Transition from Individual Contributor to Manager, although exciting and challenging, may be a tough move that normally raises a lot of unknowns, questions and fears. In this talk I will share my very own personal experience during that journey. Starting from the big decision moment, I will go through how I “survived” the first months and share a couple of tips and lessons learned. This is a talk for everyone, whether you are thinking to do the transition, or just curious about it or even if you are managing teams for a while. Bio: Jorge is an Engineering Manager at Talkdesk. Before being a Manager, he was Software Engineer for 10 years working in multiple sectors such as Operations support systems, E-Learning, Information Systems and Telecom. He is passionate about people growth and is now pushing his limits to become a master at building high performance teams that thrive to top-notch results while enjoying every mile of the ride.

1. From Engineer to
Manager
Jorge Martins - @jorgemlm
Fullstack Porto Meetup - October 2019

2. Hello!
I’m Jorge Martins
Engineering Manager at Talkdesk
@jorgemlm

3. 1.
The decision
From Individual Contributor (IC) to Manager
4

4. You don’t need to
decide alone
5
● What do your peers think about it?
● Talk with people already on the role
● Great talks and other resources
on the web about it

5. 2.
Congratulations!
You are now a Manager. First impressions...
6

6. “It’s an entire new job”
7

7. It’s a bit lonely here
8

8. Hard to
measure
the output
9
Your output is now the output of your
teams

9. The agenda
hell
10
● Do we really need this meeting?
● Slack time between meetings
● Time to Execute
● Time to Think

10. 3.
Finding your
space
Surviving the first weeks.
How do you want to be perceived?
11

11. 12
Know your people
and teams
● Every human is different
● Is the team purpose clear?
● Understand the team processes
and dynamics

12. Talk about
Expectations
13
● What people should expect from
you?
● What do you expect from your
direct reports?

13. 14
Find a
mentor(s)

14. 15
Draw a plan
for the first
weeks
● Identify your own management training needs (books, posts,
courses, …)
● Schedule your new routines
● Understand the status of the delivery
● Make sure to observe before making too many changes

15. 4.
Building your
manager toolkit
As a first time Manager you need to build it from scratch
16

16. 1-1’s
17
● No matter what
● One of the most valuable
resources
● Create a safe space
● Prepare them
● Keep track of the subjects
● Take actions after the
conversation

17. 18
People’s growth
● Understand each one vision
● Promote awareness (self and shared)
● Build a plan with them
● Track the results
Personal Development Plan

18. Follow up the
activities
19
● Have a common place to share
what you are working / talking
about with the people
● The tool is not the point. Just
choose whatever it works for you

19. 20
Feedback is a gift!
● Creating a culture of continuous feedback
● Promote 360 feedback
● Avoid surprises in performance appraisal

20. 5.
Keeping
relevant
Technically speaking
21

21. Healing the hangover...
● Get a pet project
● Contribute to open source
● Tech talks on youtube
● Going to tech conferences
● Tech news feeds
● Reading tech books
● Hackathons!
22

22. 6.
Lessons
Learned
(So far)
23

23. 24
Don’t make
assumptions
● You will get surprised about this
● Always ask first
● Make sure that everyone understands the basic
concepts before going deep dive

24. Communication is
key
● How is your communication style?
● Staff meetings
● Fight rumours and gossips
● Always communicate the why
25

25. Not so lonely
after all
● The management community
● Share your experience
● Learn from others
● Ask for help
26

26. You are not the
smartest in
the room
(And that’s great)
● You are most likely the person
with more context
● Surround yourself by the
smartest people. Involve them
in the decisions
27

27. Ask more questions
Let the team find the
answers
28

28. You may find that this
is not for you
● It is not a stepping down or a failure
● It was a learning experience
● You will be more sure about your true passion
29

29. 7.
Resources
Helping you to take off
30

30. Books
31

31. Podcasts
32

32. Misc
33
● Software Lead Weekly Newsletter
http://softwareleadweekly.com/
● CalibrateSF Conference talks (youtube)
● Rands Leadership Slack Community
● Google Re:work Management Guides
https://rework.withgoogle.com/subjects/managers/
● ...

33. Thanks!
@jorgemlm
jorge.martins@talkdesk.com
Credits
Presentation template from: https://www.slidescarnival.com/eglamour-free-presentation-template/1938
Images: https://pixabay.com

34. Questions?
@jorgemlm
jorge.martins@talkdesk.com
Credits
Presentation template from: https://www.slidescarnival.com/eglamour-free-presentation-template/1938
Images: https://pixabay.com
35