Notes-Trello Listening-action framework

Private Confluence space for 1:1 agendas with action items

Conjoined triangles post

https://frontside.io/blog/2016/07/07/the-conjoined-triangles-of-senior-level-development.html

Simon Sinek: “Start with why”

https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7108725-start-with-why

HBR study about why people want people who could do their job

https://hbr.org/2016/12/if-your-boss-could-do-your-job-youre-more-likely-to-be-happy-at-work

Muse article:

1. “Is a Good Coach”

Employees need and appreciate a manager who takes time to coach and challenge them, and not just when they’re behind.

As Muse contributor Avery Augustine put it, “When it comes to clients, the squeaky wheel usually gets the grease.” The same is true, she said, of employees you manage.

But “I realized that every employee needs to be managed—star performer or not,” she wrote. “And simply leaving some employees to do their jobs without any type of feedback or guidance was detrimental to their career development.”

2. “Empowers Team and Does Not Micromanage”

Micromanaging’s a common mistake managers make without even realizing it, one that discourages and frustrates employees.

But Google’s research found that its best managers don’t, instead offering the right balance of freedom and advice, showing they trust their direct reports, and advocating for the team, according to a sample breakdown from an internal presentation included in a 2013 Harvard Business Review article.

3. “Creates an Inclusive Team Environment, Showing Concern for Success and Well-Being”

In the first iteration of the list, this was described as “expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being.”

Several years later, the company’s updated this entry to reflect research on psychological safety that allows for risk-taking—which Google identified as an important characteristic of effective teams—and unbiasing, or the process of becoming aware of and combatting unconscious biases.

It’s not enough just to have a diverse team, good leaders and managers strive to create an inclusive environment every day.

4. “Is Productive and Results-Oriented”

Employees don’t want to work for a lazy boss. They'd rather be part of a team that’s productive and successful, and that’s hard to do if the leader doesn’t set the tone.

Former Muse editor Adrian Granzella Larssen explained that becoming a boss means you have to be on model behavior.

“As a manager, you'll be looked to as a role model,” she wrote. “You can’t expect people to give their best at work if they don’t see you doing it, so be sure you’re always on your A game.” That means putting in the effort and getting results.

5. “Is a Good Communicator—Listens and Shares Information”

Communicating effectively is one of the basics of being a good manager (or a good employee for that matter). But it’s also important to remember that great managers prioritize listening.

“Focused, curious listening conveys an emotional and personal investment in those who work for us,” according to Muse contributor Kristi Hedges. “When you listen to people, they feel personally valued. It signals commitment.”

6. “Supports Career Development and Discusses Performance”

Google recently added the “discusses performance” component to this behavior. The company pointed to research from Gallup that found only half of employees know what expectations they should be fulfilling at work.

“To free employees to take initiative and inspire high performance,” Gallup concluded, “managers need to set clear expectations, hold employees accountable for meeting them and respond quickly when employees need support.”

In other words, managers should not only help their team develop skills and advance their careers, but also be clear about expectations and give honest feedback about performance.

7. “Has a Clear Vision/Strategy for the Team”

Stephanie Davis, who won one of Google’s Great Manager Awards, told HBR that feedback reports helped her realize how important it was to communicate team vision in addition to company vision.

“They wanted me to interpret the higher-level vision for them,” she said. “So I started listening to the company’s earnings call with a different ear. I didn’t just come back to my team with what was said; I also shared what it meant for them.”

A clear and shared vision can also help members of your team work well together.

8. “Has Key Technical Skills to Help Advise the Team”

When Google first released its list of behaviors, the findings were somewhat anti-climactic. “My first reaction was, that’s it?” Laszlo Bock, then the Vice President of People Operations, told The New York Times in 2011.

The entries on the list may’ve been obvious, but their relative importance wasn’t, as Bock’s team found out when it ranked the behaviors.

“In the Google context, we’d always believed that to be a manager, particularly on the engineering side, you need to be as deep or deeper a technical expert than the people who work for you,” he said. “It turns out that that’s absolutely the least important thing. It’s important, but pales in comparison.”

So all hope isn’t lost if you find yourself managing people who know more than you.

9. “Collaborates Across the Organization”

Google recently extended its list by two when its employee survey found that effective cross-organization collaboration and stronger decision-making were important to Googlers.

Whether you’re at a large corporation, an early-stage startup, or a nonprofit, managing your team and leading it to success can depend at least in part on how well you can work with other teams.

Muse contributor Rebecca Andruszka gave some tips for improving communication with other departments for “the collective betterment of the company” (and, as she wrote, to avoid feeling like you work in Congress).

10. “Is a Strong Decision Maker”

Google’s last addition is a reminder that while it’s important for a manager to listen and share information, employees also appreciate one who can make decisions.

Muse Founder and President Alex Cavoulacos urged managers to go one step further and tell their teams not only what decision they’ve made, but also why they’ve made it. The small extra effort helps the team understand context and priorities, improve their own future decision-making, and stay engaged as well as informed.

One of the reasons this research was so effective was that it used internal data to prove what makes managers great at Google (and the company’s re:Work website provides some first steps for others who want to try to replicate its approach).

But that doesn’t mean the list isn’t helpful for people who don’t work there. After all, Google did go from being a made-up word to a household name in just a few years. People and companies now look to it as an example, not only in innovation, but also in its approach to management.

]]> Mon, 30 Jul 2018 11:00:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show In this super-sized episode, Travis and Brandon discuss what makes a great manager, using 10 skills and traits developed by Google's Project Oxygen and updated over the last 10 years.
What is the job of a manager?

We discuss the role of a manager with this Google-developed evaluation framework as a guide:

https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-behaviors-make-great-google-manager

https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/managers-identify-what-makes-a-great-manager/steps/learn-about-googles-manager-research/

Carol Dweck, fixed vs growth mindset

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/

Travis’s magic question: “How would you like me to help with this?”

Brandon’s Notes-Trello Listening-action framework

Private Confluence space for 1:1 agendas with action items

Conjoined triangles post

https://frontside.io/blog/2016/07/07/the-conjoined-triangles-of-senior-level-development.html

Simon Sinek: “Start with why”

https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7108725-start-with-why

HBR study about why people want people who could do their job

https://hbr.org/2016/12/if-your-boss-could-do-your-job-youre-more-likely-to-be-happy-at-work

Muse article:

1. “Is a Good Coach”

Employees need and appreciate a manager who takes time to coach and challenge them, and not just when they’re behind.

As Muse contributor Avery Augustine put it, “When it comes to clients, the squeaky wheel usually gets the grease.” The same is true, she said, of employees you manage.

But “I realized that every employee needs to be managed—star performer or not,” she wrote. “And simply leaving some employees to do their jobs without any type of feedback or guidance was detrimental to their career development.”

2. “Empowers Team and Does Not Micromanage”

Micromanaging’s a common mistake managers make without even realizing it, one that discourages and frustrates employees.

But Google’s research found that its best managers don’t, instead offering the right balance of freedom and advice, showing they trust their direct reports, and advocating for the team, according to a sample breakdown from an internal presentation included in a 2013 Harvard Business Review article.

3. “Creates an Inclusive Team Environment, Showing Concern for Success and Well-Being”

In the first iteration of the list, this was described as “expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being.”

Several years later, the company’s updated this entry to reflect research on psychological safety that allows for risk-taking—which Google identified as an important characteristic of effective teams—and unbiasing, or the process of becoming aware of and combatting unconscious biases.

It’s not enough just to have a diverse team, good leaders and managers strive to create an inclusive environment every day.

4. “Is Productive and Results-Oriented”

Employees don’t want to work for a lazy boss. They'd rather be part of a team that’s productive and successful, and that’s hard to do if the leader doesn’t set the tone.

Former Muse editor Adrian Granzella Larssen explained that becoming a boss means you have to be on model behavior.

“As a manager, you'll be looked to as a role model,” she wrote. “You can’t expect people to give their best at work if they don’t see you doing it, so be sure you’re always on your A game.” That means putting in the effort and getting results.

5. “Is a Good Communicator—Listens and Shares Information”

Communicating effectively is one of the basics of being a good manager (or a good employee for that matter). But it’s also important to remember that great managers prioritize listening.

“Focused, curious listening conveys an emotional and personal investment in those who work for us,” according to Muse contributor Kristi Hedges. “When you listen to people, they feel personally valued. It signals commitment.”

6. “Supports Career Development and Discusses Performance”

Google recently added the “discusses performance” component to this behavior. The company pointed to research from Gallup that found only half of employees know what expectations they should be fulfilling at work.

“To free employees to take initiative and inspire high performance,” Gallup concluded, “managers need to set clear expectations, hold employees accountable for meeting them and respond quickly when employees need support.”

In other words, managers should not only help their team develop skills and advance their careers, but also be clear about expectations and give honest feedback about performance.

7. “Has a Clear Vision/Strategy for the Team”

Stephanie Davis, who won one of Google’s Great Manager Awards, told HBR that feedback reports helped her realize how important it was to communicate team vision in addition to company vision.

“They wanted me to interpret the higher-level vision for them,” she said. “So I started listening to the company’s earnings call with a different ear. I didn’t just come back to my team with what was said; I also shared what it meant for them.”

A clear and shared vision can also help members of your team work well together.

8. “Has Key Technical Skills to Help Advise the Team”

When Google first released its list of behaviors, the findings were somewhat anti-climactic. “My first reaction was, that’s it?” Laszlo Bock, then the Vice President of People Operations, told The New York Times in 2011.

The entries on the list may’ve been obvious, but their relative importance wasn’t, as Bock’s team found out when it ranked the behaviors.

“In the Google context, we’d always believed that to be a manager, particularly on the engineering side, you need to be as deep or deeper a technical expert than the people who work for you,” he said. “It turns out that that’s absolutely the least important thing. It’s important, but pales in comparison.”

So all hope isn’t lost if you find yourself managing people who know more than you.

9. “Collaborates Across the Organization”

Google recently extended its list by two when its employee survey found that effective cross-organization collaboration and stronger decision-making were important to Googlers.

Whether you’re at a large corporation, an early-stage startup, or a nonprofit, managing your team and leading it to success can depend at least in part on how well you can work with other teams.

Muse contributor Rebecca Andruszka gave some tips for improving communication with other departments for “the collective betterment of the company” (and, as she wrote, to avoid feeling like you work in Congress).

10. “Is a Strong Decision Maker”

Google’s last addition is a reminder that while it’s important for a manager to listen and share information, employees also appreciate one who can make decisions.

Muse Founder and President Alex Cavoulacos urged managers to go one step further and tell their teams not only what decision they’ve made, but also why they’ve made it. The small extra effort helps the team understand context and priorities, improve their own future decision-making, and stay engaged as well as informed.

One of the reasons this research was so effective was that it used internal data to prove what makes managers great at Google (and the company’s re:Work website provides some first steps for others who want to try to replicate its approach).

But that doesn’t mean the list isn’t helpful for people who don’t work there. After all, Google did go from being a made-up word to a household name in just a few years. People and companies now look to it as an example, not only in innovation, but also in its approach to management.

]]> The Manager's Job: Applying Google's 10 Traits Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 01:04:34 In this super-sized episode, Travis and Brandon discuss what makes a great manager, using 10 skills and traits developed by Google's Project Oxygen and updated over the last 10 years. In this super-sized episode, Travis and Brandon discuss what makes a great manager, using 10 skills and traits developed by Google's Project Oxygen and updated over the last 10 years. no full 2 0acb833a-fef9-4c1b-9d56-5de959deecd9 Measure what Matters: An Intro to OKRs Travis and Brandon introduce the podcast, discuss the book Measure what Matters by John Doerr, and talk about the value that OKRs can bring to a team.

Notes:

  • Measure What Matters: https://www.amazon.com/Measure-What-Matters-Google-Foundation-ebook/dp/B078FZ9SYB/
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205
  • Radical Focus: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Focus-Achieving-Important-Objectives-ebook/dp/B01BFKJA0Y
  • ATX Web Show http://atxwebshow.com/
  • Mark Rickmeier (CEO of TableXI) https://twitter.com/markrickmeier?lang=en
]]> Sat, 14 Jul 2018 16:09:00 +0000 brandon.hays@gmail.com (Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means) http://www.managingup.show Travis and Brandon introduce the podcast, discuss the book Measure what Matters by John Doerr, and talk about the value that OKRs can bring to a team.

Notes:

  • Measure What Matters: https://www.amazon.com/Measure-What-Matters-Google-Foundation-ebook/dp/B078FZ9SYB/
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205
  • Radical Focus: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Focus-Achieving-Important-Objectives-ebook/dp/B01BFKJA0Y
  • ATX Web Show http://atxwebshow.com/
  • Mark Rickmeier (CEO of TableXI) https://twitter.com/markrickmeier?lang=en
]]> Measure what Matters: An Intro to OKRs Travis Swicegood, Brandon Hays, Nickolas Means 00:34:09 Travis and Brandon introduce the podcast, discuss the book Measure what Matters by John Doerr, and talk about the value that OKRs can bring to a team. Travis and Brandon introduce the podcast, discuss the book Measure what Matters by John Doerr, and talk about the value that OKRs can bring to a team. no full 1