Amanda, as your manager.
I am super excited about us getting to know each other as teammates, here is a little snapshot of me that might be useful. We will learn more about each other organically, but this is a quick way to get us started! This will help you understand how I like to work, things to expect, and my north star principles.
As your manager/leader I am here to make sure our team is successful, happy, and working on projects that have a big impact on our customers (both internal and external), improve our product, and improve our business. My priority is to support you, give context to your work, and be your advocate.
Things you can count on! 🔢
My calendar is open to you. I keep my calendar up to date with the exception of ad-hoc meetings and emergencies, please book whatever you need! If we have a meeting scheduled and you need to change the time/location, Slack me and we will make it work.
My schedule 🗓
You can Slack me 24 hours a day and I will respond as quickly as possible. I have more of a work/life mesh, so I like to think of it as a mesh of both worlds. I'm an early morning person. I like to pop my laptop open early and focus on deep work. If I Slack you outside of your working hours I don't expect you to reply, unless there is some emergency (this is rare!).
I will take vacations and personal days and you should too! Being disconnected from work allows me to recharge and come back refreshed so I can do my best work!
1:1s 🎉
I’m a big fan of 1:1s. These meetings are for you to set the agenda. What do you want to chat about? Let’s talk about things that are going well, thing that aren't going well, areas of opportunity, etc. Anything that you would like to chat about is fair game. If it’s nice outside, I love to walk outside while we chat. While video chatting is ideal, please let me know if you’d like to meet with cameras off. Ideally, I'd like to schedule a minimum of 30 minutes with you every other week, but the length, frequency and medium should be based on your needs. This is only a suggested minimum, not a maximum. If we need to talk about a specific project, we will do this in a separate meeting to ensure your 1:1s are your time and agenda!
My Expectations
The Ultimate Team Player 🙌🏽
As a team we should have each other’s backs, hold each other accountable, assume positive intent, always ask questions, constantly learn, and laugh together. I expect you to operate as a Directly Responsible Individual. You were hired because you have the experience, drive, and skills! I am not here to tell you how to do your job. My role is to help you succeed, not to tell you how you should act. I expect you to be a thoughtful and empathetic human with your teammates. I’m here to provide you with guidance and when you need help I expect you to ask for it. You are going to make mistakes and that’s great, own it, learn from it, and let’s move forward. I am flexible with you and your time. I do expect that you are producing work that is high quality and that you are supporting your fellow team members.
Meetings 🎙
Every meeting should have a clear purpose and agenda. When you schedule a meeting the purpose and/or agenda should be included in the description or clearly communicated to invitees ahead of time via Slack/Gmail. Meetings should start on time. If you are running late you should reach out and let the organizer know, but this shouldn’t be a regular practice. Preparing for each meeting is key to being respectful of everyone’s time. I spend time preparing for every meeting and I believe you should too!
North Star Principles ✨
I have a people-first philosophy. It’s all about the people (that means you)! I want us to be in an environment that is positive, fun, and hard-working. Happy people come to work ready to be productive and build the best products and that is important to me. It’s imperative that we build and maintain a culture where everyone wants to be here each day. We do this by ensuring everyone feels safe to use their words, safe to be their authentic selves, and are thoughtful with our words. Building this type of environment will help us to be collaborative and do fantastic work together.
Communication is key 🗝
If you have a problem, please come talk to me about it. We will talk through the problem and solutions together. Some solutions may take time, but I will do my best to follow up with you on when a problem is resolved. I want you to know that I am here to serve and support you first and foremost.
I am bound to make a mistake and I will own it. I am a work in progress and learn from each mistake that I make along the way.
Feedback is the heart of trust and respect. I love feedback! It’s an important part of your success and mine. I am honest, direct, and always like to assume positive intent for every interaction. There is a formal feedback loop that happens annually, but our feedback should be continuous. I will ask you for feedback often. You are welcome to give me clear, honest, and timely feedback at anytime and I will do the same for you. This is a safe environment and I welcome your feedback whether it’s good or bad. We will disagree at times, but talking about it will help us build our trust and respect for one another. In order for feedback to work we will follow these principles: Safety (unlikelihood of being punished for giving feedback; should be high) Effort (The amount of work in order to give feedback, also known as "how much do you argue when people give you feedback?"; should be low) Benefit (how likely is it that giving you feedback will materially impact your behavior? should be high)
Career Growth 📈
The best managers take people to where they want to go and my goal is to do that for you. I want you to grow your technical skills, career, and have fun while doing it. It’s important to remember that your career is yours and you have the ability to set your priorities for how you’d like to grow and in what areas. I expect you to let me know how I can help you achieve them. I will guide and mentor you (whether that means me directly or connecting you with the right person) and together we will craft a plan for you! I’ll do my best to provide you with growth and learning opportunities.