Full DescriptionThere are three aspects to technology management at Lessonly. The core philosophy that all Lessonly managers adhere to. Systematizing clarity with appreciative inquiry and feedback loops. Mission control, meaning a focus on outcomes in nearly all we do.
We will end this description with some examples of measures that technology managers will be held accountable for.
The core philosophy
The Lessonly Management philosophy is the underlying engine behind everything else within this role. This lesson is the source of truth for this philosophy.
Positions that require this role will be required to have achieved an early milestone of the required abilities for the craft of your domain, to help us make good decisions for our teams.
Positions that require this role will be required to have achieved a milestone 3+ for business knowledge to help ensure we can give good context to our team goals.
Positions that require this role will be required to be milestone 3+ for {mentorship} and {community}, given how vital it is for us to care for the person more than the employee.
These are the most important aspects of management at Lessonly, however, there are three other keys to success for management on the technology team.
Systematize Clarity
Another critical aspect of Lessonly management is seeking clarity (finding out what is working) and giving clarity (ensuring folks know what matters most and why it matters).
Within the tech team, we do that in various ways. One of those ways is seen by the fact that positions which require this role will also be required to be an enablement lead for the appropriate domain, to ensure we are continuously working through this clarity feedback loop.
Systems with feedback loops are a great way to ensure accountability. Accountability to those we serve… being able to hold those we serve accountable, as well as accountability to our teammates. Knowing we can rely on each other.
Balancing autonomy and alignment to make room for innovation...
Building systems with feedback loops so that it is clear what winning is…
Leading with the principles of appreciative inquiry…
These are all vital for the thought work which we are responsible for. Our work product isn’t physical, and can’t be measured purely quantitatively. This means it is on us to foster an environment that embraces uncertainty… encourage a team that embraces constantly changing definitions of clarity… a culture that embraces continuous improvement.
Mission-Control… means focus on Outcomes
We are laser-focused on iteratively, continuously, relentlessly adding value to the vision of making continuous training possible for all customer-facing teams.
The best way to do that is to be continuously learning and improving.
Outcomes, as opposed to outputs or activities, ensure we are all aiming at the same target/rowing in the same direction.
It also gives freedom to have trial and error, which is one of the most tried and true ways to have lasting growth.
Types of managers
The Lessonly technology team greatly values flexibility and adjusting strategy (how we organize to solve problems) based on the strengths of the individuals on the team(s) in question. Therefore, the positions which require “people management” (or the term I prefer, accountable servant leadership), will also not all look the same. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some potential types. \
Key Result(s) / Outcomes
- Onboarding effectiveness
- Time from hire date to a non-apprentice (achieved all of the appropriate milestones) on all of the required roles for the position. Ideally, 3 months from hire.
- Career journey guidance effectiveness
- When those you serve are asked the following question, 80%+ of them (strongly) agree: “When I look back from a year ago to where I am now... what I have achieved… how I’ve grown, I am excited about the progress I’ve made”.
- OfficeVibe 10 key drivers
- We do not hold anyone accountable for these measures directly, because it incentivizes behaviors we don’t want to incentivize… however, managers will have access to and should be aware of the opportunities of things we could do as well as the impacts of the things we have done on these measures. So the measure here is awareness of and a plan of action around this employee engagement data.
Examples
Observation created almost 6 years agoI want to give a well-deserved shout out to our awesome engineering managers.
First off, to Brea, who is making a point spending time getting to know each and every engineer on the team personally. It's really helped me to feel valued by her, and I'm sure will help her relationships with her reporting engineers start off a lot more smoothly. There are a million things she could be doing to be learning about Lessonly, our codebase, how managers here work, etc, but the fact that she has spent time getting to know us (and at more than a group level) shows me that her people are her biggest priority and that's huge. Thanks Brea!
And then of course to Casey, who has been working tirelessly as the solo manager for months now and, even though I wasn't here for most of those months, I feel confident saying she probably never complained. In the time I've been back since being on leave, I've been impressed at how she manages to meet with all of us, answer questions, write up stories, do code reviews, lead hiring, and still manage to be her positive, happy self that we have all come to appreciate. Thanks, Casey, for being a great manager while also leading and lifting up the team in so many ways. We are glad you decided to spend your superpowers on us here at Lessonly. :)
Observation created about 6 years agoThis morning, Gardee reached out to me with the following message:
Hey Hey! Each quarter I work with --name is redacted-- on gathering feedback from teammates they work with day in and day out. Given that, I wanted to see if there were any observations/feedback (I took a look in ourgruuv already but wanted to ping for any additional things) you would like for us to discuss :slightlysmilingface:
HELL YEAH!!!
Way to be a proactive manager and go out and gather the feedback.
Some might wait and see... others might try and have an in-person convo, but asking in a digital forum allows the person you are asking to take their time and give thoughtful feedback.
Also, asking for observations shows that you want things that are actionable and not judgments that we are forced to unpack.
I love, love, love this as an example of ways a manager can help their folks grow.
Observation created over 6 years agoWow... just wow.
First, she tried something new, and added clarity as to how the new thing should flow:
https://lessonly.slack.com/archives/C8UPX4UPM/p1564432055022900
https://lessonly.slack.com/archives/C97TXG1PW/p1564432252002200
Then, the retros happened... all three of them (I wasn't there, so I can't say how they actually went, but as an outside observer, I was impressed with what happened).
Then, she didn't let the things that were discussed die on the vine... no, she took it upon herself to write up the note for all three, with clear actions, and clear ownership of who is going to take on which actions:
https://lessonly.slack.com/archives/C97TXG1PW/p1564675008018100
https://lessonly.slack.com/archives/C8UPX4UPM/p1564675014002100
https://lessonly.slack.com/archives/C97TXG1PW/p1564670582013700
I'm damn near in tears of pride and excitement (I cry a lot, so tears of joy, sadness, and pride are relatively common, but I will say they only come when something in the world hits me in my soul).
Here's why...
I've tried retros of all shapes and sizes. I've hated retros of all shapes and sizes. They are often well-intentioned, but it is really difficult to get a group of adults to open up and share in such a way that useful progress can be gleaned from it.
When looking at the result of this, I think of our value of critique, not complain. Clearly, what happened in those retros is people opened up, put themselves out there, and critiqued and not complained! I see no way clear action items like this could be found without that happening.
This shout out is aimed at Casey, but let's be clear, I'm thrilled with the vulnerability and teamwork that had to be shown by the entire Practice and Tech Services squads. Also, I Casey got the idea for this new format from Aaron (:highfive: man!!)
Casey, it has been amazing to work with you from day one, and every day I am a bit more in awe. Thank you for being you!!
Let's keep it rolling... ONWARD!!