Managing

What’s it like working with me? Maybe this will help.

Here’s my Manager Readme: a one-pager that lays out my leadership style. It’s continuously evolving.

Goals

Being a manager is a title. Being a leader is a purpose. For you, I strive to be both. Some days we’ll dig into the nitty gritty of your work. Other days I’m showing off your value and impact to executives. I promise to always bring my whole, authentic self to the table. (I hope you feel the same way, too.)

My focuses: 1) Lead and grow the skills of UX Writers and Content Strategists, 2) Maintain and evolve the company’s voice, tone, and brand strategy to ship valuable products, and 3) Strengthen the design-thinking culture.

Leadership values

  • Kind and strategic choices with an infinite mindset
  • Psychological safety based on Brené-esque empathy
  • Continual education on hard and soft skills (mine, too)
  • Protection with my confidentiality, coaching, and intervention, if needed
  • Transparency where communication is sincere and no question is too small
  • Fulfilling, meaningful work through initiative
  • Career preparation within the company—and beyond

Mutual expectations

  • Arrive with allyship, not apathy
  • Be present and engaged (I admire a closed laptop during a meeting)
  • Communicate—keep me and your peers in the loop
  • Provide feedback that’s compassionate, candid, and specific
  • Receive feedback with curiosity
  • Ask questions (and practice asking really good ones) before solutioning
  • Own your career and take initiative; we’ll find opportunities for you to shine together

Weekly rituals

One-on-ones. This is your time. We’ll look at your current workload and check in on your long-term development—career goals, team conflicts, professional and personal highlights…

Team huddles. This is our time. We’ll a do roundtable and then workshop concepts, discuss industry hot topics, and stay fresh with skill-building activities.

Office hours. I have an open-door policy. (I was a teacher, after all.) Stop by my desk or pop into my virtual room if you need anything. First come, first serve. Bring guests, like fellow designers or researchers, if that’s your fancy.

Personality type

I’ve been told these assessments reflect me well.

TLDR: I’m a gregarious optimist who takes pride in my work. Add a pinch of a “yes, and” philosophy from my theatre days. My favorite moments are having fun team building as well as the take-a-deep-breath conversations about what’s hard and real.

If you’re one of my reports, I’d love your feedback. It’s important to me that I actually live up to these values.

If you’re a fellow manager, chat with me about your own secret sauce. There’s so many ways to lead—let’s keep each other fresh.

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