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RubyConf 2018 - The New Manager's Toolkit by Brandon Hays Congratulations, you've been entrusted to lead a team! But wait... what does that mean? You didn't go to school for this. You may not have even been told what your job exactly is. Some call this new responsibility the "Stone of Triumph". In this talk, we'll explain leading and managing (and how they're different), outline what success looks like, and show techniques to get there. You'll learn how to build the skills and tools to carry the "Stone of Triumph" with less pain, and set yourself up for a long and happy career leading creative and technical teams.
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In his talk "The New Manager's Toolkit" presented at RubyConf 2018, Brandon Hays delves into the complexities of transitioning from a contributor to a managerial role, providing invaluable insights and tools for new managers. Hays begins by reassuring the audience that there is no singular guide to management, emphasizing a practical accumulation of experiences instead. **Key Points:** - **Understanding Management vs. Leadership:** Hays clarifies the difference between leading and managing, stressing that management often entails navigating uncertainty and responsibility. - **Types of Bad Managers:** Hays classifies common negative managerial archetypes, such as the Angry Police Captain and the Hovering Art Director, illustrating how detrimental these styles can be to team dynamics. - **Challenges of New Management:** He recounts the initial challenges he faced, including managing meetings and the steep learning curve of understanding team needs through one-on-ones. - **Developing Processes:** Hays details his experience revamping the interview process and the difficulties he encountered when his team didn’t follow the new approach, highlighting the real-world chaos in management. - **Accountability Systems:** He reflects on creating an engineering ladder for his team and then confronting issues of holding team members accountable, leading to hard conversations about performance. - **Cultural Issues and Change:** Towards the latter part of the talk, he discusses the need for cultural change within teams and how a focus on shared purpose aligns team efforts. - **Self-Care and Leadership:** A significant personal journey emerges as Hays shares his struggle with burnout, ultimately leading to the realization that successful management encompasses self-care and vulnerability. He advocates for seeking support and practicing self-compassion. **Takeaways:** - Effective management is an ongoing learning process characterized by both success and failure. - Trust and communication are vital in fostering a positive team culture. - New managers should embrace their own vulnerabilities and seek help to perform better in their roles. - The role of a manager is to coach, support, and communicate the value of the team's work both internally and externally. Overall, Hays' talk serves as a candid encouragement for new managers to accept the challenges inherent in their roles while using frameworks and tools to navigate their managerial journey effectively.
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