# Dan Halligan's Manager Readme **Head of Bioinformatics at LifeArc** # Motivation for this document This is my  **Manager README** , which introduces you to my management style, philosophy, and expectations. This is primarily for those who report to me, but is open to anyone. By sharing, I hope to encourage an open, collaborative, and productive work environment that drives innovation and excellence in our team. Please treat it as a reference for how I will conduct myself as your manager, and what I expect from you. You should feel like you can hold me accountable to the contents of this document. When reading this, let me know if you think anything is missing that would help me improve as a manager. # Core values The approach for our team is based on LifeArc's principles: - We are driven by our  **Purpose**  to put patients at the centre of all we do - We foster  **Innovation** - We’re powered by  **Collaboration** - We act with  **Commitment** - When we get it right, we achieve  **Excellence** I believe in  **innovation at pace**. I want our team to continuously seek innovative solutions to advance our research, projects and data solutions. If we are to do this, I believe we need  **open communication** ,  **mutual understanding**  and  **trust**. We also need enough slack in our work to  **c**** ontinuously improve  **and I encourage ongoing ** learning and development** to ensure we stay up to date and on top of the latest developments in the field. As a manager, I try to  **empower people**  in the team to take ownership of their work and I work to find opportunities for  **collaboration**  so that when we win, we do so as a team. I also actively try to bring a sense of fun to everything we do. # Communication **1-1s:**  I aim to have weekly, one hour one-on-one meetings to discuss your progress, challenges, and career goals. I try to set aside an hour, because I've found that sometimes we will need all this time, but, when we finish early and have nothing more to discuss that is fine. One-on-one time is for you, so I do encourage you to  **bring topics you would like to discuss**. These meetings are your opportunity to let me know how you're doing, what you need, what you wish could be different, how you feel about our team and your teammates, what your career goals are etc. They are for the conversations you might not necessarily have with me in front of peers. Status updates are fine as a route to talking about issues you are facing or areas that you need help with, but they are not the purpose of our 1-1s. I will also try to set topics that I would like to discuss with you and I will try to share wider context and my own areas of focus or challenge. In 1-1s, I value clear, gentle, but honest communication. I promise not to suddenly give you unexpected feedback at an end of year review. I promise not to leave you guessing what I _really_ think or expect you to read between the lines of what I’m saying. If what I'm saying is not 100% clear, let me know so I can fix it.  **Open Door Policy:**  You can approach me anytime with questions, concerns, or suggestions. I'm committed to being approachable and responsive. If you message or email me I’ll reply promptly to you, or let you know when you can expect a reply. **Team:**  We hold weekly team meetings to ensure alignment, address any team-wide issues, share updates on our projects, search for opportunities for collaboration and learn as a team. I expect you to contribute to these meetings and bring ideas and suggestions for how we can improve. # Expectations **Performance:**  I expect high standards of performance and professionalism. This includes efficiently delivering quality work, and continuously seeking to improve. Given the technical nature of our work, accuracy and attention to detail are paramount. **Feedback:**  Constructive feedback is essential for growth. I will attempt to provide regular honest feedback and encourage you to do the same of me. Your input is valuable in shaping our team and processes. **Responsibility and Accountability:**  I expect each team member to take responsibility for their tasks and be accountable for their outcomes. If we have actions from 1-1s, I expect both of us to take note of these and actually do them.  Mistakes are inevitable and are a natural part of learning.  **Do not feel you ever need to hide mistakes** , instead we should showcase them to see how we can learn from them. I support taking calculated risks that may lead to mistakes because we learn and improve from these experiences and we can't innovate without taking risks. **Inclusive Decision-Making:**  I value  **diverse perspectives**  and try to include team members in decision-making processes whenever possible. Your insights and expertise are crucial to making informed decisions that drive our research forward. Although I often have a clear idea of what should be done, I'm happy for my mind to be changed. **Problem-Solving:**  I approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset. Together, we will identify issues, brainstorm solutions, and implement the best course of action.  **Workload:**  I will try to ensure your work allocation is  **no higher than 80%**  so you have some space to think, reflect, and learn during your working week. If you ever feel you don't have sufficient space, let me know. # Support and Development **Professional Development:**  I am committed to your growth and development. We will work together to identify opportunities for training, learning, and career advancement through your development plan. Whether it's attending conferences, enrolling in courses, self-directed learning or engaging in collaborative projects, your development is a high priority for me and I encourage you to make it a high priority for you too. You may know where you want to be in the future, but when you’re living it in the moment it can be hard to see if there’s a gap in your skills. I will support you as much as possible to find growth areas by providing coaching, feedback, opportunities and an outside perspective. However at the end of the day, it’s your career. You set your goals and priorities. You determine whether you make the time to get there. **Resources and Tools:**  I will work as hard as I can to provide you with the necessary resources to perform your job effectively, including appropriate tools and compute infrastructure. As a relatively new team, I'm aware we might not always have the perfect set of processes and tools. Where we fall short of having the best work environment and setup, I will work to try to improve the situation and will look to the team to be guided on where to focus. Where you need additional support, please let me know. # Work-Life Balance **Flexibility:**  I understand the importance of work-life balance and I am keen to offer flexibility when needed. Please communicate any personal needs, and we will work together to accommodate them. I believe a balanced life enhances creativity and productivity. **Well-Being:**  Your well-being is a priority. I encourage taking regular breaks, using your holidays, and managing your workload to avoid burnout. I do not expect people to work outside of our standard hours and view time away from work as essential.  # Feedback If you have feedback for me, please give it. It could be something you liked and would like to see more of, something you thought I could do better, something you thought I messed up, or something that doesn't fit in any of these categories. Even if you think it might not be the case, I do want to hear it. And if you think I don't want to hear it, I'd love feedback on why you feel that way! If you can give me this feedback in-person, I'd prefer that. If you're only comfortable kicking off a discussion with an email or a message, I would rather you do that than not bring it up at all. If you're not comfortable giving me this feedback yourself, I'd love for you to give it to someone above me in the management chain so they can anonymously relay it to me and I can work on it. # Personality According to personality tests I've taken in the past, I am classified as an [ENTJ personality](https://www.16personalities.com/entj-personality). Bucketing people into discrete groups maybe has some issues, but I do see traits that match my "at work" personality in this description. Feel free to read up on this personality type if you want to get some insight into how I might behave and act. # Your first 90 days For my part, I'll ensure: - you have a mentor/buddy (it may be me) and that you will be supported - we have regular time early on to make onboarding a breeze - we have a solid plan for the first 3 months with enough structure to get you up to started - I'm available to ask for any help - you have protected time to learn what you need to get up to speed I expect that you will: - work hard - engage with the team and the wider organisation - commit to learning about what we do in our team and the goals of our department - learn about our projects and how we work - bring suggestions or improvements to me for discussion # Conclusion I am committed to creating a  **supportive** ,  **engaging** ,  **high-performing**  and  **fun**  working environment. My door is always open for quick chats and for requests for help. We are a team with a wide variety of backgrounds and all bring different skills and knowledge which makes us strong and I believe we can accomplish great things if we work together. I look forward to working with you and supporting you in the next steps of your career.