The Making of a Manager

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel

We humans are wired to see the bad more clearly than the good. It’s an evolutionary advantage, after all.

I’m by no means a management expert. I’ve learned largely by doing, and despite my best intentions, I’ve made countless mistakes. But this is how anything in life goes: You try something. You figure out what worked and what didn’t. You file away lessons for the future. And then you get better. Rinse, repeat.

I never thought managing was easy. I still don’t.

Just like how there is no one way to go about being a person, there is no one way to go about managing a group of people.

Whatever the skill, don’t be afraid to ask, “Hey, I’m really impressed with the way you [do X]. I’d love to learn from you. Would you be willing to grab a coffee with me and share your approach?”

The key is to treat your manager as a coach, not as a judge.

“Does this feedback resonate with you? Why or why not?

It may seem counterintuitive, but the feedback process should begin before any work does.

You can be someone’s manager, but if that person does not trust or respect you, you will have limited ability to influence him.