Chapter 9. The Philosophy It All Adds Up To

I’ve hit on a lot of themes in the preceding chapters. To close out, I’d like to take a moment to extrapolate those themes and piece them together into the philosophy I promised you in the introduction.

It has just as few major tenets:

1. Be the same person as manager that you were when you aspired to become one—the hungry kind, the kind who collaborated and always wanted to learn more and get more involved.
2. Don’t manage people, manage things away from people. Don’t ask people to do good work; they already want to do good work. Clear the path so that they can. Don’t tell them what you need; ask what they need from you.
3. Communicate well (and frequently). Listen, ask questions, clarify, restate, absorb, and contribute. And when it’s time to talk, present your ideas rather than leaving them open to interpretation.
4. Always consider and be able to explain how today’s actions map to tomorrow’s outcomes. This shows higher-ups that you’re thinking about the business, and it lets your team keep the overarching vision in mind so that they can contribute in a meaningful way. It helps your team connect their work to the company’s goals, which is a major factor in feeling like they have purpose. It will also help you stay calm and measured as a manager; your eye for the long-term reduces the frustration of distractions.
5. Don’t just get out of the way. Lead. Work with people to establish direction, communicate that direction (frequently), and then support everyone’s efforts to get there.