Not a Manager Readme
This is not a manager README, but you're welcome to read through anyways.
My role
I have a few different roles at Sun Life, in terms of what I do as an engineering manager, the director of infrastructure, and with security/compliance. We may talk more about some of these responsibilties in time (or you may be invovled with them). But my top responsibility is as a people's manager. This is what I see as my priority #1, to enable and grow the people around me.
1:1s
I will make sure we have a 1:1 scheduled weekly, and I will rarely cancel these. These 1:1s will be a critical part of how we interact. We may have a full half hour to discuss diferent things, or we may not have much to talk about. Either is ok. Keeping the rythym and dialogue open is what's important.
You will often hear me say at the start of a 1:1, "is there anything you want to talk about, and is there anything I can do for you?" This may be repeated, but it is meant in earnest every time. I want to be able to help you out, and the 1:1s are a good time to figure this out.
I keep a list of things in a document that I want to talk about, and I sometimes take notes to myself to look at later. If I'm looking or writing during a 1:1, it's for this.
I view 1:1s as a private conversation that we have. I may share with another manager if it's important for me to do so, but otherwise I keep what we say between us. I see this as an important part of a trustful relationship with each other.
Feedback
If you have feedback for me, or about what you're doing, or anything else, you can let me know any time. The 1:1s usually work well for this. I take the feedback you give very seriously, and you'll see a followup on whatever it is.
I will bring up any feedback I have in 1:1s. You can expect to hear both positive and constructive feedback from me over time, but usually positive. The constructive feedback I give will usually be focused on the future, not the past. I find this is often a good way to think about things- it's not about what has happened but how we do things in the future.
Other communication
If you have any issue, you can contact me any time. You may see that my calendar looks busy, or you may hear me say that it's a busy week. Don't have this stop you. I tend to see both Slack and email quickly, and either work fine for me.
I may send you messages at odd hours, late in the evening or on the weekend. Do not take this as a signal that I expect you to be working then- my schedule is sometimes tossed around for family things. Or I may just be choosing to finish up things at a different time. This is not meant as an indication that you need to do this as well.
Your growth
Your growth is up to you, but I will help you in it. I expect at first you'll be learning a lot in your new position, and figuring out how everything works. But often people find themselves, over time, needing new challenges or wanting to learn different things. I can help you with that, and provide support for it.
This is something I really enjoy about my job. I've helped multiple people grow into team leads, for instance. So talk to me about what you're looking for, or make sure you put it in your goals that we'll set over time.
About me
Let's talk, and then I can learn about you too!