Managing from the Heart

How my own personal “UX” has shaped my approach to UX research management.

When I was little, I wanted to grow up to be a vet. A career in UX research — much less management — was not really part of my imagination or ambition. Even as I grew up, I never aimed to become a manager, and yet, here I am, enjoying an incredible ride mentoring people and managing teams.

What I’ve realized over the years is that management is a deeply personal experience. You might pick up some techniques from mentors or books, but for the most part you slowly develop your own style and philosophy, driven by who you are, your personal experiences, and the people you’re leading.

Here’s how three events in my life have informed the management principles I value the most.

1. Identify and nurture superpowers

When your workplace is full of brilliant people, it can feel like everyone assumes that you were always a straight-A student, just like them. But I was a terrible student for most of primary school. I struggled with spelling (I still depend on spell-check) and couldn’t memorize anything. I remember feeling pretty much resigned to being a horrible student.

One day, I had to stand in front of the whole class and deliver a short essay as part of a school-wide elocution competition. I loved wolves — and was addicted to reading Jack London — so I went up and spoke about them. To my utter surprise, I was chosen as my class’s representative. I still remember the feeling I had that day: I was actually considered good at something. After that, I worked very hard during every elocution competition to win.

The simple recognition of a talent changed my approach from apathetic to dedicated. It’s still a guiding principle in how I operate as a manager. The difference between a checked-out employee and a driven one, I’ve found, is often how well their unique talent has been recognized and utilized. That’s why I spend a lot of time trying to understand what excites each person on my team, and what they do better than anyone else.

Here’s how I put this principle into action:

• Ask up front: When I start managing someone, I ask them what excites them, what they consider themselves to be amazing at, and what their personal goals are.
• Observe: I watch for “shine”: does the person light up when they present in front of people? Do they write beautifully? Are they social and team-oriented? Are they big-picture thinkers? Are they detail-oriented?
• Recognize: I make it a point to express recognition when someone does anything really well. Sometimes I even work behind the scenes to remind others to do the same so that the person feels motivated to embrace their super power.
• Connect: People flourish when you connect them to likeminded people, or those who share a similar super power. I like to introduce my people to others within the company they might not otherwise meet.
• Challenge: When I recognize someone’s strength, I give them opportunities to take that skill to the next level. If they present well, for example, I try to give them larger or more senior audiences. If they’re very creative, I ask them to come up with an unconventional way to land a research insight.

2. Look beyond surface skills

I graduated from my masters in the summer of 2009 — in the trough of the recession. For an immigrant needing an H1B visa, the chances of getting a job in the U.S. were slim. Exhausted by a steady stream of rejection letters, I went to my school’s recruiting event. It was the month before I would have to leave the country. One company had an open slot because of a no-show, and I seized the opportunity.

I’ll never forget that interview. Chad, my later manager, grilled me with questions that seemed crazy, like “how do you decide something is an insight?” and “What do you think is going to be the next big innovation?” He was less interested in evaluating the textbook correctness of my answers than he was in understanding how I structured my thoughts, how well I responded to stress, my perseverance, and my drive.

I reflect a lot on that interview and Chad’s seemingly bizarre decision to hire me. As I manage teams now, I see his wisdom: the difference between brilliant and average performers often comes down to their drive and creativity, not only their skill. When I evaluate potential hires, I try to get a sense of those qualities, as well as their ability to think on their feet under stressful conditions.

Here’s how:

• Ruin perfect plans. After an interviewee proposes a plan for a certain research situation, I often throw a wrench in it to see if they can quickly adapt. It’s a way to get beyond rehearsed answers and textbook knowledge to get a glimpse of the candidate’s creativity.
• Value passion: I ask candidates about the projects they’ve been most passionate about to get a sense of how driven they are when they really love and believe in something. I’d rather hire someone with genuine passion in one area and shortcomings in others than someone who answers everything correctly but isn’t especially fired up about any of it. Training can fix technical deficits. It can’t light a fire under someone.

3. Support struggling team members

When I came back to work after maternity leave, I felt like a train had hit me. I simply did not know how to be productive. Sleep deprivation had stunted my ability to think on my feet — and to put in a bunch of extra hours when needed. I remember spending the first few months wondering how anyone could be productive as a mom. Over time, I learned how adaptive we human beings are, and things got better. The experience helped me become a more supportive and empathetic manager.

Before this experience, I often found it hard to grasp why some team members struggled to do what it took to deliver great work. Now, I work hard to create mechanisms that help team members when they’re going through a hard phase.

Here’s how:

• Rally the team:: When possible, I gather the whole team to express our support toward a colleague who’s going through a rough patch. We’ve made team videos, photo collages, flurries of personal messages. The aim is to let people know they’re surrounded by people who care deeply about them.
• Invest in community: I’ve helped create and maintain mechanisms that help us support each other during tough times (and all the time). We invest in new manager circles, women’s circles, and mom groups.

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that I’m not done having personal experiences that change my management style. Maybe that in itself is another key principle for me: Staying open to experiences, inside and outside of work, that will help me continue to grow as a person and as a leader.

I’d love to hear about experiences in your life that have shifted the way you lead others. Please share them so we can inspire each other.

Author: Shivani Mohan, Director of Research, Facebook Marketplace
Illustrator: Drew Bardana