Episode 10: Peer mentoring, building a support group and managing up with Nickolas Means
Dec 9, 2023
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Nickolas Means, an engineer turned engineering leader, talks about peer mentoring, building a support group, managing up, and more. They discuss transitioning into a management role, the challenges of feedback loops when managing managers, measuring productivity in teams, building relationships, managing a manager, and negotiating with managers of managers.
Building a strong support network within the organization is essential for managing managers and fostering open communication, trust, and mutual support.
Spotting potential managers and providing them with opportunities to lead projects can help them develop necessary skills and determine their suitability for leadership roles.
Deep dives
Transition to Management and Managing Managers
Nicholas Means shares his journey from engineering to engineering leadership, highlighting the importance of finding a better way to lead teams and manage managers. He discusses the challenges and rewards of transitioning into a management role, managing managers, and the need for building a strong support network within the organization.
Navigating Power Dynamics and Safety Relationships
Means emphasizes the significance of understanding power dynamics and establishing safety relationships when managing managers. He discusses the importance of creating an open and trusting environment where managers feel comfortable sharing their challenges and successes. By encouraging open communication and celebrating wins, managers can build strong relationships based on trust and mutual support.
Identifying and Supporting New Managers
Means offers advice on spotting potential managers and supporting them during their transition into leadership roles. He suggests looking for individuals who observe and identify problems within their teams and display a desire to improve and innovate. Providing new managers with opportunities to lead projects and offering a taste of management responsibilities before officially transitioning into the role can help them develop the necessary skills and determine their suitability for management positions.
Navigating Organizational Politics and Building Networks
Means discusses the differences between managing managers in startup and larger organizational environments, highlighting the importance of navigating organizational politics and building networks. He suggests keeping an open line of communication with superiors and colleagues, attending conferences, and regularly networking with individuals from different teams and departments. Developing strong relationships with individuals in various roles can provide insights, support, and resources to help effectively manage managers and achieve organizational goals.
Nickolas Means is a very thoughtful and calm engineering leader who I was lucky enough to meet through a number of conferences. He's a wonderful story teller and in our chat, we talk about his growth story, the power of peer mentoring, building your own mentoring support group, long feedback loops, metrics for engineering teams, managing up and much more.
Guest Biography:
Nickolas Means is an engineer turned engineering leader who’s been leading teams at companies large and small for the last decade. He’s a student of disasters like airplane crashes and a fantastic storyteller, who I’ve been able to see and hear firsthand at several LeadDev conferences. He’s currently VP of Engineering at Sym, which builds the most developer-friendly way to secure your production infrastructure and has his own podcast called Managing Up.