# Ben Wakefield's Manager Readme

**Director of Information Technology at Integrated Marketing Technologies**

# Motivation for this document

Employers seek loyalty and dedication from their employees but sometimes (often) fail to provide the same in return. I intend to take a more direct approach in maintaining the two-way street. I believe this starts with open and honest communication and feedback from all involved.

The last thing I want is to find out an employee is leaving for another opportunity because we as a company and more specifically I as a manager failed to provide feedback and opportunities for growth tailored to your personal and professional goals.

I view this document as 'step the first' in making this happen. Step the second is making sure I continually check in with my team to make sure I am on track. Step the third is updating this document as I learn; so feel free to reference whenever you need some quick answers about working with me.

# My role

My role is building people first and managing the technology second. It's my job to look after the health of the team; it's my responsibility to make sure you are happy, successful, and making progress on your personal and professional goals. If I am successful in this then our ability to delivery exceptional solutions of high quality will be unmatched.

At the end of the day; I am here to support and enable you and your work.

# Background

I have been working with computers my entire life. I wrote my first lines of code somewhere around 4th or 5th grade with a book I got from the library.

I have experience in Retail, Oil & Gas, Marketing, and Not-for-Profit organizations.

I am extremely passionate about system design and architecture and building the right thing, the right way.

I hold a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Toledo.

I am a husband. A father. A DIYer. I dabble in way too many hobbies to be really good at any one of that. I like learning and experimenting. I'd love to find/make time to learn to fly.

# What do I value most?

**The Boy Scout Rule(s)**:

- **Leave things BETTER than you found them:**  This goes for all aspects of everything we do; not just the source code we write.
- **Do Your Best:**  If there is something that is going to prevent that -- let me know so we can remove the roadblock.

**Family** : Our home life is just as important as work; if not more so. We would not be the people we are without the love and support of our family. Family comes first; always.

**Teamwork** : Trust your team. If you have their back they'll have yours. Nobody gets through life unscathed - it is much easier to share the load.

**Ownership** : Always be personally accountable for your work and your commitments. That goes for me too; do not hesitate to call me out if I'm not owning a commitment I've made to you! I want everyone to have 'skin in the game'.

**Freedom** : This covers a couple things:

- **Freedom to do your job** : I believe we do our best work when we are free to do what we think is right. I trust you to do the right thing but expect you to share your plans with the team before starting; especially if a pretty significant effort is required.  
- **Freedom to speak your mind** : Any suggestion, idea, or thought can be valuable if presented respectfully and clearly. Any negative response from me will likely be due to presentation over content.

**Continuous Improvement** : We need to be always improving ourselves. This takes on many forms and should be valued both personally and professionally. "_[If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Shinseki)_" Growth is life, stagnation is death.

# My Expectations

**Schedule and Calendar**** :** I am typically in the office from 8:30 to 17:30. I'll occasionally communicate outside of those hours; but if it is outside of your shift I don't expect a response. If it is _truly_ urgent I'll say so; but I do not expect you to drop everything you are doing when you are on your time.

I try to keep my Calendar as current as possible. Schedule time with me whenever needed. To this end if my calendar shows me booked; I probably am. I'll decline if I can't make it or suggest another time right then. On occasion I will block time so that I can focus on some specific tasks; but I am usually very flexible with this; so if you see a conflict just send me a note and we'll make the timing work.  
  
I try to be generally available as much as possible; If the door is open I am available.   
  
**Responsiveness** : Don't let things hang; if you don't have all the details you need or it requires some research; let the other party know immediately. Even if it is only to say "_I need to look into this, can I get back to you by X?_".

**Bad News** : Give it to me ASAP and as straight as possible; no spin. I need all of the details so I can help. When things go a bit sideways it can be tough; but proper and timely communication will give us the best shot of getting things moving in the right direction as quickly as possible.

**Feedback** : Early and often is my preference; that goes both ways. Feedback from me about you and your work as well as feedback from you about me and my work. The sooner the feedback the better it will be; context is crucial!

# 1:1s

I aim to have these bi-weekly for folks reporting directly to me and once a month for anyone who reports to one of my direct reports. I'll book a half hour with you but we can do more or less as needed; if you think we'll need more time let me know as soon as possible so I can ensure we have the time we need. I am happy to take the meeting off-site if that will help; sometimes getting away is invaluable.

I'd like to keep these focused on things that are not related to specific projects or technical problems. There are better venues for those discussions; this is your time for discussing your personal goals, team and company feedback, and ensuring we are on a good track.

If you are not sure what to talk about;  [Lara Hogan's list](https://larahogan.me/blog/first-one-on-one-questions/) is a good place to start. Once we have the ball rolling I want to focus on how I can deliver things you need to advance your goals both personally and professionally. On work projects and your career.

Once we've built up a bit of a cadence (or even if we haven't yet); [make these awkward](https://medium.com/@mrabkin/the-art-of-the-awkward-1-1-f4e1dcbd1c5c)!

Something urgent? Don't wait for our scheduled meeting! Come see me ASAP!

# Personality

I am what is sometimes known as an extroverted introvert. I can be loud and expressive with opinions. That doesn't mean I am always right (even if I say that I am!). I am also just as likely to need quiet. I've been pushing myself to stay more on the outward than the inward but everyone needs a break sometimes.

I believe getting to know my team personally is crucial to not only working well together but in enabling me to do my best for you: understanding your passions and the things that make you tick. I can almost always be talked into going to lunch; especially if it is Chipotle. 

# Where to focus on your first 90 days?

This is a work in process; but the most important thing you can do is try to dig in and be helpful. Seek feedback early and often. Work on getting to know your new team and start asking "what problems can I solve?".