My Expectations for Managers

These are my basic expectations for managers that report to me

Engineering Manager at Dropbox

Basic Manager HygienePermalink

Have weekly 1:1s with all your direct reports, don’t skip them
Run a tight meeting, keep to an agenda, send out meeting notes and action items
Hit quarter level commits 95% of the time, prioritizing external commitments
Commitment misses should be on the lowest priority items
Be able to “do the math” to rationalize quarter level commits based on team velocity
If you’re going to slip, communicate it early, for example 1/3 of the way in to a quarter

Most of my expectations align to my three personal work principles.

Know ahead of time if someone on your team is at risk of attrition
Flag any attrition risk (including yourself) early; want to know 6 weeks in advance
Have a plan for +2 or -2 headcount. Be able to generate alternative roadmaps quickly
I expect that stakeholder and direct report 360 feedback will show that people are working well together, have empathy for each other, and are able to resolve conflict themselves
Create a safe environment that allows everyone to be their best selves
If you’re blocked, especially on alignment with stakeholders, escalate quickly

Work on the most important things for the business
Make good trade offs between technical and product work
Set a vision that gets people excited about and committed to the work
You need agreement from stakeholders
Don’t wait for a vision, sometimes YOU need to lead here
Maximize reliability by mentoring engineers to flex scope, with stakeholder buy-in, in order to hit commitments

Tags: manager newboss

Updated: February 13, 2020