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New Manager Survival Guide

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Presentation on theme: "New Manager Survival Guide"— Presentation transcript:

1 New Manager Survival Guide
October 25, 2017 A Psychological Atlantis Chasing A Mirage Tim Boyd Operations Manager, SW and Digital Technology

2 There Is No Formula …

3 Early Career Expectations
Start work on a program in technical role Typically will be given a small task on a larger system Learn the program lifecycle Likely will become the expert (you will always remember it!) You will build on it and grow to a larger task or multiple tasks Skills Required Technical focus Lots of problem solving Pay attention to details Collaborative Motivated Team player

4 What type of Work Will I Be Doing?
Participate in multiple phases engineering life cycle (SW included) Building software components (back end, front end) Software testing and integration Defect identification and evaluation Design/Code reviews Designing to requirements Verifying and validating requirements Unit test your design Learning how to write efficient code

5 Typical Career Paths of Engineers
Technical contributor Functional Management Program Management Everyone has their own path Lattice structure Photo Credit: Jennifer Forsberg – Ladders

6 Roles Throughout Your Career
Technical Contributor Functional Manager Project Manager Technical Contributor, Program Management Skills Early – analysis, tools, algorithms, etc Med – Processes, technical leadership, performance management High – people leadership, cost/schedule, Time

7 Tim Boyd SWDT Operations Manager, Western Region Engineering
Not everyone suited to be a manager Technical career path is exciting and rewarding Classes in project management (when and where)

8 Tactical Planning Strategic Planning Have a plan Now 3 Yrs 7 Yrs

9 Define Your Goals Short Term vs Long Term Technical vs Managerial Depth vs Breadth Traditional vs Digital Visualize and be intentional when considering the goals of your career!

10 To manage or not to manage
Pros … Financial benefits Authority, ownership, responsibility and leadership opportunity Increased exposure and broader perspective Power, influence and prestige Career advancement, achievement and recognition Increased learning opportunities Cons … People are complex Reduced technical work (in some cases) Longer hours and more dynamic Increased responsibility Increased stress Social life adjustments Work/life imbalance What are your motivations for becoming a manager?

11 Work Load Expectations*
Technical Contributor Front Line Manager Department Manager Program Manager Director Executive Technical 95% 80% 0% 25% Managerial 20% 75% 50% Visionary 5% Hrs/Wk 40+ 45+ 50+ 55+ *Percentages are estimated

12 Preparing for the Transition
Begin to think strategically Think big picture and across the organization Ask not what your company can do for you but what you can do for your company Learn to trust others You will have to rely on others at some point You won’t be the expert for everything Find a champion Someone must be willing to be your advocate and go to bat for you It’s all about who knows you, who likes you who respects you Build a strong technical foundation Paramount to building trust, respect, etc Continue to take larger and more complex assignments When you first enter the company to the day before you make the transition

13 Preparing for the Transition
Learn what is required for the next step Perform skill gap analysis and find ways to fill those gaps Learn to lead without authority Take a position where you lead people, but don’t have real authority Clubs, groups, informal work assignments, deputy roles, conferences, etc Develop both your tactical and strategic plan Know where you’d like to go at least in the short term … understand your passion Find people to help you in each of those areas Engage with employees Learn and absorb as much as you can about all roles Mentor/coach other people to help them learn and grow Share knowledge up and down the chain When you first enter the company to the day before you make the transition

14 Preparing for the Transition
Become part of a staffing/hiring team Go to career fairs and be a part of hiring squads Learn what skills are needed across the organization Take on a technical leadership role on a program Learn valuable project management skills Identify how to care and feed your employees while getting work done Learn how to have crucial conversations Learn to transform anger and fear into powerful dialogue Emotional When you first enter the company to the day before you make the transition

15 How To Get The Promotion?
Competence in current assignments Master current duties and responsibilities, gain respect of co-workers and get favorable recommendation from the boss Craft your own opportunity Sometimes you can shape your own opportunity, try to make the case Requires a strong network and champions Keep your pulse on the opportunities and needs Opportunities pop up all the time but aren’t widely advertised Good match with organizational needs Do they need specific management expertise or someone to lead a specific group of individuals? Illustrate passion, desire and readiness to become a manager Handle larger and more challenging assignments (budget, people, impact) Lead without authority, balance technical and soft skills

16 P.I.E. Model Performance: The foundational technical work you are responsible for and the quality of results you provide Image: This is who you are as an individual. This is your personal brand. Are you a positive person? Do you think strategically? Do you lead with solutions rather than roadblocks? Exposure: Who knows who you are? Who knows what you do? Does their boss know you and what you do?  Who else knows who you are and what you do (both internal and external to your org)? 10% 30% 60% *Harvey Coleman: Empowering Yourself, The Organizational Game Revealed

17 Analyze and Assess Your Network Types of Networks
Birds of a feather: Your contacts are too homogeneous…they’re all like you. Echo chamber: Your contacts are all internal; they all know each other. Pigeonholing: Your contacts can’t see you doing something different Network lag: Your network is about your past, not your future.

18 How do you know when the time is right?
If you are consistently: Mentoring junior engineers Thinking strategically Excelling above expectations Helping roll out new initiatives Not fulfilled with solely technical work Taking more responsibility Helping others solve problems Empathizing with others Looking for solutions

19 Congrats on the Promotion!

20 Roles and Responsibilities: Skills you need:
What is a Manager? Roles and Responsibilities: Cost/schedule Delivering milestones Staffing Employee development Performance Management Skills you need: Organization Time management Delegation Communication (written/verbal) Interpersonal skills Project management As a manager, you no longer ride the rollercoaster. But you operate it. That should exhilarate you. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s not for you. – David Loftesness

21 Any Given Work Day I Have…
4-6 hours of meetings s 5 New Technical Challenges

22 What to expect in the new role?
People are very complex They are motivated by very different things Some will be rockstars, some drivers, others passengers Less time will be spent on technical work You need to focus on leading the team and managing cost/schedule/deliverables/etc Spend time learning how to manage/delegate effectively Lots of care and feeding of employees You are responsible for keeping them busy, helping them resolve technical issues, bringing in SMEs, etc Some will need more help than others, some will take lots of time Much more technical coordination Solving key technical challenges that requires multiple experts Working across teams and delegation

23 What to expect in the new role?
More time spent reviewing technical solutions/results Code collaborator, peer reviews, SME evaluations Standardized tools/processes/methodologies More time communicating results Communicating via systems thinking Learn to summarize key successes/challenges/strategic decisions More time worrying about cost/schedule (meeting deadlines) You will think about deadlines differently (award fees, EVMS, PMR, CEAC, etc) More time thinking about employee development Teams benefit from diversity of thought and experience Cross train and job rotations are the new norm

24 What will change? Perspective/Vision Social circle
Understanding of people Trust in others Awareness Desire to help others Organizational structure Sphere of influence

25 Manage In Multiple Dimensions
Influence Manager Peers Team Photo Credit: MC Escher

26 Phase I: Take The First Steps
Get to know your team Say goodbye to technical work (at least temporarily) Check current state of affairs Learn about all roles and expertise Understand the schedule and deliverables Identify your superstars Get a management mentor Adapted from:

27 Phase II: The Learning Curve
Regular staff meetings Check in with the team Meet with your mentor Communicate up and down (overcommunicate) Learn about unfamiliar technical areas Identify efficiencies/deficiencies Trial and error Learn from your peers Adapted from:

28 Phase III: Make an Impact
Phase II efforts Make small adjustments based on learning curve Begin providing vision and guidance Learn to trust your teams Build and environment of trust Celebrate the successes Embrace failure and shield your team Work with your peers to find synergies Adapted from:

29 Overcome Your Fears You won’t have all the answers
You have limited scar tissue You might not own the resources You are accountable for failures You are in the hotseat You will have to make unpopular decisions You are responsible for performance management You might have to redeploy talent or let someone go

30 Why Do Engineering Managers Fail?
Too risk adverse Lack of political correctness Uncomfortable with ambiguity Too process driven & focused on details Lack of emotional intelligence Inability to communicate effectively Deficiency in management skills & perception Not cognitive of manager’s roles & responsibilities Narrow interest and preparation

31 Personal Development Recommended Reading
THE ALCHEMIST 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE HOW STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A … THE MYTHICAL MAN MONTH HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE START WITH WHY NEVER EAT ALONE LEADERS EAT LAST

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