Do you really want to be a manager?

Notes from Prototypes, Process and Play Conference, 2017

Image from The Mars Agency

Suzanna Bierwirth, CCO of The Mars Agency, gave a brilliant lightning talk at PPP today. Below are my notes.

Before you go into management, consider — do you want to manage, or do you just want more cash?

How are you going to manage yourself once you are a manager?

1. The work is no longer your work. Delegate or die.
2. Help others succeed at the IC work.
3. Find your inner circle

• People you trust
• Person who will call you on your BS
• Person who understand your vision
• Don’t change yourself — don’t think you have to be perfect or a super star. Build on your strengths. Perfect who you really are.

Managing your people

1. Know your people

• Why are they there?
• Do they want money?
• Do they want to advance their career?
• What is going on in their life?
• Find your “informer” — the gossip who will keep you informed

2. Know what your people are good at

• Know what their superpower is
• Don’t put people on projects where they are set up to fail — work with their strengths

3. NEVER throw your people under the bus.

• All the work that comes out is your responsibility.
• If your team messes up — it’s your mess up

How to manage your boss (from boss’ point of view)

1. Know how your boss needs to receive information

• Do they hate long emails?
• Do they prefer in person communication?
• Prefer texts?

2. Don’t let me hang there — I have a boss, too

• Don’t let me get blind-sided.
• Don’t come and dump emotion on me
• Bring me information

3. Don’t come to me in a panic. Bring me options for your problem.

• Help me give you good input

4. Have a plan when you talk to me

• Frame the problem appropriately
• For example, as a manager going to your director, don’t say “I need to hire people!” rather, frame the business problem:
  “I am turning down work and we are losing money. We just can’t handle the capacity.”
• When your boss says “Maybe we should hire more people!” let them know how brilliant that is.

Do you have any tips for people transitioning into management? Please share them!