I talked to them. I was then summoned by management because it was no the right time to talk to them and that I should way end of the year PMDs to do so.
I gave the staff problems, issues and assignments. I always let them develop and implement the solutions. The only time I would intervene or put pressure on them is if things had to move faster.
Also I had no problem with failure as long as it was a good failure.
One thing I had going for me is that the bulk of my group’s work was an operational mission. That allowed us to get daily wins and close things out pretty quickly. We did have a number of long projects but it was normal to get an issue at 9am and for it to be closed out that same day. Also it was a fun job.
Its not leadership to oversee or dictate all activity of your staff.
It is your job to resolve or remove anything that prevents, disrupts or makes it harder for your staff to do their job. Take that philosophy and you’ll do fine.For me, it is meeting the people on the team where they are to support them. Some people need me to just get out of their way and let them do their job while being there for the occasional time they need some guidance, while others need some more attention because they seek out my guidance more often, or need a bit more steering to ensure they are making the right decisions.
I also try to be clear about my overall expectations. They should never be surprised by my reactions to anything, they know where I tend to be a stickler about doing something a specific way, and they should know where I’m willing to be a bit more relaxed. I show appreciation when someone does well, and provide coaching in private when something doesn’t go well. They know that I accept that mistakes happen, but my expectation is that they learn from it and avoid it happening from then on.
Remember that you are a part of the team and not above your co-workers. Listen to input from your team and communicate properly, be open to being corrected and be willing to let other people have the answers when you don’t, and make sure they get the credit for their work and ideas. Most importantly, work with your team, you’re not there to tell people to get things done, you’re there to get things done with them. Get in there and get your hands dirty.
Let people know when they’ve done a good job. Don’t brown nose or make a big deal out of it, you don’t need to throw a pizza party or celebrate, but a, “Hey, great job, you fuckin’ killed it,” when it’s earned can go a long way for basic morale, and morale dictates more than anything else on a team.
Listening and not talking in one on ones and I’m transparent about what is being managed down to me.
So many times I can tell when my boss has been yelled at by his boss, so he has to come yell at us about whatever. If he would simply say “this is what the people upstairs want to see, how would we implement it?” he’d get a much more receptive audience.
Don’t micromanage. Ask questions and help people solve their own problems. Actually know what you are talking about and telling people to do so you have a good perspective.
Since there is a power imbalance, I would not put much stock in praise like that. People not wanting to leave, not calling in sick a lot, not going to HR to complain are probably some better indicators, with the caveat that every job is different and those are not universally applicable criteria.
I’ve been told I’m more adaptable, more ready to meet the organisation where it is and find solutions than coming in telling them what to do and being staunch about it.
I’ve treated the team fairly and let them have more autonomy to do things and support them. The previous manager had several conflicts with the team over how they wanted the work done.
I led a union movement that was aggressive enough that local management was too scared to lead a union busting campaign. As a result, I got told at one point I was a good leader by a nonmanagement HR person
How do I start a union at my hospital?
Start by getting a list of all your coworkers. Work through the list to identify people who you think would be open to the idea.
Begin agitating around some bullshit the company pulled, and have one-on-one conversations to try and recruit influential people to your organizing committee. Your OC should meet regularly, like twice a month or once a week, to discuss issues, challenges, who you talked to, and more.
As your union grows, it’s time to start taking action. Publicly agitate at work by marching on the boss, disrupting the floor, writing petitions to management, or any other action to confront the boss and engage your coworkers. Don’t forget to keep having conversations either! Actions build strong support, but you don’t win if your OC isn’t connecting with people individually.
Once you have at least 65% coworkers supporting you, then its time to get recognition by the government to earn your right of collective bargaining. Details about this vary by region, but in the US this typically involves everyone signing a Union Authorization Card. This part of the campaign is where you’re most likely to get the anti-union campaign from the boss, so be prepared to shut it down. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to consider connecting with a larger union to amplify your voice as a worker in national politics.
Time to bargain! Elect a bargaining committee, write a vision statement, select union stewards, build a mobilizing committee, and fight for better conditions!
Not be in the US?
So, I’m not a manager, but I am in a leadership position. (I’m a “tech lead” on my team of developers, and I hold more “leadership”-ness than tech leads do on some teams.) And my experience comes more from software engineering than anywhere else.
The first rule is that to be a good leader, you have to be a good person. Don’t “switch teams” if/when you become a manager. Your job is to advocate for your team. To cover and take blame for your team. To give them space to work. To give them the autonomy they need to improve their processes. To make sure they know they have the autonomy they need to improve their processes. To be vocal to your team in calling bullshit on upper management and agree with your team when your higher-ups do bullshit. To absorb bullshit from above as best you to prevent it from impacting the team any more than absolutely necessary. To talk your team up. To make sure their work is as “meaningful” as possible. To bolster their egos by trying to get them a bigger slice of the “jurisdictional pie”. To ease up when they’re struggling. To learn from them and along with them. To ensure to the extent you can that they get insight into what’s going on at higher levels of management (the high-level company goals and how what your team does fits into that as well as how decisions that might affect your team are made high up). To support your team’s basic needs (sleep can be a big one when overnight on-call is involved, do everything in your power and everything not in your power make damned sure your team never has to do overtime, and of course money is tied to basic needs). To make sure the biggest personalities on your team don’t silence or drown out others. To eschew needless busywork and take care of the necessary tedious bookwork behind the scenes so your team doesn’t have to. To make time for your team, both on an individual basis and on a whole-team basis. To be a source of comfort. To foster relationships between your team and those outside their team that they need to work closely with to succeed as a team. To let them self organize. And to be honest, humble, and apologetic when you have made mistakes, and also open about the fact that you’re learning how to be the best you you can be.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES fall into the trap of thinking you’re “in charge”. There are very few circumstances in which you should tell people what to do or assign things to people. (Help them to learn how to pull assignments rather than pushing assignments onto team members.) Also, don’t try to “leave your mark” or push your agenda on the team. (No “I’m going to improve things”. More “I’m going to help my team improve their own processes.”) Push the team’s agenda to those above you.
A few resources you need to read/watch/consume/whatever, whether you’re in IT or not:
- #NoEstimatesYouTube – Relates strongly to the “take care of tedious bookwork” one above.
- Turn The Ship AroundBook
- The Phoenix ProjectBook
Not top brass, but I’ve been in/am in mentorship roles. Not leadership in the strictest sense of the word, but I might as well pitch in. I think a big factor in what makes or breaks a good mentor/mentee relationship is acknowledging that your mentees have different goals than you. You may want a project to finish on time, but not everyone does. You need to cater to your mentees to make sure they’re getting what they want out of the relationship - you’re kind of working for them just as much as they’re working for you. It’s a lot of work to be a mentor
