# Kate Athmer's Manager Readme

**Marketing Leader at TBD**

# Motivation for this document

One of my greatest responsibilities is being a manager. People are our most important resource, and managing people should be taken very seriously. I believe that setting clear expectations and boundaries helps build a strong foundation for any relationship, and I aim to do that here.

# My role as a manager is to ensure my team

- Has a clear understanding of key priorities of the business
- Feels empowered to figure out what they need to do to be successful and achieve their goals
- Has access to the tools and resources they need to do the high value parts of their job and automate the low value ones  
- Has psychological safety to experiment and make mistakes, and to speak up with fresh ideas
- Feels valued and supported in both their current role and future career opportunities  
- Sees me as more of a mentor/coach than a "boss"

# My direct reports can expect

- Weekly 1:1s where they set the agenda and can expect both positive and constructive feedback from me
- Transparency about the wins and challenges of the business and what it means/how it impacts them to the highest possible extent  
- Support with prioritization and making difficult decisions - and a willingness to roll up my sleeves as needed
- Autonomy to do their job in whatever way they see fit to meet the team's goals
- Credit and visibility for their contributions to the organization at all levels, but especially at the executive level. When sharing accomplishments and milestones I aim to give credit to the specific individuals and not just "the marketing team"
- Help protecting their time at work against scope creep or unexpected requests
- Support in their career ambitions and access to my resources or network to help them achieve those goals  
- Respect for their time away from work
- Accessibility and quick responses from me

# I look for the following when hiring new team members

- Know way more than I do about their domain
- Will make decisions swiftly and confidently when it comes to their areas of expertise, based on past experience
- Leverage their own networks for learning and advice
- Will raise challenges or hurdles quickly to get help
- Can articulate what they need to be successful
- Value candid debate and discussion as a path toward improvement and do not take it personally
- Not afraid to speak up when something seems awry, even if just instinctually
- Are flexible, adaptable, and open to change - they don’t get stuck when something goes wrong and more likely to say “We’ll find a way” than “It can’t be done”
- Make everyone around them better - including me

- Diversity of background - what makes a candidate different from everyone who already works here?
- Experience in collegiate sports or other activities that required careful time management, teamwork, and competitiveness
- A hunger to learn and advance in their careers/do things outside their comfort zone
- Use words like “team” and “we” more than “I” - bonus points for shouting out past teammates and celebrating the success of others
- Confident and comfortable working asynchronously as part of a remote team
- Experience working at a startup

# Personality quirks

- I am a direct communicator. This is mostly because I default to the assumption everyone is acting in good faith, and that instruction and feedback come from a place of love and support, not malice. It's also because I can't stand wasting time wading through jargon that makes no sense. 
- It drives me crazy when someone says "let's take this offline" during a meeting scheduled to address the exact problem they don't want to discuss.  
- I protect my calendar pretty ruthlessly and will skip meetings without agendas/context. Am a big fan of blocking large chunks of time for deep work and productivity, and will encourage you to do the same.

# Things I enjoy outside of work

- My husband and friends
- Philadelphia sports, Tennessee Football, and tailgating a wide variety of things
- Raising plants - mainly the easy and edible ones
- Hosting dinner parties, making cocktails, building epic cheese boards, having perfect glassware
- Really love a decor theme, especially if it's Art Deco