bsnchan/calibrate-sf-2017

Notes from Calibrate SF 2017

This is a collection of notes from the Calibrate SF 2017 conference: https://www.calibratesf.com

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New Manager Death Spiral

Michael Lopp - VP of Engineering @ Slack

1. I can do it, I'm the boss

• you sign up for all the things
• you're now signing yourself up as well as your entire team
• failure mode: the quality of work has decreased
• your job is no longer to get things done, it's to get things done at scale

2. I can do it all myself. I'm in control because I'm the boss

• you no longer delegate
• you are no longer building trust or delegating tasks to others
• your job as a manager is to aggressively delegate
• your opinions about the task at hand or other people can easily become facts (this is how politics in the workplace get created)

3. This is not me

• remember - management is not a promotion. It is only a lateral move.
• IC track + Management track are completely separate and independent
• management is a career restart
• the problem is that a lot of silicon valley ICs have just jumped into management

Final notes

• the death spiral is not real
• let others change your mind
• "augment your obvious and non-obvious weaknesses with a diverse team"
• ideas do not become great with agreement
• good ideas from disagreements and discourse
• delegate more than is comfortable
• management itself already has alot of angst to the title since you are already dealing with an employee's compensation and promotion - show you deserve those responsibilities by building trust, overcommunicating, giving and receiving feedback
• being a manager means you're scrutinized in every way - think about whether you are building or corroding trust with every action
• be sure you have great people managers because people are your most valuable resources

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Climbing the Mountain of Leadership Productivity

Jared Jordan - Senior management growth engineering @ Evernote)

• always survey the landscape when you become a new manager
• "the key is always be open to feedback. this is a gift"
• after a 1:1, as your report - how would you rank this 1:1? - allows you to get feedback and spark discussion
• things to talk about with your report:
  • what do you like or don't like about the team
  • what does success look like to you?
• make an event loop for yourself
• suggested event loop:

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Navigating Difficult Conversations

Shivani Sharma - Senior Engineering Manager @ Slack

• it is all about emotional intelligence and building trust
• figure out the way people enjoy receiving feedback and recognition - pro-tip check out larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions
• a google study showed that psychological safety is the biggest factor in building a successful team
• lead by example - how you behave under pressure
• "equanimity" - mental calmness and composure in difficult situations
• talk less and listen more
• breathing - releases cortisol in the system

difficult conversations

1. prepare - stating what happened and what was the effect
2. practice - role-play the difficult conversation with a peer and silent observer
3. deliver - avoid the sandwich feedback (good, bad, good). The sandwich feedback comes off as ingenuine
4. problem solve together on what the next steps are
5. retro on what went well and what could be improved

• when giving feedback, think of what your end goal is
• if someone is talking in circles, let them know that ultimately, you want to help them and perhaps taking a break and revisiting the conversation is needed

resources

• first 1:1 questions - larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions
• "difficult conversations" book - https://www.amazon.ca/Difficult-Conversations-Discuss-What-Matters/dp/0143118447

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The Inclusive Leader: Developing Diverse Teams

Jill Wetzler - Director of Engineering @ Lyft

• We must immediately grant trust to those we lead. We should assume we have ve not earned their trust as leaders
• earn their trust: it provides safety, easier for feedback, and advocacy

diversity

• studies show that 77% of black women report having to prove themselves over and over again
• always be culture aware - be aware of gender pronouns, religious patterns, stereotypes
• tech leaver statistics - http://www.kaporcenter.org/tech-leavers/
• jill would attend under-represented groups at work just to as a silent observer just try to understand how others feel
• volunteer under-indexed groups for new roles or projects
• proactively share their interests with influential people
• publicly endorse proteges for the things they are good at
• hold senior team accountable for sponsoring others

giving feedback

• giving feedback when it sucks is your job
• as managers of humans, we have to overcome our fear of human emotions
• when giving feedback, state the following:
  • observation - factual, indisputable
  • impact - outcome as related to expectations
  • expectation - fair for their level
  • assistance - take an active role for their development
  • check yourself for bias

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Engineering Management anti-patterns

Rod Begbie - Engineering Managment @ Dropbox)

different kinds of managers:

• the cloner - you can't expect everyone to learn the same way you do

• the decider - you can't decide things on people's behalf

• the buddy - reports need to trust their managers to give them their feedback

• the a**hole

• the joker - people will believe everything you say

• the wolf-cryer

• be aware of the power dynamics if you are the joker

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Daydream Believers

Michael Ruggiero - Senior Engineering Manager @ Twilio

• you are a secondary school guidance counsellor
• 1:1 - what do you want to do in 5 years, 10 years...
• before you do a pip:
  • is it measurable?
  • is it too hard?
  • is it too easy?
  • people need feedback more than advice
  • before giving a pip, give them a 'side' project to let them have a chance to prove themselves
  • tell them you want to be able to delegate a project for them
  • project can't be trivial but can't be critical either
  • this might not be the right job for them but give them a project to have a chance to succeed

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• gap between p2 and p3
  • clear verbal & written communication
  • intuiting the perspectives and emotions of others
  • prioritization and time management
• people normally expect career growth to be equal "steps":

expectation

i.e. business impact vs years of engineering experience

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reality

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Resources

• book: management handbook
• book: difficult conversations
• book: gum.co/present-ebook/calibrate2017
• slides: "the art of pre-meeting" - https://www.slideshare.net/KarenCatlin/the-premeeting-a-secret-weapon-for-new-managers/1
• blog: larahogan.me/blog/
• slack: rands leadership slack - nice community of tips for 1:1 and finding other engineering leaders - http://randsinrepose.com/welcome-to-rands-leadership-slack/