Things I’ve Learned as a Manager

What Has Being A Manager Taught Me About Work?

• Manage expectations, manage projects, but don’t manage time
  • Maker’s Schedule: fewer meetings, shorter meetings, more time for focused, uninterrupted work
  • Manager’s Schedule: for bosses. Highly structured, always know where you’re going next ¹
• Give people more responsibility, flexibility, and power
• Stay out of the weeds. Less detail is better in most cases.
• Create an environment where people can thrive
• Always believe in your staff, especially when they don’t believe in themselves
• My fundamental responsibility is to equip people with the tools they need to succeed.

What Has Being A Manager Taught Me About Myself?

• I’m a better manager when my team feels empowered, listened to, and respected.
• Managing people’s emotional frailties and personal problems will always be difficult for me, as I value privacy, and don’t want to meddle.
• There is such a thing as being too aloof.
• You will either learn to get over your own insecurities/imposter syndrome, or you will fail.
• The line between too much process and too little is paper-thin: too much process and projects become mired in overhead. Too little, and people will lose their way.
• Being a manager highlights the worst parts of my cynical, distrustful nature.
• Being a manager highlights the best parts of my empathetic, ride-or-die nature.
• I am happiest when I am leading — not managing — others.