# Kirsten Sherwin's Manager Readme **Bill Negotiation Lead at Moka** Welcome to my Manager README, an honest, incomplete (we never stop growing) and not-so-concise guide that helps introduce you to my management style, philosophy, and expectations. Please treat it as a reference and a promise on how I will handle myself as a manager, and what I expect from you! If you’re reading this, you’ve either come across it by searching for it, or you’ve been linked to it from an on-boarding document. However you got here, I think this will be a valuable first step in us working well together. As you read this, and start working with me, 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 manager and become the best version of myself in our working environment.   Without further ado, let’s get into it! # My role **Why am I here and what do I do?** - I'm here because I can wear a lot of hats, and I can do a lot of things. From taking something that started as an idea to turning it into something tangible, to turning it into not only something I can do, but that I can teach to others, so that others can teach it to others.  -I am here to make sure our team is getting what we need from our users and other teams, and that other teams and our users are getting what they need from us. I'm also here to help make sure we are working on the right things in order to meet company goals.  - I am here to make sure you are successful and happy in your role: I want you to be confident that you matter, to help you grow your career, enjoy your work, and believe in yourself, and our team's & our company's mission. **How am I being measured by the organization?** My work is being measured by the team's performance: How reliably and accurately we meet our KPI's and deliverables, how successfully we provide services to our users that directly affect user retention and company revenue. The team's performance is a direct reflection of my management and mentorship. I'm responsible for reporting team metrics accurately, and regularly. I always need to know what's going on with everyone in the team,  and be able to give answers to questions relating to data on the fly. I have to be very organized, and proactive, so it helps me when my team is too. I also have to forward think and solve problems that don't even exist yet, and build out the product and the team away from any possible future hurdles.  Primarily, I'm accountable for however successfully you do _your job_.  # What do I value most? **I value honesty and integrity most of all.** My worst fear at work is finding a team member gaming their stats or making errors and hiding them from me. The thought actually makes me feel ill. This is never the right way of doing things. I try to be as approachable as I can so that when people are simply experiencing **_being human_** and make a mistake or are not having perfect results they actively seek the necessary help and coaching required to correct or improve on whatever problem is arising.  Your integrity will always be more impressive than appearing perfect. Along with honesty, I love when people are **direct** in a candid, but kind way.  I don't enjoy conflict, it makes me nervous, but I also do not shy away from it when it is necessary.  I much rather when someone has a problem with something I've said or done that they come to me directly so we can discuss it openly in order to better understand each other. I will also do the same for you. Of course, it is important to be in the right headspace when conflict arises and will respect if a "cool down" period is needed, and ask that I am given the same respect in turn if I am upset and not immediately ready to discuss something.  I also value **problem solvers** , I don't expect everyone to have all the answers, every time,  but when an issue or question comes up, I appreciate when someone seeks advice by first presenting what they think may be a possible solution.  _"X happened and I was **t**** hinking of doing X, Y, Z to fix it.** I'd like your input if you think there is a better way?"   _or _"User Z has XX complaint, **I** **drafted this reply** but can you look it over and make sure I didn't miss anything?" _  In these situations when people come to me with problems without any solutions I try to get them to present a solution before I give mine, by asking things such as _"What do you think?"_ or _"If you were me, what would you do?"_  It's been brought to my attention that this verbiage can come across as condescending or patronizing. This is never my intent. I just want to help you to develop your problem solving tool box and for you to know that your opinion matters just as much as mine does. Be aware that _I also don't have all the answers_, but I'm a decisive person and will often just take my best guess and seek advice from others when I'm feeling uncertain, just like you.  Be mindful that coming to me with a problem and no solution can also tend to make me feel like you want me to do the hard work for you, on top of my already busy to-do list. # My Expectations **How should people set time with me? **  If we were working in person at the office, I love when people come to talk to me at my desk to ask me questions (_why slack me when you are sitting right across the table?_)  But working remotely, I prefer to get asked simple questions via slack and to dive into more complicated matters via video chat.  By the time it takes you to write a slack message to me saying"Hey, can I ask you a question?" and me getting back to you with a "yes", you could have already asked the question and, I would have been able to provide an answer. I would agree that video chats are sometimes a clearer way to express tone and get to the bottom of an issue, but they are also disruptive to my workflow and can zap my energy pretty quick (ie, [zoom fatigue](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting)). I hold weekly (new employees) / bi-weekly (tenured employees) 1-1s on Monday afternoons after our team meeting. If ever you need to video meet with me outside of your scheduled 1-1, the best way to go about it is to take a look in my calendar for when my schedule is available and book a time, I keep it updated everyday. Let me know in the calendar description or on slack what the meeting is about, and if you haven't seen me accept the invite within a few hours, prompt me on slack to make sure I didn't miss it.  Afternoons are always better than mornings, and I try to keep Tuesdays clear of meetings.  **When it comes to mistakes, what's the best way for employees to come forward?**   _Always come forward!_ I can't stress this enough.  Just let me know that you need help with something. Give me as much detail and context as possible so we can figure it out.  Most importantly: keep calm.  Mistakes happen! That's just reality! I don't want them to happen all the time nor do I like to see the same mistakes repeated more than once, but you're human, I'm human, and two clear heads are better than one.  Let's work together to get it solved.  Side note: refer to my paragraph above on valuing _problem solvers_ so you can approach it in the best way for us to collaborate.  **When should people be available and how? (e.g. work hours, availability via chat/phone etc.)**  I work a lot, and I work long hours, but I only expect responses to slack messages between regular working hours of 10am-4pm~ish depending on the schedule you set for yourself.  I see slack as email / text messaging, and at no time do I expect you to be hooked up to it like instant messaging where the second I send something I want it answered.  If you're working on something, keep working on it, don't let me or anyone else interrupt you. This is also how I would like others to view my own replies, I'm usually quick but sometimes I'm focused,  so don't expect me to jump on every notification instantly. However, it is entirely your responsibility to read through anything you've missed during time away, so scroll up in group channels and threads and stay informed on all messages whenever it is you are back online.  **& _Show up. Be reliable._    **You were hired to be part of this team, and you joined because (hopefully) you wanted to be part of this team, _so be here_. And when you are here, _be fully here_. Bad days happen to everyone, some days are harder than others, but not showing up for your team to make sure communal goals and work distribution is even, is not the kind of team I'm looking to build.  I'll never downplay the importance of self care, health, and mental health so that people can show up being their best selves. So if something is wrong, or preventing you from being present and contributing, fill me in. We'll work together on finding a solution that works for everyone. But at the end of the day, you're part of this team and earning a paycheque from this company, so I want to see your career, and your team, being valued.  # Personality quirks I don't take breaks as often as I should.   I have slack on my phone and will sometimes check messages when I am offline, occasionally I forget to go back to it when I'm back online. Please remind me if I haven't gotten back to you! I do my best work at night, I've always been a night owl. So early mornings are not my thing.  My brain is very task oriented, so please forgive me if I send you a message and forget to say hello. _I'm working on it._ I love getting to know you on a personal level, tell me about your hobbies, side hustles, talents! I want to know about them.  My favourite language is GIFs and Memes, please send them to me. I will gladly participate in a fully "giffed" conversation.  Some of my pet peeves are people not following instructions, or having to repeat myself, and not giving credit where and to whom credit is due.   -If ever something is unclear I prefer that at the time I am making the request or providing instruction: my team takes the time to **make sure** they understand by asking clarifying questions rather than not understand, forget what I said, or not go back to notes I've taken time to write and end up take actions in direct opposition of what I've asked.  -I take great pride in putting together clear and reliable documentation in confluence so please, please, please, if your question can be answered by looking at confluence, or meeting notes: **do that first**.  If you feel you, or someone else, has already asked a question before, look for it!  Please don't make me repeat myself multiple times. _Thank you! _ -Never claim someone else's idea as your own, **give credit**. Let people's talents and contributions be known. I promise you it does not take away from your own recognition, it only adds to it.  When I am receiving feedback or absorbing information I have often been told that I get this spaced out / deadpan look on my face._  I promise you that I am listening,_ I'm just really focused on taking in the information and making sure I understand it.  # In Conclusion, I hope this has been interesting, informative and fun to read!  I can't wait to work with you.  [Let's get this bread](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=let%27s%20get%20this%20bread)!