33 posts tagged with "management"

Julie Zhuo is the vice president of product design at Facebook. In her book The Making of a Manager, Julie draws on her own experiences as a first-time manager and provides practical advice for those who want to become good managers.

Focus on improving the outcomes of a team instead of daily activities​

When Julie Zhuo just became a manager of Facebook's design team, she thought her job was to hold meetings with team members to follow up on their progress at work and provide feedback. It takes almost ten years for her to realize that a manager should strive for improved outcomes from the team and focus on broader issues such as how to help her team to work more effectively together instead of daily activities.

Andy Grove, in his book High Output Management, believes that a manager's output = The output of his organization + The output of the neighboring organizations under his influence.

Be activity-specific and bring in multiple perspectives when giving feedback​

Providing feedback to team members is indispensable to the job of a manager. But sometimes your criticism might hurt someone's feelings. Julie suggests two solutions for this situation. One way is to keep your feedback activity-specific. You can provide feedback specific to a task just completed by email or face-to-face communication. This way guarantees the criticism is only for the work someone has done, not the person. The other way is to bring in multiple perspectives. Besides your own opinion, you can share with the team what others think.

Start meetings with purpose and end with outcomes​

Meetings are usually considered as bureaucratic and a waste of time, especially when being held without a purpose. An agenda is not enough to make a productive meeting. In addition, the meeting organizer needs to have a clear idea of the outcome. The outcome could be to present and share information or to make a decision. In the latter situation, everyone who is going to be impacted directly by the decision should attend the meeting. The manager should ensure all the relevant information is presented objectively, and everyone's voices are heard and equally respected.

Plan in advance before making recruitment decisions​

Hiring should not be taken as finding someone to fill a vacancy as soon as possible regardless of the skills and experiences. It should be planned in advance. At the beginning of each calendar year, Julie creates a list of vacancies that needs to be recruited for. She suggests a few questions for managers to consider before tailoring their own recruit plans.

• How many new recruits can you realistically hire based on your team's priorities and budget?
• What skills does your team need more? What skills does your team have in abundance?
• How much experience should they have?
• What personalities or attributes could strengthen your team's diversity?

Imagine that you were a commander in one of the most violent battlefields in Iraq, and your decisions often had a significant impact on others’ lives. How would you lead? In the book Extreme Ownership, the authors, also former Navy SEAL task unit leaders, share their experience and insights of the success of Navy SEAL units, providing useful references for any organization that wants to succeed.

Take responsibility for failures​

Jocko Willink, one of the authors, held all the responsibility for an accident where a soldier lost his life in friendly fire. By doing this, he managed to keep his job because his superiors knew good leaders take responsibility for mistakes and actively look for ways to improve. If the leader makes an excuse to pass the buck, his subordinates will then do the same.

Understand the importance of your mission​

On the battlefield, when Willink was told that his elite team would be fighting side-by-side with the newly created Iraqi army, he doubted the capacity and loyalty of the Iraqi army as well as the correctness of the command. But later, he gradually realized this action could help the US forces to withdraw from Iraq. Then Willink passed his conviction onto his team, and then they finally accomplished the mission successfully.

Leaders should fully understand the importance of every mission and make sure every member is on the same page before carrying it out. If you consider the order received as questionable, think twice before speaking out against the plan. You may also try to seek explanations from your superiors.

Cooperate with your allies​

“Cover and move” is one of the most fundamental Navy SEAL tactics, which indicates sometimes you need to cooperate with your allies. Leif Babin, the other author, failed to employ this tactic and put his team in extreme danger, which could have been avoided. Leaders should keep an eye on other teams that could provide strategic support instead of competing with them.

Stay effective by setting priorities​

In Ramadi, Babin’s team was deep in enemy territory without backup. One team member was wounded and exposed. There was a bomb at the exit. Attention was required for a few problems at the same time. Babin calmly assessed the scenario, sorted out the top three priorities, and managed to escape from the dangerous situation.

In the battlefield where complicated situations often occur, leaders have to stay calm and find the optimal solution. That’s why “prioritize and execute” is thought as a useful principle. It is essential for leaders to decide on the top priority and then focus on it. After the problem is solved, you can move to the next priority and take action.

Identify and mitigate risks in advance​

Before an operation to rescue an Iraqi hostage, Babin fully considered the potential target around the hostage, including explosives and guns, and moved forward as planned, mitigating all the risks.

Creating a comprehensive plan helps to identify and mitigate risks in advance and improve the possibility of success. Besides, leaders should keep members informed of these contingency plans. Concentrate on the risks that can be controlled and be aware that there are always some risks that can not be mitigated.

1. build and ship the product
2. find the product-market fit
3. grow users as fast as you can consistently to achieve market leadership and defensible moats
4. build an executive team and an organization that can operation without the founder
5. go through the IPO and become an enduring public company

Imagine you are on the most dangerous battlefield in Iraq, as a commander making decisions that affect the lives of soldiers. How would you lead your team? In the book "Extreme Ownership," the authors, who served as task force commanders in the Navy SEALs, share their observations and experiences on the battlefield to provide insights for other teams striving for success.

Dare to Take Responsibility for Failures​

One of the authors, Jocko Willink, took full responsibility after a major incident involving friendly fire that resulted in soldier casualties, yet he was able to keep his job. This was because his superior understood a key principle: great leaders never shirk responsibility. Instead, they actively seek criticism and meticulously document ways to improve. If leaders avoid responsibility, their subordinates will follow suit.

Understand the Importance of the Mission​

On the battlefield, when Willink was informed by his commander that his elite unit would be working alongside the newly formed Iraqi army, he privately questioned the army's capability and loyalty, as well as the correctness of the orders. However, he gradually realized that this move would facilitate the smooth withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. He then communicated the mission and its purpose to his troops, ultimately accomplishing the task successfully.

Leaders should fully understand the significance of each action and communicate it to all team members before executing the mission. When there are doubts about the orders received, it is wise to pause and think carefully rather than hastily spreading concerns. Alternatively, you can seek clarification from superiors.

Actively Collaborate with Allies​

“Cover and move” is one of the most fundamental strategies of the Navy SEALs, meaning that sometimes you need to seek collaboration with allies. The book's other author, Leif Babin, once placed his team in an avoidable extreme situation by failing to use this strategy. Leaders need to look at the bigger picture and seek strategic support from other teams within the organization rather than constantly opposing them.

Clarify Priorities to Improve Efficiency​

On the battlefield in Ramadi, Babin faced a situation where his team was deep inside enemy territory, with no backup, and one team member was injured and exposed, while bombs were placed at the exit. However, after clearly identifying and addressing the three main priorities—ensuring safety, approaching the injured, and counting personnel—he was ultimately able to lead the team out of danger successfully.

The battlefield is often complex, and leaders must remain calm and seek the best solutions. Therefore, the principle of “prioritize and execute” is crucial. Leaders should first identify the highest priority tasks and focus on resolving them before shifting attention to the next priority.

Identify and Mitigate Risks in Advance​

Before conducting a rescue mission, Babin thoroughly considered various scenarios, such as ambushes with explosives and armed guards, allowing him to act smoothly and successfully mitigate risks.

Developing a comprehensive plan helps to identify and reduce risks in advance, increasing the chances of success. Additionally, leaders should promptly inform team members of relevant contingency plans. While focusing on manageable risks, they must also be aware that some risks cannot be avoided.

Working together is very important. Even a genius like Turing needs others’ help to crack the Enigma code. But what is the key factor in team success? Many people believe it is the skills and abilities of team members. Well, the truth may surprise you.

At the beginning of the book The Culture Code, the author introduces a funny competition held among groups of kindergartners, business school students, and lawyers in which the participants need to create the tallest possible structure with uncooked spaghetti, tape, strings, and a marshmallow. Unexpectedly, the game ends with the triumph of kindergartners. How can it happen? When looking back, we discover that business school students usually analyze the problem first, discuss the right strategy, and quietly form a hierarchy. At the same time, kindergartners just start experimenting together and keep trying.

From the different approaches, we can see a good group culture, which can boost the overall performance values, more internal interaction and communication than the skills of group members.

There are three skills to create this kind of group culture.

1. Create a safe working environment​

People can perform at their best in a familiar environment, and that’s why creating a safe working environment is so crucial. The sense of safety usually comes from internal familiarities and connections. If you want to make others feel relaxed and safe, it’s essential to let them know you are paying attention to what they have to say. Sometimes, proper feedback is needed too, which can both increase interactivity and let people feel they are needed.

2. Show your vulnerabilities to build trust​

Although it might sound strange, showing your vulnerabilities actually helps to improve the group performance. We always look at the ways people around us behave and pick up some patterns. Admitting your shortcomings to others indicates they can do the same too. And this will enhance the mutual trust within the group.

Meanwhile, sharing vulnerabilities also conveys the expectation of cooperation. When group members know you rely on their help, they can feel comfortable to rely on you in return. Then everyone is going to know he or she does not have to handle everything on their own.

3. Establish a common purpose and emphasize​

The pursuit of a common goal is critical to group performance. The common goal refers to beliefs and values behind people’s actions. Gabriele Oettingen, a psychology professor at New York University, has proved in several studies that, communications over the common purpose can help to unite members and achieve goals.

Repetition is necessary for emphasizing the common purpose within the group. You can put it over again and again in regular meetings or make it into short tag lines. Repeat ten times or a hundred times if necessary.

Teamwork is crucial. Even geniuses like Turing need help from others to crack the Enigma. So, what are the key factors that enable a team to succeed? People naturally believe it is the abilities and levels of individual members, but the reality might surprise you.

At the beginning of The Culture Code, the author describes an interesting competition among kindergarten children, business school students, and lawyers: participants had to build the tallest structure possible using raw spaghetti, tape, string, and marshmallows. The competition ended with the kindergarten children winning. Why did the seemingly least capable group manage to defeat the others? Upon reviewing the competition, we found that business school students typically analyzed the problem first, discussed the right strategy, and then quietly established a hierarchy; whereas the kindergarten children simply started building and experimenting with different approaches.

A strong team culture emphasizes communication among team members rather than individual skills. Such a culture maximizes overall performance. To foster a positive team culture that enhances collective performance, there are three key skills.

1. Create a Safe Work Environment​

People are more likely to unleash their full potential in a familiar environment, so creating a safe space is crucial. The sense of safety within a team comes from familiarity and connection among its members. If you want to cultivate a safe work environment, it is essential to learn to listen and let others know they are heard. When people know that what they say is being listened to and valued, they feel secure. You can provide appropriate feedback while listening, which enhances interaction and makes people feel needed.

2. Be Vulnerable to Build Trust​

Although it may seem counterintuitive, showing vulnerability can indeed enhance team performance. We often observe the behaviors of those around us and learn by imitation. Admitting your weaknesses and mistakes to team members shows that they can do the same. This helps to strengthen internal trust among the team.

At the same time, displaying your shortcomings expresses an expectation for collaboration. When you show that you rely on others for help, they can also comfortably acknowledge their need for assistance. Over time, everyone understands that they shouldn’t bear everything alone, naturally fostering a sense of unity within the team.

3. Establish Common Goals and Reinforce Them​

A steadfast pursuit of common goals is key to good team performance. A team's common goal refers to the beliefs and values that motivate the actions of its members. This common goal clarifies the team's self-identity and communicates it to the outside world. Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen has demonstrated through several studies that communicating common goals helps unite members and makes achieving those goals easier.

To deepen members' impressions, repetition is essential. To express things more clearly, repeating them ten or even a hundred times is worthwhile. You can repeatedly convey the company's mission in meetings or turn the goals into catchy slogans.

Only Live "Day 1" = Without Growth, There is Death​

The office building where Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos works is called "Day 1." Over the years, no matter which other building he moves to, he always brings this same name with him. Therefore, he has a lot of authority on this term.

Someone might ask, what is "Day 2"? Day 2 is stagnation, followed by irrelevance, then suffocating, painful decline, and finally, death.

This is why Bezos believes that every day should be Day 1; without growth, there is death. So how do we prevent "Day 2"? There are four foundations.

A True Obsession with Customers​

There are countless business strategies, but why focus on "obsession with customers"? The benefits are numerous, with the biggest being: Customers are always dissatisfied, even when they say they are satisfied. Customers often don’t know what they truly want: they actually want something better. If you want to serve customers well, you must create products and services in their name. For example, the Prime service was not something customers asked Amazon for, but the results proved it was indeed what they wanted.

Maintaining "Day 1" requires patience; you need a lot of experimentation and to accept failure. Planting seeds and growing saplings takes time, but once you see what makes users happy, double down on it.

Resisting Proxies​

As companies grow larger, we often tend to rely on proxies or intermediaries. This form of dependency can take many shapes and is very much "Day 2." Here are two examples:

1. Relying on processes as proxies for results. Good processes serve you, allowing you to better serve customers. You must never serve the process. Why? When you serve the process, you only focus on doing the process correctly, regardless of the outcome. When failures occur, only inexperienced leaders say, "We followed the process," while seasoned leaders say, "We found an opportunity to improve the process." Constantly ask yourself, does the process own us, or do we own the process?

2. Relying on market research and customer surveys as proxies for customers. When you invent and design products, relying on research can be dangerous; "satisfaction increased from 47% to 55%" is a vague statement that can be misleading.

   1. Good investors and designers deeply understand customers; they invest significant energy in developing intuition and study numerous fascinating anecdotes rather than average data from surveys. They exist to design.
   2. Bezos does not oppose public testing and surveys; they help you identify blind spots, but as a provider of products and services, you must prioritize your vision and unique value over customer feedback. Exceptional customer experiences begin with intuition, curiosity, playfulness, courage, and taste—qualities that user surveys cannot provide.

Embracing External Trends​

The trends of the world favor those who align with them and doom those who resist. These trends are not hard to identify, but strangely, large companies often struggle to embrace them. One such trend today is machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Over the past few decades, many tasks could be solved with precise rules and algorithms; next, with machine learning, we can tackle tasks that cannot be described by exact rules.

Much of what happens in machine learning occurs at the foundational level, out of sight, but you can at least call them very simply via APIs.

Fast Decision-Making​

"Day 2" companies make high-quality decisions, but their decision-making speed is very slow. To maintain the energy and vitality of "Day 1," you must make "high-quality and high-speed" decisions. This is important not only because "speed" matters in the business world but also because having an atmosphere of "fast decision-making" is more enjoyable.

How can you achieve fast decision-making? Bezos does not have a complete answer, but here are some thoughts:

1. Decisions are inherently unequal; never treat them all the same. Reversible decisions should use lightweight decision-making processes.

2. Most decisions can be made when you have 70% of the information. Waiting until you have 90% may be too late. Also, in either case, you must quickly identify and address bad decisions. When you are highly responsive, making mistakes is cheap, while being slow is costly.

3. Use a management style of "==I disagree, but I commit to executing well==." This saves a lot of time spent on disputes.

   1. When no one knows the outcome, ask, "I know we have a disagreement, but are you willing to take a gamble with me? I disagree, but I commit to executing well?" The answer you get is likely to be, "Sure."
   2. The party that disagrees does not commit out of indifference but from a genuine and sincere disagreement, allowing the other party to reconsider your "disagreement" while still acting quickly due to your commitment.

4. Identify misalignments early and escalate them immediately. Sometimes, goals between teams conflict, and disputes at the same level cannot be resolved, wasting a lot of time and energy. In such cases, escalating will make decision-making faster and easier.

The ability to stay focused is the key to achieve your goals in a world full of temptations. Nir Eyal, the author of the bestseller book, Hooked, revealed his way of fighting against distractions in his new book, indistractable.

Why are we so easily distracted? There might be external causes sometimes. However, in most cases, it turns out distraction has internal sources. We are distracted because we want to escape from discomfort. To avoid distraction, we need to solve the problem from inside.

Identify internal triggers and beat them​

Next time you feel inclined to distraction, try to record your feelings and what triggers that. That’s how you can identify internal triggers in the first place. Then you can try to avoid the triggers by making tasks more fun.

Plan quality time for yourself before work​

To have a plan can prevent you from distraction because you will know what exactly you are striving for. However, scheduling for work is not the best place to start. On the contrary, plan for yourself and your relationships first, and then you will not escape to your hobbies in the middle of work.

Cut down on office distractions and learn to organize​

Office distractions such as email notifications are typical external triggers. Let others know that you need to be entirely focused on the task at hand, so they are not supposed to interrupt you. Also, learn to sort your emails more effectively and make sure only a few emails demand your attention every day. Other than emails, there are other forms of distraction in the workplace. Learn to organize them in the least distracting way.

Make use of pacts to prevent distraction​

You have to be aware of the fact that the battle between you and distraction is not a one-day fight. Maybe you can try an APP to block your access to distracting. Or find a study buddy to focus together. Imposing fines for missing targets also sounds practical, which has been testified by the author.

Contribute to a functional work culture​

Dysfunctional work culture is the beginning of endless distraction, in which employees are overburdened and even required to answer emails after work. Employers should create a platform that enables employees to give feedbacks safely without be worried about getting fired. Step by step, the company can head towards a functional work culture.

The ability to stay focused is key to achieving your true self. In a world full of distractions, this ability has become more important than ever. Nir Eyal, author of "Hooked," offers us effective methods to eliminate distractions and maintain focus.

Why are we always so easily distracted? It turns out that distractions often have internal causes. We get distracted because we constantly seek to escape psychological discomfort. To avoid distractions, we need to address the issues from the inside out.

Identify Internal Triggers of Distraction​

Next time you feel your attention slipping, try to record your feelings and the reasons behind them. This way, you can understand the internal triggers right from the start. Afterward, you can avoid distractions by making tasks more enjoyable.

Prioritize Time for Yourself Before Scheduling Work​

Creating a plan can prevent distractions because you will clearly know your goals. However, prioritizing work time is not the best starting point. On the contrary, you should first plan for yourself and your relationships. By doing so, playtime is already scheduled, and you won’t interrupt your work out of a desire to play. In other words, work when it’s time to work, and play when it’s time to play.

Reduce Office Distractions and Learn to Organize​

There are often many external factors in the workplace that distract attention, such as email notifications. Try to let others know that you need to focus entirely on the task at hand so that they won’t disturb you. Additionally, learn how to effectively organize your emails to ensure that you only have a few to focus on each day. Besides emails, there are many other forms of distractions in the workplace; learn to manage them with minimal effort.

Use Pacts to Prevent Distraction​

One undeniable fact is that our struggle with distractions is not a one-day battle. You can use apps that block distractions. Alternatively, work together with others to stay focused. Also, imposing fines as a penalty for not meeting goals can be very effective; this practice has greatly benefited the author.

Foster a Healthy Work Culture​

An imbalanced work culture is the beginning of endless distractions. In an unbalanced work culture, employees are heavily burdened and may even be expected to respond to emails after hours. Employers should create a platform that allows employees to provide feedback safely without fear of being fired.

20% Time​

Engineers are allowed to spend 20% of their work time on any project they want to contribute to, without needing approval from their managers or others. This is highly valuable because:

1. As long as there are good ideas, no matter how bad they sound at first, there is ample time to develop them to a demo-ready state.
2. It allows managers to see activities they might not otherwise notice; otherwise, engineers might engage in "skunkworks" and work secretly.
3. It enables engineers to work on interesting projects, preventing burnout and motivating them to be happier. The output gap between motivated engineers and burnt-out engineers far exceeds 20%.
4. It encourages innovation; if others around you are working on 20% projects, you will be inspired to do the same.

OKRs​

Individuals and teams must publicly document their objectives and how they measure them.

• Objectives
  • Set quarterly and annual goals.
  • Individual and team goals should align with the larger group’s goals.
• Key Results: Measurable key results can quantify progress towards objectives, ranging from 0 to 1.
• Set OKRs high; generally, achieving around 0.65 is a good standard. If your results are often below this, your goals may be set too high; if above, they may be too low.
• Benefits
  • Everyone knows what others are working on, fostering mutual motivation.
  • Provides purpose to execution, making it easier to achieve goals.
• OKRs are not directly related to performance evaluations.

Should the Project Continue or Be Terminated?​

While the review process for major new releases is systematic, there is no definitive answer to whether a project should continue; some decisions are bottom-up, while others are top-down.

Reorganization​

Splitting and merging teams is common, seemingly optimizing efficiency.

My Evaluation​

The results of 20% time are positive, having incubated significant projects like Gmail and AdSense. In a competitive environment, encouraging talented engineers to spend time on new initiatives is highly beneficial. Promoting 20% time is also a unique strategy to attract talent when the company is small and needs to offer excellent benefits. I tend to view 20% time as a management style rather than a guaranteed path to success.

The distinction between OKRs and performance evaluations is crucial—this means separating vision from execution and goal management from performance management. For example, asking "Did you reach the destination?" compared to "Is the car you drove a good one?" are two different questions. Similarly, poor product sales and whether engineers produced a good product are two separate issues.

For regular engineers, maintaining good relationships with other teams in a large company, including those unrelated to your specific work, is important, as it increases your demand in the labor market. This way, in the event of a reorganization or other adverse events, you will have more options.