Management Tips From My ex-Boss and Mentor

I've had good managers to guide me when I was an engineer. And I had a good mentor who supported my career development even from far away.

Tips I got from my very good ex-manager who brought me into management:

1. Give credit to your direct reports. When they get the credit, and other people know about the good job they've done, you will automatically get the credit as well
2. No need to worry about the whereabouts of the engineers. What she said: “sometimes when they are not in their cubicles, I don’t even know where they are” but as long as the work is done, and expectations are met, it is okay.
3. There will be gaps between you and your direct reports. Face it. But it is okay. They might distance themselves from you but it is okay (earn their trust)
4. Communicate often. Forward them management emails as "fyi's", don't refrain. They might not read all, but you've created an impression that you're open to sharing information including management info. Imagine what would happen if you don't...
5. Never ever give the wrong information (i.e. lie) to your engineers.

Some of the lessons I got from my mentor about managing teams (engineers):

1. Treat the engineers with respect. Bridge the manager-engineer gap with it.
2. You won't have time to get to know all their work in details. Give them the freedom how to complete their work within boundaries defined. Give them space.
3. People will naturally develop into more significant roles. Appreciate this fact. Assign accordingly
4. Listen to their input. They know more about the technical content within their job scope. But you decide the direction
5. Give feedback. When you want to give constructive feedback, start with a positive feedback and acknowledgement. Put the constructive feedback in a non-threatening way. ".. this is very good, the only thing I would add is..."
6. Be open. Keep the lines of communication open. Be approachable for discussions. Make time for discussions
7. Acknowledge their accomplishments. Say good things often. Make people happy about their work
8. Managers set the tone of how the team will behave - open, fun, outgoing, trusting, tense, quiet, etc. Realize this fact.

Some of the lessons I got from my mentors about managing a project team

1. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself & the team. Don't burn them early in the game
2. When you have a backup plan, define trigger dates & trigger conditions that tell you when you should turn on that backup plan
3. When you're on the critical path, whatever you request to management will likely be granted. If not, you'll still get some form of significant help. You are now the most important person to the project stakeholders. Use it wisely.
4. Experience counts. Listen to those who have them. But you hold the decision.
5. Know the decision making process and when to use them: directive, consultative, majority, consensus, delegative.
6. Know the different priorities in different phases. Plan accordingly.
7. Get the bottoms up schedule from the team to compare with top down schedule. If it is clear that project goals are impossible to meet within timeline defined, propose tradeoffs between variables (timeline, resources, budget, scope) and let upper management make the call.
8. During a crisis, micro-manage. But in a good way.