Every grad student has to supervise younger students at some point in their career, and my experience managing 3 teams of undergrads were some of the highlights of my PhD experience. It was a relatively low-risk, informal introduction to management, I learned a lot and I wanted more. After some more informal mentoring experiences at FredHutch, I was a formal manager at my next job, below are notes I have collected on management.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)

Good managers also need to be a good individual contributor, with good communication, organization and vision. The habits of the title, like “seek to first to understand, then to be understood” and “be proactive” are high-level and uncontroversial, the former particularly resonated with me since I’m of the opinion that managing people is ultimately about relationships. I also learned about the Eisenhower matrix, a helpful tool in time management and prioritization.

Berkeley New Manager Bootcamp (2021 offering)

This is a course offered annually by UCBerkeley through their Executive Education office. I took it as part of my promotion at TwinStrand and attended with other TwinStrand managers. The course attendees were a mix of existing and new managers coming from all over the world. Everyone was given a test to identify their “manager DNA” and corresponding advice. I liked the breakout sessions since they gave a broad exposure to the wide-range styles of people management. Here are some advice I have collected from conversations with other managers:

• Reserve 15 minutes on Monday morning to block out your calendar for focus times or important tasks and cancel unnecessary meetings for the week.

• Be prepared to give instructions at least 3 times, especially when given verbally and/or the information is highly technical.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment and tweak your team culture.

• Don’t take obstacles personally, even if they came from a specific person. Go above or around the obstacle.

• Deliver criticisms in a “sandwich” format: start and end with a praise (Note: The Making of A Manager below disagrees with this approach, saying it buries the criticism and gives a false sense of progress when you’re seeking a correction).

The Making of A Manager (2019)

This book was recommended to me during the bootcamp above, appropriately, since the author became a manager when Facebook was a startup like I was at TwinStrand. The book provides some good first questions to ask your team to set expectations both for when you’re inheriting an existing team, or starting a new one. There were some advice about how to work in a large organization (running townhall meetings, how to work with other managers). Other things I highlighted in this book are paraphrased below:

• If your report feels that your respect are based only on their performance, they will struggle to be honest when things are rocky. If instead they feel you care about them as individuals, you will get honesty in return.

• One-on-one meetings can be a little awkward, but that’s OK since it means important things are being discussed and problems are addressed.

• Avoid “brilliant jerks”, it’s always possible to find people who are both smart and kind. Tolerating jerks sets predisposes your team to toxicity.

• If a team member is a poor fit despite your effort and theirs to make things work, let them go (first elsewhere in the organization, then departing) rather have them stay too long.

• Set up regular Q&A sessions to solicit feedback and create an environment where feedback is encouraged. Be prompt and specific when sharing feedback, provide examples and solutions. Confirm takeaways at the end to make sure there is no misunderstanding.

The Effective Executive (1966)

A co-worker recommended this book saying that despite the title, the advice in it can readily be applied to everyone, not just C-suite managers. The author Peter Drucker is credited with, among other things, the phrase “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. The practices of the “effective executive” are:

1. Actively keep track and manage time

2. Focus on results rather than the amount of effort required

3. Focus on your strengths and strengths of your subordinates, rather than the shortcomings

4. Prioritize areas where you can be disproportionately effective, eliminate other areas

5. Consider dissenting opinions when making decisions, picking few strategic decisions rather than many tactical ones