# K.B. Reidenbach's Manager Readme **Managing Partner at Levelwing** **Welcome to K.B.'s Team** This is my Manager README, a document that outlines my basic role and expectations so that we can work effectively together. I have created this document for anyone that reports to me, anyone I report to and anyone else interested in how I operate. This README is the expectation to which I hold myself accountable. I request that if there is any misalignment around how I behave as a manager compared to what is outlined in this document, please do provide candid feedback so I can be the best manager possible for you. _To be clear, this is how K.B. operates and shouldn't be considered applicable to either my Partners or any other manager at Levelwing._ I have found this process valuable so I would encourage you to consider writing your own README to share with your own team. **My Role** My role at Levelwing is multi-faceted. As a Partner I am focused on growth-strategy and am interested in serving Levelwing's three core goals as a business: **Elevate the Work Drive Revenue Growth Deliver Efficiently** I previously oversaw HR and it is a deep passion of mine. I still spend a lot of time thinking about the advancement of our people strategy and ensuring that we build a team that ladders up to the Northstar of our HR programs (which are guided by this statement): _ **"Where Curious Minds, Big Thinking and Caring People Create Value"** _ I am shifting my focus into overseeing our core delivery functions and am endeavoring to build a team of advertising professionals that can craft _ **stories that create emotional and remarkable responses to the known and unknown needs of an audience** _. However, across all of my focus areas, my role is to help coach the leaders of our organization. I believe my role is to manage to the following equation: _Strong Relationships x The Right Goals x Coaching Questions = Effective Management_ **What do I value most?** You were hired or promoted into leadership because you embody what we seek from a values and a culture perspective. You were also hired because you have the experience and the skills to help us get better as a team. The first thing I value is you having the confidence to lead and to be convicted in your POVs on how to improve. I am here to support you as you find solutions and carve your path forward but I will not do it for you. Based on that, I value leaders that are ready to lead autonomously. You've earned that. I also deeply value a growth mindset. It is simply not an option to stop pushing forward in this business. I value people that are constantly improving themselves; always searching, reading, exploring new ideas and seeking different perspectives. I also value a can-do, positive attitude. I value mentally resilient people that when faced with adversity and challenge show grit and find options. Doing so with a positive energy (and even a bit of humor) goes a long way! Finally, I expect for any leader that works with me to fully believe the end of their story. This is a mindset I adopted from Entrepreneur Jessie Itzler. In short, I expect you to have a vision for how you want to grow and no matter how far off your goals may seem, you need to (a) believe it is going to be accomplished and (b) behave in a way that indicates as such. **Basic Expectations** At a macro-level, I believe that any great business always embodies 5 core behaviors: **Clear Expectations & Goal Setting Direct & Timely Feedback Empowerment Clear Communication Create a Positive Environmen**t As a team, if we can make these behaviors a part of the daily fabric of our culture, we will have an amazing foundation that will enable us to elevate our work and our thinking. In terms of my personal expectations, here is what you can expect from me: **Clarity of Direction Clarity around goals and objectives Frequent, specific and immediate feedback Decisiveness and timeliness Accessibility Honesty and candor Me asking you a ton of questions** In terms of how I communicate, here are the best ways to reach me (in order of preference): **MS Teams Chat Text Call Email (I'm an infrequent email responde**r) I will also work really hard to respect boundaries (work hours are 8-5pm EST and we should rarely communicate outside of that) Here is what I expect of you: **Meet Deadlines Do what you say you're going to do Come with a solution / perspective Be positive Remain focused on goals and desired outcomes Lead with curiosity Transparency and candor To always have perspective on what's important Make decisions quickly Do not accept mediocrity on your teams Frequently check in on each other and your team** To any new leaders just joining us, remember all the things that were better in your last job, and make noise about it. New leaders can often see the trees when everyone else only sees the forest and this insight can be unparalleled in helping to improve culture and process. Use your fresh eyes to uncover ways to make Levelwing even stronger! **1:1s** If we decide it makes sense to have regularly scheduled 1:1 meetings, I prefer to have 1:1s earlier in the week (Monday is preferred but Tuesday is fine). Morning is my most productive time so I typically prefer to work on my most challenging work in the morning and then have check-ins during the afternoon hours. Here is my preferred 1:1 agenda: Purpose of Meeting: To inform, discuss, decide and align on open matters. Desired Outcome of Meeting: All parties leave meeting with clear understanding of discussed matters, action items and next steps. 1) Discuss items needing manager input on decisions 2) Discuss any current challenges 3) Ideas, Goals, Bigger picture items Lastly, my calendar may look busy, and it may be hard to find an open slot on it. If you want to chat with me and you can’t find a slot, let me know. I’ll find a time. I do many things here, and very few of them are as important as talking with you if you need my support. I will also add that in terms of meetings, I try to avoid scheduling anything formal on Friday afternoons. To me, that time is better spent winding down your week so you can feel organized and accomplished (so that you can completely shut off over the weekend and be re-energized by Monday morning). **Personality Quirks** I have a dry sense of humor and sometimes it may seem like I'm not taking something too seriously (even though I very much am). I am a Beatle-freak and I believe in love and the idea that we're all in this together. I'm a family man, a musician and a human being first. I always have music playing and I think the right playlist helps fuel creativity and productivity. Everything else comes after that and I encourage you to keep your own perspective on what's important. According to the great Manny Pacquiao "The greatest wealth is health" and I do spend a lot of time working out (both at F45 and through long-distance running). I encourage everyone to find time throughout the day to do whatever fuels your own mental and physical health. **My Personal Goals for 2023** As I looked back on 2022, there was so much to be thankful for. However, the biggest negative theme for me was "wasted energy". Time wasted in meetings that generated no action, countless hours in fruitless conversations on low value topics, days of putting together strategy briefs that went nowhere and investing emotional and intellectual capital on items that were out of my control. In 2023, I'm going to put an intentional focus on high value work. This includes: **More impactful communication / integration More coaching More focus More gratitude Less meetings Less time thinking about areas that aren't in my lane Less talking Way more accountability (for myself and assertively holding those around me accountable)** **Closing Thoughts** As this business and industry becomes more complex, I have come to terms with the fact that I do not/cannot have all the answers or be fully current on all things happening across our team. I have therefore focused on asking the right questions to leverage the knowledge and talents of others. • You should expect a lot of questions. Not to call you out, but to aid my understanding, to bring clarity to your thoughts and to challenge your own assumptions and biases. I am no longer an individual contributor at Levelwing, so my success is inextricably tied to your success. **What should you ultimately take from this?** I want you to be successful and will provide a supportive push for you and your team to be the best they can be. Together we will define what success looks like and define measures so that I can manage with the lightest of touches. I will provide constructive feedback at the earliest opportunity to help you be successful. There should be no surprises if either of us decide not to continue trying to be successful together. Looking forward to working more closely with you to do amazing work that is deeply rewarding!