# Shawn Plew's Manager Readme

**Engineering Manager at Bloomerang**

# Well Hello!

This is my Manager README, a document that helps introduce you to my leadership style, philosophy, and expectations.  Please treat it as a reference and promise on how I will conduct myself as a leader, and what I expect from you.  
  
I urge you to hold me accountable to my promises, and to call out anything that might be missing from this document. Without your guidance, I will not be able to improve as a leader.

# What do I value most?

While my role as Engineering Manager many responsibilities, what I value most is  **facilitation.**  
  
I embrace the values of _Servant Leadership._ My most essential role is to facilitate our team in all appropriate ways to reach our goals. A good servant leader will:

- Put service to others before self-interest
- Include the whole team in decision making whenever possible
- Eliminate roadblocks as they present themselves

Simply put:  **your success is my success.**

# About Me

You should know that I'm a planner by nature. I am a firm believer that a goal without a plan is just a wish. Don't be surprised if I dive right into planning when a good idea is presented.  
  
I tend to go on tangents. If you feel a conversation is being steered in an odd or unproductive way, speak up. Your time is valuable, I don't want to spend it on some long digression if it's not productive. Hopefully, it will at least be entertaining.

My conversational tone is much easier to understand than my written tone. If I appear too short or defensive in written communication, please follow up with me or request a face to face conversation. I'm always working on my tone in written communication.

# 

# How to Get in Touch With Me

First, and most importantly: my virtual door is always open. Feel free to connect with me on Slack at any time. In fact, that's what I prefer - if you have a quick question or if you would like to chat for a few minutes, ping me.

If our conversation might take more than a few minutes, I invite you to get on my calendar. I'm happy to share my calendar info with you so you know when I'm available. Team member conversations are my top priority so please know that if I'm fully booked that I'm happy to make accommodations for you. Ping me on Teams and I'll free up space for our meeting.

# My Expectations

I expect our team to operate within these basic guidelines:

> ### Speak Openly and Honestly
> 
> We can't be our best if we're not aware of every issue. Everyone has their own communication style, from blunt talk to tactful conversation. Whatever your style,  **please share your ideas, thoughts, and concerns**  whenever possible. I can only address issues I'm aware of, and there is no issue too small to discuss. Please reach out to me directly whenever you have an issue. Please share your ideas with the team. Open and honest communication is the best way to ensure I can facilitate your ideas and address your issues.
> 
> ### There Should Be No Surprises
> 
> We should do our best to make sure we're all on the same page. Whether you're more comfortable with hard metrics or soft guidelines, we should work together to find the best way to communicate where we've been, where we're going, and why we do what we do. 
> 
> ### Always Know Who is Waiting
> Having situational awareness about your assignments is key to delivering a project. Knowing when someone is waiting on you or who you are waiting on helps me understand how I may help you cross the finish line when things get busy.  
>   
> 
> ### Understand What Success Means For You
> 
> Success is measured in many ways outside of what it says in the handbook. We will work together to establish clear, attainable goals that help you succeed in your current role and beyond. 

# 1:1s

1:1s will take place on a regular recurring schedule. 1:1s are for you, so please come prepared with topics you'd like to discuss. I will take a small amount of time to recap our previous meeting, the past month's work, progress on individual goals, and current expectations. After that, it's all about you. No topic is out of bounds. We will track our chats in a shared space - I'll send you a link before our first discussion.