# Joe Mahoney's Manager Readme

**Development Manager at Xero**

## My role and this README.

As a Development Manager I’m one of the people who works on addressing problems that cover the entire Small Business area of Xero. In practice, I am accountable for the health and delivery of the Wellington Compliance product group and for your growth and performance as a manager. This README covers the second part and I assume you’re one of my direct reports if you’re reading this.

## About me

I fell into a programming career when I discovered I wasn’t smart enough to do physics and changed my major to Information Science. I graduated in 1997 and since then I’ve done a bunch of things

- Pimply faced youth on tech support
- [Windows user interface designer](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/uxguide/guidelines)
- [Desktop Java](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_(Java)) developer
- Lazy contractor in London
- The “technical guy” at a cool as fuck media company that hired me because I said I liked hair metal on my resume
- [Shihad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poS8X25bgtg)’s webmaster
- Do whatever developer at a startup that was eventually killed by the iPhone
- Ruby on Rails developer, scrum master, and kind-of manager at a client services company
- Programmer, People Lead, and now, Dev Manager at Xero

I really enjoy making software that real people actually use, and I also really enjoy helping build teams that make software that real people actually use.

Over the years [the pendulum of my career](https://charity.wtf/2017/05/11/the-engineer-manager-pendulum/) has swung between hands-on software development and management of software developers. Recently I’ve found I provide more value and get more enjoyment out of the latter.

I like good tools: clicky keyboards, satisfying pens, stainless steel drink bottles. I have a Star Trek mug, which should tell you where I fall on the Star Trek/Star Wars divide. I do have a soft-spot for late 80’s hair metal but mostly these days my music diet tends towards the dad-rock genres.

Most of my time away from work is taken up with family and related activities, mostly Surf Life Saving. I get grumpy if I don’t exercise regularly so I do Crossfit and ride my bike to work.

## Working with me

My [DiSC profile is CD](https://www.discprofiles.com/blog/2012/10/examples-of-12-disc-styles/). That means that it takes more energy for me to be collaborative, encouraging, and a good listener than it does for me to be objective, think critically, and cut to the chase. I value collaboration, encouragement, and being supportive so please let me know if I’m not doing those things well.

I am a big fan of of the Agile Manifesto for software development, especially the part about learning by doing, and preferring people over process. You’ll find I follow those principles as a manager, too.

My pet peeve is the [technicality club mentality](https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2014-09-02).

I only have a few non-negotiable expectations of my direct reports:

- Regular 1:1s, fortnightly if not weekly
- You have a plan for your career and development at Xero and are taking the time to work on it
- You’ll let me and your fellow people leads know if you’ve got too much on or are feeling overwhelmed

We’ll set any other expectations together and revise them as necessary as we work together more and more. I guess there’s one more non-negotiable one:

- We let each other know if we feel like expectations are not being met

## 1:1s

I'm trying to follow [the Rands recipe for 1:1s](http://randsinrepose.com/archives/the-update-the-vent-and-the-disaster/). It's not supposed to be an update about your day to day, it's your time to talk about anything and everything to do with your job, your goals, your career.. I'll type up my notes and share them with you. There may be action items for one or both of us to address before the next one.

## My availability

I aim at be in the office between 8:30am to 5pm and my Slack notifications are turned on for the 30 minutes before and after. Sometimes I'm in later, sometimes I work later. I often peruse Slack and email after hours but I have a rule that I won't send an email or Slack message to someone unless I'm sure they are online.

My calendar is public and you're welcome to make time to talk or shoulder tap me. If there's something you think is urgent you can interrupt me if I'm in a meeting. If it's really important you have my phone number (it’s in my Slack profile) and you can call me.

## That’s basically it.

Management, for me, is a two-way relationship. Just like I expect of you and your peers in the product group  leadership team, I want our relationship to be one based on trust, honesty, and candour.