I was first given “people management” responsibility when I was in my 20s—and my first two “direct reports” were guys older than my Dad. As it slowly dawned on me that I was responsible not just for “people management” but for these folks’ careers—which were a major focus of their lives—I was terrified. Once I saw through the corporate euphemisms, I realised: 1) how important being a good manager is (after all, most people don’t leave their company, they leave their boss) 2) that I was so scarred by my own poor experiences with managers that I didn’t know what “good” looked like. Over the following years I did a bunch of research, got some great mentors, and tested a bunch of different approaches. Let’s talk about how scary and how important great people management is, and how we can get better at it.

1. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Studies
in
Terror:
Becoming
a
People
Manager

2. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
h@p://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3667608102/

3. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

4. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
“We
want
to
give
you
people
management
responsibiliPes”

5. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

6. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
PEOPLE
MANAGEMENT
I
heard…

7. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

8. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

9. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
PEOPLE
MANAGEMENT
This
is
mostly
the
story
of
how
I
realized
it
was
really…

10. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
But
first,
let’s
look
at
some
of
the
scary
realiPes…

11. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

12. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

13. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
1)
You
(probably)
won’t
have
the
most
experience

14. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

15. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
2)
You
won’t
be
the
smartest
(and
if
you
become
the
smartest,
you’re
Doing
It
Wrong)

16. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
[I
considered
making
a
collage
of
all
the
people
I’ve
managed
who
are
smarter
than
me,
but
they
a)
wouldn’t
all
fit
on
a
slide
and
b)
I
really
suck
at
collages]

17. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
3)
Being
a
good
maker/do-­‐er
doesn’t
equip
you
with
people
management
skills

18. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

19. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
4)
These
are
real
people.
With
real
lives,
families,
traumas,
triumphs.
Your
people
will
go
through
things
you
haven’t
had
to
face
yet.

20. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

21. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
TradiPonal
management
beliefs
are
a
pile
of
crap
h@p://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_Dung.JPG

22. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
WHAT
DOES
WORK?
Sooo….

23. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Across
industries,
across
countries,
the
best
performing
teams
answer
certain
quesPons
posiPvely

24. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Predictors
of
High
Performance
1. Do
I
know
what
is
expected
of
me
at
work?
2. Do
I
have
the
materials
&
equipment
I
need
to
do
my
work
right?
3. At
work,
do
I
have
the
opportunity
to
do
what
I
do
best
every
day?
4. In
the
last
7
days,
have
I
received
recogniPon
or
praise
for
good
work?
5. Does
my
supervisor,
or
someone
at
work,
seem
to
care
about
me
as
a
person?
6. Is
there
someone
at
work
who
cares
about
my
development?
7. At
work,
do
my
opinions
seem
to
count?
8. Does
the
mission/purpose
of
my
company
make
me
feel
like
my
work
is
important?
9. Are
my
co-­‐workers
commi@ed
to
doing
quality
work?
10. Do
I
have
a
best
friend
at
work?
11. In
the
last
6
months,
have
I
talked
with
someone
about
my
development?
12. At
work,
have
I
had
opportuniPes
to
learn
and
grow?

25. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

26. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Understand
MoPvaPon
•
Autonomy
•
Mastery
•
Purpose

27. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Autonomy
1. Do
I
know
what
is
expected
of
me
at
work?
2. Do
I
have
the
materials
&
equipment
I
need
to
do
my
work
right?
3. At
work,
do
I
have
the
opportunity
to
do
what
I
do
best
every
day?
4. In
the
last
7
days,
have
I
received
recogniPon
or
praise
for
good
work?
5. Does
my
supervisor,
or
someone
at
work,
seem
to
care
about
me
as
a
person?
6. Is
there
someone
at
work
who
cares
about
my
development?
7. At
work,
do
my
opinions
seem
to
count?
8. Does
the
mission/purpose
of
my
company
make
me
feel
like
my
work
is
important?
9. Are
my
co-­‐workers
commi@ed
to
doing
quality
work?
10. Do
I
have
a
best
friend
at
work?
11. In
the
last
6
months,
have
I
talked
with
someone
about
my
development?
12. At
work,
have
I
had
opportuniPes
to
learn
and
grow?

28. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Mastery
1. Do
I
know
what
is
expected
of
me
at
work?
2. Do
I
have
the
materials
&
equipment
I
need
to
do
my
work
right?
3. At
work,
do
I
have
the
opportunity
to
do
what
I
do
best
every
day?
4. In
the
last
7
days,
have
I
received
recogniPon
or
praise
for
good
work?
5. Does
my
supervisor,
or
someone
at
work,
seem
to
care
about
me
as
a
person?
6. Is
there
someone
at
work
who
cares
about
my
development?
7. At
work,
do
my
opinions
seem
to
count?
8. Does
the
mission/purpose
of
my
company
make
me
feel
like
my
work
is
important?
9. Are
my
co-­‐workers
commiTed
to
doing
quality
work?
10. Do
I
have
a
best
friend
at
work?
11. In
the
last
6
months,
have
I
talked
with
someone
about
my
development?
12. At
work,
have
I
had
opportuniPes
to
learn
and
grow?

29. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Purpose
1. Do
I
know
what
is
expected
of
me
at
work?
2. Do
I
have
the
materials
&
equipment
I
need
to
do
my
work
right?
3. At
work,
do
I
have
the
opportunity
to
do
what
I
do
best
every
day?
4. In
the
last
7
days,
have
I
received
recogniPon
or
praise
for
good
work?
5. Does
my
supervisor,
or
someone
at
work,
seem
to
care
about
me
as
a
person?
6. Is
there
someone
at
work
who
cares
about
my
development?
7. At
work,
do
my
opinions
seem
to
count?
8. Does
the
mission/purpose
of
my
company
make
me
feel
like
my
work
is
important?
9. Are
my
co-­‐workers
commi@ed
to
doing
quality
work?
10. Do
I
have
a
best
friend
at
work?
11. In
the
last
6
months,
have
I
talked
with
someone
about
my
development?
12. At
work,
have
I
had
opportuniPes
to
learn
and
grow?

30. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
What’s
Lem?
1. Do
I
know
what
is
expected
of
me
at
work?
2. Do
I
have
the
materials
&
equipment
I
need
to
do
my
work
right?
3. At
work,
do
I
have
the
opportunity
to
do
what
I
do
best
every
day?
4. In
the
last
7
days,
have
I
received
recogniPon
or
praise
for
good
work?
5. Does
my
supervisor,
or
someone
at
work,
seem
to
care
about
me
as
a
person?
6. Is
there
someone
at
work
who
cares
about
my
development?
7. At
work,
do
my
opinions
seem
to
count?
8. Does
the
mission/purpose
of
my
company
make
me
feel
like
my
work
is
important?
9. Are
my
co-­‐workers
commi@ed
to
doing
quality
work?
10. Do
I
have
a
best
friend
at
work?
11. In
the
last
6
months,
have
I
talked
with
someone
about
my
development?
12. At
work,
have
I
had
opportuniPes
to
learn
and
grow?

31. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
CREATE
SPACE
FOR
YOUR
PEOPLE
TO
BE
THE
BEST
THEY
CAN
BE
Your
job
as
a
manager…

32. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

33. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
PROTECT
PURPOSE
BE
A
TRANSLATOR
–
MAKE
PURPOSE,
STRATEGY
&
DIRECTION
MAKE
SENSE
CONNECT
WHAT
PEOPLE
ARE
DOING
(AND
CAN
DO!)
TO
OVERALL
IMPORTANT
PURPOSE

34. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
h@ps://twi@er.com/Caterina/status/6715084157
BE
A
BULLSHIT
UMBRELLA

35. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
ENABLE
AUTONOMY
&
MASTERY
Skills/Knowledge
Direction

36. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Skills/Knowledge
Direction
Know what to do,
don’t have all the
skills to do it
Know what to do
and equipped to
do it
Got skills, need
direction
Huh? Where are
we? What are we
doing?
ENABLE
AUTONOMY
&
MASTERY

37. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

38. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
h@p://www.flickr.com/photos/8250578@N06/8625641442/

39. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

40. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
h@p://www.flickr.com/photos/provoost/2246718091/

41. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
SKILL
DEVELOPMENT
Unconscious
Incompetent
Conscious
Incompetent
Conscious
Competent
Unconscious
Competent

42. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

43. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
DELIBERATE
PRACTICE
• You
must
be
moPvated
to
a@end
to
the
task
and
exert
effort
to
improve
your
performance.
• The
design
of
the
task
should
take
into
account
your
pre-­‐
exisPng
knowledge
so
that
the
task
can
be
correctly
understood
amer
a
brief
period
of
instrucPon.
• You
should
receive
immediate
informaPve
feedback
and
knowledge
of
results
of
your
performance.
• You
should
repeatedly
perform
the
same
or
similar
tasks.

44. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
COACHING:
GROW
MODEL
GOAL
REALITY
OPTIONS
WILL

45. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
SWEAT
THE
“SMALL”
STUFF
Autonomy,
mastery
&
purpose
can’t
overrule
or
compensate
for
poor
tools
/
environment
/
lack
of
inclusion
/
lack
of
caring
forever

46. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
PAY
ATTENTION
TO
ENERGY
Positive
High
Low
Negative
SHINEWHINE
toast coast

47. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
CULTIVATE
CULTURE
&
INCLUSION
This
deserves
a
whole
session
in
its
own
right
One
specific,
powerful
heurisPc
though…

48. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
“SOMEONE
LIKE
ME
CAN
BE
SUCCESSFUL
HERE”
Your
ability
to
recruit
&
retain
people
depends
on
how
much
they
can
agree
with
this
statement:

49. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager

50. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
CARE
ABOUT
YOUR
PEOPLE
And
the
Most
Important
Thing…

51. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
THANK
YOU
FOR
LISTENING
J
GO
FORTH
AND
BE
AWESOME
MANAGERS.
YOUR
PEOPLE
NEED
YOU.