Increasing Your Team’s Capacity To Win [Podcast]
“Taking on the responsibility of an engineering manager is part technologist, part anthropologist, part psychologist.”
In the latest Greymatter podcast, Greylock Talent Partner Dan Portillo sits down with Twitter Head of Revenue Engineering Wade Chambers to discuss the art and science of managing technical teams. Wade shares personal insight into his development as a leader, and shares frameworks for structuring productive meetings, providing feedback, and optimizing for a high functioning organization.
Wade’s philosophy is to identify the path to success, eliminate barriers and increase capacity to win by investing time in his team and refining their strengths. He explains how understanding systems, history, and people allows great managers to challenge their teams and create conditions to unlock growth.
Here are a few key takeaways from the podcast, now available on iTunes, SoundCloud, Pocket Casts, and Stitcher:
Objectives, Activities, Time, and Schedule (OATS)
“I force myself to think what’s the one thing that I could be doing that would make everything easier or eliminated”
Wade emphasizes managing your time in a thoughtful, organized way. He looks ahead at least a week in advance to define objectives for himself, his team and his company when planning his schedule. He lays out the activities needed to achieve these objectives and organizes his time around those activities. According to Wade, even “thinking time” is scheduled on his calendar. He’s found that adhering to “OATS” forces him to engage only in the activities that eliminate barriers and push projects forward.
Providing Feedback and Managing Conflict
“People want feedback and if it’s provided in the right way, it’s a gift.”
When giving individual feedback, Wade focuses on providing information on three core topics: cognitive skills, personal skills and social competence. He argues it’s important for people to understand the technical base of their role, but also to improve their self-awareness and acknowledge the social impact they make on the group. Merely identifying a problem within a group is different than outlining a positive solution and being a catalyst for change. Managers need to help develop their team’s social competence because it “moves individuals from simply a declarative knowledge to a procedural knowledge.” When it comes to managing conflict, Wade meets with each person individually making sure he understands their point of view. He then gathers the group, helping individuals to understand the problem and enlists their help to determine a solution.
Components of high-functioning team
“Your job is to win and then increase your capacity to win.”
High functioning team members hold themselves and each other personally accountable. They are constantly learning and becoming more efficient, ultimately expanding how they think and grow. An engaged manager should be promoting challenging projects that push boundaries and encourage curiosities that are aligned with the values of the organization.
Wade’s key takeaway for managers is to drive projects forward and eliminate barriers to optimize for success. By defining objectives and providing dynamic feedback, managers will create an environment for teams to grow and perform at high levels. Developing these skills and investing in the team are critical to a great manager’s capacity to lead and win.
