A critical step in managing a professional relationship is setting clear expectations from the outset. Whenever I begin a new reporting relationship, one of the first things I do is start a conversation about exactly that. As an employee, I want to know what exactly what I need to deliver…
So yeah, you're 80 minutes into an hour-long meeting. The team is trying to settle on the design for their next project. There are two different proposals on the table, and each has someone quite senior advocating for it. Perhaps there are factions, with team members clearly siding with one…
As a manager, or anyone responsible for a team, you have to be worried about continuity. An unexpected departure will always slow a team down, but when it happens, it's up to the manager to respond quickly with a compensating adjustment, lest the team be hobbled for a lengthy period.…
Making the leap from individual contributor to management is challenging in the best of circumstances. When I made the transition myself, I honestly felt like I was starting over in my career. I suddenly needed a completely different set of skills to deal with a new set of challenges. It…
As a management technique, the 1:1 meeting is a classic, a cornerstone of building and maintaining a good relationship with the people who work for and with you. But strong professional relationships don't "just happen"; making sure the 1:1 is time well-spent involves both steering the conversation in…
Failure is, of course, the greatest teacher. In reflecting on my "difficult year, professionally" that followed Being Acquired, I found it valuable to walk through my struggles during that period, and consider how I might have proceeded more effectively. The Same, But DifferentOne interesting aspect of the acquisition in question…
I've been part of companies that were acquired a couple of times now. Every acquisition is different, but for those who are chosen to continue the journey with the new company, there are common pitfalls – ones I wish I'd known to avoid. After my first acquistion, I had, honestly, a…
A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post on the delegation of management duties, and I got some interesting feedback, specifically regarding leadership. While I only tangentially touched on leadership directly, it's natural to bring it up in the context on management, as they are so closely intertwined that they…