studies in terror: becoming a people manager

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

Studies in Terror: Becoming a People Manager


h@p://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3667608102/


“We want to give you people management responsibiliPes”


PEOPLE

MANAGEMENT

I heard…


PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

This is mostly the story of how I realized it was really…


But first, let’s look at some of the scary realiPes…


1) You (probably) won’t have the most experience


2) You won’t be the smartest

(and if you become the smartest, you’re Doing It Wrong)


[I considered making a collage of all the people I’ve managed who are smarter than me, but they

a) wouldn’t all fit on a slide and b) I really suck at collages]


3) Being a good maker/do-‐er doesn’t equip you with people

management skills


4) These are real people. With real lives, families, traumas, triumphs.

Your people will go through things

you haven’t had to face yet.


TradiPonal management beliefs are a pile of crap

h@p://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_Dung.JPG


WHAT DOES WORK? Sooo….


Across industries, across countries, the

best performing teams answer certain

quesPons posiPvely


Predictors of High Performance 1.  Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2.  Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3.  At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4.  In the last 7 days, have I received recogniPon or praise for good work? 5.  Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a

person? 6.  Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7.  At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8.  Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is

important? 9.  Are my co-‐workers commi@ed to doing quality work? 10.  Do I have a best friend at work? 11.  In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my

development? 12.  At work, have I had opportuniPes to learn and grow?


Understand MoPvaPon

•  Autonomy •  Mastery •  Purpose


Autonomy 1.   Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2.  Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3.   At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4.  In the last 7 days, have I received recogniPon or praise for good work? 5.  Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a

person? 6.  Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7.   At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8.  Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is




Mastery 1.  Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2.  Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3.   At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4.   In the last 7 days, have I received recogniPon or praise for good work? 5.  Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a

person? 6.   Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7.  At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8.  Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is

important? 9.   Are my co-‐workers commiTed to doing quality work? 10.  Do I have a best friend at work? 11.   In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my

development? 12.   At work, have I had opportuniPes to learn and grow?


Purpose 1.  Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2.  Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3.  At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4.  In the last 7 days, have I received recogniPon or praise for good work? 5.  Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a

person? 6.  Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7.  At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8.   Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is




What’s Lem? 1.  Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2.   Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3.  At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4.  In the last 7 days, have I received recogniPon or praise for good work? 5.   Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a

person? 6.  Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7.  At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8.  Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is

important? 9.  Are my co-‐workers commi@ed to doing quality work? 10.   Do I have a best friend at work? 11.  In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my



CREATE SPACE FOR YOUR PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE

Your job as a manager…


PROTECT PURPOSE

BE A TRANSLATOR – MAKE PURPOSE, STRATEGY & DIRECTION MAKE SENSE

CONNECT WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING

(AND CAN DO!) TO OVERALL IMPORTANT PURPOSE


h@ps://[email protected]/Caterina/status/6715084157

BE A BULLSHIT UMBRELLA


ENABLE AUTONOMY & MASTERY

Skills/Knowledge

Direction


Skills/Knowledge

Direction

Know what to do, don’t have all the skills to do it

Know what to do and equipped to

do it

Got skills, need direction

Huh? Where are we? What are we

doing?

ENABLE AUTONOMY & MASTERY


h@p://www.flickr.com/photos/8250578@N06/8625641442/


h@p://www.flickr.com/photos/provoost/2246718091/


SKILL DEVELOPMENT

UnconsciousIncompetent

ConsciousIncompetent

ConsciousCompetent

UnconsciousCompetent


DELIBERATE PRACTICE •  You must be moPvated to a@end to the task and exert effort

to improve your performance.

•  The design of the task should take into account your pre-‐exisPng knowledge so that the task can be correctly understood amer a brief period of instrucPon.

•  You should receive immediate informaPve feedback and knowledge of results of your performance.

•  You should repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks.


COACHING: GROW MODEL

GOAL

REALITY

OPTIONS

WILL


SWEAT THE “SMALL” STUFF

Autonomy, mastery & purpose can’t overrule or compensate for poor tools / environment / lack of

inclusion / lack of caring forever


PAY ATTENTION TO ENERGY

Positive

High

Low

Negative

SHINEWHINE

toast coast


CULTIVATE CULTURE & INCLUSION

This deserves a whole session in its own right

One specific, powerful heurisPc

though…


“SOMEONE LIKE ME CAN BE SUCCESSFUL HERE”

Your ability to recruit & retain people depends on how much they can agree with this statement:


CARE ABOUT YOUR

PEOPLE

And the Most Important Thing…


THANK YOU FOR LISTENING J

GO FORTH AND BE AWESOME

MANAGERS.

YOUR PEOPLE NEED YOU.

studies in terror: becoming a people manager

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