The ​Context

Companies tend to have job-level expectations published somehow. However, since they intend to capture a wide range of behaviors generally, they tend to be written quite generically. I’ve found writing and publishing a document like this very useful. Think of it as the other side of a “Working with me” doc. It attempts to clarify my own expectations of others on the team, particularly people managers.

I thought I’d share it here…

​​Leadership

​​If I had to define my leadership in one sentence, it would be the following…

Take ownership of everything in your world and deliver

​​Deliver not just for the short term, but also the long term.  Deliver with urgency and with quality. Delivering this time raises the bar next time.  By everything in your world, I do not mean only those things showing up in a proverbial RACI chart.  Everything in your world might, and often does, include the work of other teams, functions, partners, etc.  You do not need formal authority to be a leader.

​​Dropbox’s description of their Own It value is gold…

We take responsibility for our work, from start to finish. When we get stuck, we unblock ourselves. When something goes wrong, we don’t ask, “What did they screw up?” but “What could I do better?” We learn from our mistakes and keep going—until we have real impact.

​​Distributed Leadership and Escalations

​​I expect managers to feel empowered to directly engage anyone in the company and employ creative solutions to resolve issues, drive improvements, and meet their goals, regardless of the current organizational structure.  For example, I expect team-to-team dependency management to happen at the team-to-team level.  Those directly involved (e.g. you) are in the best position to understand trade-offs and implications of any tough decision.  If you feel blocked arriving at your best outcome, escalate quickly.  Do not spend much time in a decision deadlock with another person.  Do not consider an inability to “work it out yourself” to be some sort of defeat.  

​​I expect managers to escalate cases where teams are blocked on their committed delivery timelines — whether that blockage is internal (e.g. lack of resources, ability to prioritize) or external (e.g. dependent team commitments, tech support).  Be transparent with your escalation, include the other party, and be ready to dive deep with your manager.  That said, I, or your manager, may still send it back down for further work on your part.

​​In the Details

​​I expect managers to dive deep.  Being accountable for your team’s delivery means finding ways to inspect and audit frequently, and stay close to the details.  There are going to be more details than you can keep in your head at once, so judgment and prioritization is important.  It is okay to occasionally say, “I don’t have that detail, but will get it.”  But you are expected to have the mechanisms in place to get those details readily.  This goes for technical work, team execution and people matters.

​​Results and Delivery

​​As the EM, you speak for the team and you are wholly accountable for delivery of results.  This includes meeting timelines, features, quality and performance requirements.  While I expect you to work with your senior technical leadership, PMs, Data Scientists, Designers and others to plan roadmaps, set strategy, determine resource allocation, and meet/exceed quality expectations — the final ownership of the plan and accountability for its delivery rests with you.

​​I expect managers to be in the details of…

• ​​Schedules and milestones for delivery, an accurate evaluation of the likelihood to hit them, and a plan to turn things around when needed
• ​​How well your dependencies are tracking against their own delivery.  (“I didn’t know one of my dependencies was going to miss” is unacceptable retrospection.)
• ​​The technical, execution and people related trade-offs associated with choices being made
• ​​Code structures, product and system quality, including the deep specifics on current quality fires (e.g. production incidents, important bugs, test coverage, latency and performance, KTLO and on-call load, targeted quality risks)

​​My current structured interface for tracking results for the organization include readouts from product deliverable status updates and quality rhythms — although I am always exploring the better mechanisms to get a deep understanding of how teams are doing without being too disruptive.  I expect managers to be fully prepared in all status reviews.  I may (will) also ask for additional updates on key projects. 

​​That said, I expect you to communicate anticipated missed commitments early.  For major releases or important commitments, do not wait for the next “check-in”.  Forward your leadership team an email of the blocker, point them at the bug, or send them a short note.

​​Talent

​​In addition to various structured processes we run, I expect managers to be in the details on…

• ​​Where their team is excelling and struggling
• ​​High and low performers, where they excel, and a plan to improve and grow them
• ​​Succession planning for key roles on the team, including your own
• ​​Diversity and inclusion dynamics within the team, including how team interactions provide support and foster openness.

​​You should have both quantitative and qualitative mechanisms for gaining this understanding. Conduct skip-Level meetings.

​​I expect you to immediately inform your manager about talent related matters in the organization. A short email is fine. Examples include moving someone into a performance management category, potential transfers, expected attrition, significant achievements, or other significant people developments.  Inform them of early indicators of potential attrition.  Know that I am also here to help diagnose or “re-recruit”.  Certainly, point me at people with amazing growth paths.  I’m also here to accelerate that growth.

​​I expect to be consulted on matters concerning senior talent in the organization. If you’re re-deploying a Staff/Principal Engineer to work on another project or team, I’m looking for signal that engineer will be working on the highest leverage area.

​​While recruiting and closing candidates is ultimately your responsibility, I am always available to help sell and close.

​​Strategy and Direction 

​​As managers of an engineering organization, I expect everyone in my management chain — myself included — to stay fluent in the team’s technology and participate in key engineering decisions. While our dual career tracks expects and empowers engineers to drive technical decision making, it does not mean managers abdicate their responsibility to actively participate and guide the process.   You are ultimately accountable for the strategy and the outcome.

​​I expect to be consulted on key architectural decisions made by the team. Please use judgement to gauge what constitutes a key decision needing my attention.  Generally, if it has cross-group impact, it’s something I would want to be aware of.  This category includes significant changes to technical strategy.  I also want to engage in cases where you believe a “non-standard” technical approach is the right course of action.  Getting strong alignment allows me to provide full support, air cover, or to redirect the team early.

​​About Greg’s Leadership

​​You should check out ​Working with Greg if you haven’t already.  

​​I like to set up explicit structures and expectations that apply broadly to my org (hence a doc like this).  Contrary to these being rigid and all-encompassing, I aim for them to empower — letting people know that their ownership and playing field is large, but there are places where that ownership should interact with others (including me).

​​Additionally, at any given time I like to identify a few focus areas for me to dive deep into.  These tend to be places with gaps that could use my involvement, and places of success where I think I could learn a lot and share that learning.  I’ll tell you when I’ll be diving into something within your sphere before diving in.

​​finally {

• ​​I want any and all feedback you have, even if small or vague or just a feeling.  Tell me where I have a blind spot (or where I’m getting it right and should double down).
• ​​I am here to make you succeed, because that’s how we all succeed.  
• ​​Own It.

​​}

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