What I've Learned About Being a Decent People Manager

As I sit here during my morning coffee break, reflecting on two decades in the dynamic world of IT, with over half of that time spent navigating the complexities of people management, I'm reminded of the diverse profiles and unique challenges I've encountered along the way.

This isn't a guide with ten foolproof steps to managerial success — instead, it's a candid sharing of insights gleaned from real-life experiences, aimed at shedding light on what it truly means to be a decent people manager.

People Manager on Meetings

• Dos: Have one-on-one meetings with your employees. It doesn't matter how often or where (in person, video, call) — they should address individual needs appropriately, whether weekly or monthly, but not once in a lifetime, please.
• Don'ts: Avoid reaching out to your team only when you need something, one-on-one conversations should also allow employees to bring challenges and topics for discussion, and for you to guide and mentor them.
• Dos: In team meetings, ensure clarity on how their work aligns with company objectives. It's crucial for the team to understand the discussions taking place at higher management levels and how those discussions translate into their day-to-day work.
• Don'ts: Avoid turning team meetings into therapy sessions for you or team members to vent frustrations, or using them solely for status updates or task assignments.
• Dos: Respect the team's collective brainpower. Use a structured agenda in team meetings that allows team members to contribute and walk away with a clear objective. Ensure clear notes, action items, and assign ownership.
• Don'ts: Avoid making meetings into monologues or spending excessive time on topics relevant to only one team member.

People Manager on Feedback

• Dos: Provide timely feedback throughout the year, addressing performance and development needs promptly.
• Don'ts: Don't save all feedback for annual reviews, which should confirm achievements and discuss overall progress, not deliver surprises.

Consider creating an Annual Reflection document annually, updating it with achievements, behavior, KPIs, opportunities, and challenges.

• Dos: Enable a safe environment for open conversations, cultivating a culture where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, concerns, and ideas without fear of reprisal. Encourage feedback, especially directed towards your own performance and leadership style. Actively seek input from your team and demonstrate openness to constructive criticism. View feedback as an opportunity for personal growth rather than personal criticism. Reflect on feedback received; consistent concerns from multiple team members may indicate blind spots you need to address.
• Don'ts: Avoid reacting defensively or dismissing feedback, even if you initially disagree. Respect and acknowledge different perspectives. Take time to reflect on feedback, even if it requires a few days. Remember, feedback is invaluable for improvement; don't let negative reactions hinder your growth. It's essential to maintain trust and openness with your team.

People Manager Leading by Example

• Dos: Lead by example, maintaining consistent speech and behavior across different audiences. Ensure integrity and alignment between your actions and words, whether interacting with your team or in other settings.
• Don'ts: Avoid behaving differently with your team compared to how you present yourself in other settings. Consistency in your conduct builds trust and credibility. Remember, individuals may witness your behavior across different contexts, and inconsistency can erode trust and diminish your leadership effectiveness overall.
• Dos: Ensure clear and consistent messaging on priorities, expectations, and task ownership. Communicate clearly to avoid confusion and ensure everyone understands their responsibility. Make information publicly accessible and avoid duplicating efforts, which can lead to dissatisfaction. If plans change, communicate updates promptly.
• Don'ts: Avoid assigning the same task to multiple people in different contexts or calls. This creates inefficiency and confusion within the team, especially when team members communicate with each other about assignments. Consistency in task delegation helps maintain team efficiency and morale.
• Dos: Invest in silent promotion, training individuals to become effective managers and leaders within their team before formal promotion. Provide support and development opportunities to prepare them for success.
• Don'ts: Force team acceptance of leaders without adequate preparation or training. Respect the team's dynamics and readiness for leadership transitions. Avoid making changes that are perceived as mistakes by multiple people in your organization without reflecting on feedback and considering impacts.
• Dos: Practice silent hiring. Lead by example across the organization, not only your team, to cultivate interest among team members in leadership development. Mentor those showing potential to facilitate career growth.
• Don'ts: Assume you cannot learn from others or isolate technical teams. Encourage an open environment for learning and development across teams.
• Dos: Investigate root causes of team performance issues before seeking assistance from others within your group.
• Don'ts: Continuously request help without addressing the root cause, which unfairly burdens your team and delays resolution of issues.

At the end of the day, if you walk away from this conversation with only one thing, I'd say this — Please be respectful.

Be respectful of your team's work and avoid personal gain at their expense. Your team supports your success, but don't exploit that. Their work should serve the company and its customers, not you.

Be respectful of team members' personal time, refraining from unnecessary contact during vacations, PTO, or when they are sick, or when you know it's quite late in their time zone. Avoid reaching out for tasks you can handle independently, such as finding links, emails or sharing details from past conversations.

Be respectful and enable your team rather than using them. Your success lies in their success; it's about contributing collectively to the team's achievements, not shining individually.

In closing, effective people management boils down to one principle: respect.

By valuing your team's efforts, personal time, and aspirations, and by enabling rather than exploiting, we enable an environment where everyone can succeed.

Let's continue to cultivate strong leadership across our industry. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Adonay Mello

This text has been reviewed by ChatGPT for improved structure and grammar, while the final content remains a product of my own reflection.