Jenny’s Manager README

Welcome

This document is aimed mainly at those who work for me, but if you work with me in any capacity I’m happy you’re here and reading my README! I hope this document serves as a helpful guide, or refresher, to me as a manager and colleague.

My Goal

My primary goal is to build a high-performing team that delivers consistent value while helping each team member grow professionally. I believe my job is to help you become better at your job through removing obstacles, providing context, and offering timely feedback. As your manager, I’m here to:

• Facilitate your growth through meaningful 1:1s and tailored development opportunities
• Provide clarity on organizational priorities and shield the team from unnecessary disruptions
• Advocate for realistic timelines, manageable tech debt, and quality-focused delivery
• Represent our team’s perspective and capabilities to stakeholders

I want to create an environment where you can do your best work and develop your skills in the direction that interests you most.

What I Value Most

I value transparency, ownership, and collaboration above all else. Helping me looks like proactively raising issues before they become problems, coming prepared to discussions, and participating in our feedback culture.

When conflicts arise, I prefer to address them directly and promptly. I encourage resolving issues through honest, respectful conversation first. If that doesn’t work, I’m happy to facilitate. I approach conflict resolution with curiosity rather than judgment, as most conflicts stem from misaligned expectations.

Feedback is incredibly important to me. I give feedback from a place of genuine desire to help you grow and expect you to share feedback with me equally often. Retrospectives are a crucial part of our team rhythm - they help us celebrate wins and address issues before they become bad patterns.

One of my weaknesses is that I sometimes take on too much. If you notice me overcommitting, please point it out. I also tend to process things verbally, which can sometimes be confusing - if I’m not making sense, please ask me to clarify. Sometimes I might need a few minutes to process on my own, and I’ll let you know when that’s the case.

My Expectations

I expect you to:

• Communicate proactively about your work, challenges, and needs
• Take ownership of your commitments and follow through
• Be curious and continuously learning
• Support your teammates and contribute to a positive team culture

For scheduling time with me, my calendar is up to date - feel free to book any open slot. For urgent matters, Slack is the best way to reach me. When it comes to mistakes, I believe they’re valuable learning opportunities. I expect you to own them, share what happened as soon as you’re aware, and focus on solutions rather than blame. We’ll work together to understand what went wrong and how to prevent similar issues in the future.

I define “Done” as work that has been tested, documented, and is ready to be used by its intended audience without further explanation. This includes making sure the work does what it’s meant to, feels high quality and is reliable and intuitive.

I expect core working hours of 10am-4pm for synchronous collaboration, but understand the need for flexibility. I might send messages outside these hours, but don’t expect immediate responses on evenings or weekends. Don’t feel like you have to be checking Slack outside normal work hours unless you’re on call.

If you feel overwhelmed or under-utilized, please check in with me so we can adjust your workload.

1:1s

I hold weekly 1:1s with each team member, typically scheduled for 30 minutes. These meetings are primarily for you - you should bring the agenda and topics you want to discuss. I may occasionally have items to cover, but this is your time to get what you need from me.

1:1s are important to me. I will not cancel them (though I may occasionally need to reschedule). I’m happy for you to cancel so long as we touch base at least every few weeks.

The main focus of our 1:1s should be your growth, challenges, and well-being - not status updates. To help make our 1:1s productive, here’s a template of what I find most helpful to discuss:

• Recent wins or challenges you’d like to share
• Career development opportunities or skills you’d like to develop
• Feedback for me or the team process
• Any blockers I can help remove
• Actions from previous 1:1s to follow up on

I encourage you to keep a running document of discussion points that we can both access and update. This helps us track our conversations and follow up on action items.

Team Communication

I believe all meetings should have a clear goal and outcome. Every meeting I organize will have an agenda and purpose, and I expect the same from you when you schedule meetings. I’ll experiment with the cadence and format of team meetings to find what works best for our needs and welcome your feedback on what’s effective.

A significant part of my role is to buffer external demands that would disrupt our focus, while ensuring we maintain strong relationships with other teams and leadership. I’ll create regular sync and async touch-points where we can share updates, take questions, and ensure we all have the same shared context.

Expectations for Managers

If you’re a manager reporting to me, I expect you to embrace similar values while developing your own authentic leadership style. Your approach should reflect:

• A genuine commitment to your team members’ growth and well-being
• Clear and transparent communication about priorities and changes
• Regular, meaningful 1:1s with your direct reports
• Active advocacy for your team’s needs and capabilities
• A balanced approach to delivery that maintains quality without burnout

We’ll collaborate on creating the right framework for your team, with regular check-ins to ensure alignment while preserving your autonomy to lead in a way that works for your unique team dynamics. I don’t expect you to be a carbon copy of my management style - in fact, our diverse approaches strengthen the organization when built on shared core values.