A short guide to take you through 3 principles that you should be aware of as a new software engineering manager. I have done this talk a few times. I hope it will be useful to you, dear reader.

1. Pravin Paratey
New Manager 101

2. Welcome to your new job

3. Responsibilities
▸ People
▸ Engineering
▸ Product
▸ Company
Your Role - Enabling
long-term predictable team
velocity.

4. 3 principles for new managers

5. 1. Building Trust

6. ▸ Give feedback - Positive
and constructive. Make it
honest, hard and timely.
▸ Show confidence -
highlight wins and
strengths, offer support if
needed.
1. Building Trust
▸ Listen - Really listen.
Practise Active Listening.
▸ No advice unless asked -
do not offer advice or
talk about a time when
you were in a similar
situation.
▸ Be available and visible.

7. 2. Empowering your team

8. ▸ Be fair, have no
favourites and treat
people with respect.
▸ Take the blame - give
away success.
▸ Make it a safe place.
2. Empowering your team
▸ Goal setting - set clear
and fair expectations.
Follow up on progress.
▸ Create experts - don’t be
the expert.
▸ Deal with problem
situations and employees
as a priority.

9. 3. Look after yourself

10. 3. Look after yourself
▸ Understand your default
management style.
▸ Control your time. Be
productive, not busy.
▸ Involve your manager.
▸ Let your team see that
you are human.
▸ It gets lonely.
▹ Use your peer group
▹ Find a mentor
▸ You may fail. It’s okay.
▹ Learn from your mistakes.
▸ Don’t be afraid to ask for
help.

11. Evaluating yourself

12. ▸ Does my team deliver as
promised? **
▹ Symptoms - Missed
deadlines, # Bugs, Code
quality
▹ Easier to evaluate
▸ Is my team happy?
(morale)
▹ Symptoms - Attrition,
blame game, people don’t
talk to each other
▹ Evaluate
■ 360 feedback. From reports,
peers, your manager,
non-direct reports
■ Anonymised tools.
Am I doing a good job?

13. Summary
3 takeaways
a. Build trust
b. Empower your team
c. Look after yourself
▸ Management is
tough.
▸ Enjoy your new role.

14. Resources
1. The One Minute
Manager by Kenneth
Blanchard and Spencer
Johnson
2. How To Win Friends And
Influence People by Dale
Carnegie
3. Start with Why by Simon
Sinek
4. Managing Oneself by
Peter Drucker
5. The ONE thing by Gary
Keller

15. Thank you
Pravin Paratey
pravin@paratey.com