It’s been 5 years since I started managing people. From being a reluctant IC wanting to do everything by themselves, to making peace with losing control, to enjoying the process of nurturing talent, here’re some reflections along this journey.

This is a running list and I’ll likely modify parts of it as I learn more:) If you resonate with parts of it or have a different opinion, do ping me on Twitter. Management is an artform & I would love to learn different POVs here.

• you’ll do a lot of context switching, get used to it. Block your hands-on work time in advance to ensure you’re not constantly jumping meetings. Take that 20mins walk break, you’ll do better!
• somedays will feel like a mess, with everything seemingly urgent. Nothing is as urgent as it seems & people are more understanding than you realise. But you gotta communicate it right.
• when reviewing work, be fully present. When there’re too many things on plate, the instant reaction is to overlook certain aspects to save time. Never do that – that’ll come back to bite you in future.
• you’ll absolutely shape the culture of your immediate team – try to be as much aware of the good & the bad!
• praise others’ work in public – nothing energises more than recognition. Let them know if someone praised them while they weren’t around.
• have hard conversations in private – all while assuring them with psychological safety.
• protect your team in large critiques – it can get overwhelming for those new in the job. Own up the bad, & pass on credits for the good!
• end every meeting with clear action items – that’s not enough, assign people to each right away.
• identify people’s obsession & nurture it – that’s where they’ll shine through.
• give your reportees control in meetings, allow them to showcase their work – let them know you trust them.
• when giving your own pov, start by acknowledging their pov – it’s a confidence booster.
• somedays you’ll end up with no tangible work, but just making decisions & unblocking teams. That’s as much a part of your job – get comfortable with it.
• be as articulate as possible while giving feedback – rely more on first principles & analogies while explaining something.
• abstraction is a powerful tool – but rarely helpful if the person you’re communicating to doesn’t even know what to do with it. Always explain with examples.
• be your vulnerable opinionated self in 1:1s – that’s what your peer is blocking time for. Don’t give typical org-level answers, everyone knows that. Acknowledge the issues, suggest solutions, let them know you’re figuring it out as much & ask for support.
• be a good listener – sometimes people just want emotional support. They already know what to do next.
• while giving feedback, never compare your peer’s progress with someone else’s.
• sometimes you wouldn’t know answers to certain questions – acknowledge it & let them know you’ll come back with an informed answer later. And, do follow up on it:)
• perception matters as much as outcomes – constantly talk to other teams to get a sentiment check.