How did I manage? My journey in Corporate Universe
Let me tell you a story. Perhaps, it will sound familiar. Maybe from the very beginning you will know how it ends. And still, I can assure you, it is going to be one of a kind. At least as long as two paths leading to the same place can be different. The story is about the first baby steps on planet Management. My first steps. Of course, there was the beginning. I did not land on the dark side of the force just like that. It was an amazing journey of gaining experience with many ups and downs.
Welcome to the jungle
I guess my adventure does not differ from many others. I started out as a Java developer back when I was still working on my master’s degree and knew absolutely nothing when it came to the Corporate Universe.
A couple of years later, having some better and tons of worse code behind me, I gained precious technical experience. And, no surprise here, I was already familiar with the Agile force of creating great software. Did I have a clue about how to use it appropriately? No. Did anyone in the company bother to understand what it really means to be Agile? I truly believe they were doing their best. What I do know is that our delivery process was in a very poor condition. I mean, nowadays even one week between releases is a lot. In our case it was three months.
On the other hand, I was “just” a developer, what could I do? With music in my headphones and having a great time with my team members, I focused only on the technical side. After all, I just wanted to let the magic happen. With time, I became fed up with all this fashion to be Agile. At first glance, it was like a Snickers bar, with sweet, nice looking chocolate outside, so anyone could see how delicious it was. After the first bite you usually realized that something was wrong. Instead of healthy peanuts, you just literally went nuts with all the “best practices” from the corporate world.
As I was saying, everything else was just great. Sure, going on production was still a nightmare. But apart from that our manager was doing a great job. We were well-motivated, we could focus to master our technical skills and I really knew our goals for the next couple of months. Maybe it was his skills, maybe it was just a miracle — one that happens when you develop new applications — or maybe a combination of both.
Then, on one of those sunny days, my manager asked me a short, simple question: “do you want to lead a team?”. And so, the journey begins…
Just enjoy the ride
Team leader, this was my answer to one of those typical interview questions: “who do you want to be in five years?”. Dreams do come true, one might say. What a great opportunity, what a challenge. In my case, all of the above plus knowing that I was so not prepared for that role. Suddenly, it turned out that leading people and cooperating with other teams is hard. Not to mention the constant lack of time. On the bright side, my manager seemed to know what he was doing. I trusted him and for me it really means something.
What was most important, he was a good listener, not “nodding all the time” type. I had the feeling that he really understood my problems. Also, he shared his experience with me and it turned out that, after all, my issues were not so unique. On top of that, I could go and talk to him almost anytime I wanted — no need to wait for another “one on one” meeting.
In my organization being a team leader also meant having a Scrum Master role. Is it okay to combine these two roles? I can only say that in my particular situation it paid off. I learned a lot during this time period. All my new duties, such as: facilitating meetings, preparing and coordinating retrospectives, solving conflicts — basically soft skills, were a new world for me. As an engineer, I just started from building strong foundations. That meant going from basics, understanding different points of view, getting to know the processes. With time, I just really wanted to eliminate those corporate “best practices” from my Snickers bar.
In some crazy, bizarre way I found it totally fascinating. Learning how to create a great team from a bunch of people, all of whom have their needs, experiences, likes and dislikes. Of course, it did not happen overnight. It took some time and effort, pushing myself into awkward situations, not stopping after the first failure — or, in fact, dozens of them.
Moreover, being a Scrum Master, led me to the biggest mystery of all: what really motivates people? What drives them? Taking into account that all of the basic needs are satisfied (such as salaries, benefits, working conditions), what are the other factors that motivate team members? Also, it is no surprise that having a well-motivated team is a good ground to build on. After all, can we even start to think about improving team performance without it? It is a basic ingredient, but of course, not the only one. Naturally, we can help ourselves with some tools and well-known recipes, while at the same time bearing in mind that our favorite hammer was not designed to “rule them all”.
Questions arose. As a matter of fact, the motivation aspect was just the first one I wanted to find the answer to. Once I started to look around, it hit me how complex and time-absorbing this new world I entered was. Answers raised more questions. Some of the ideas looked the same, others seemed just an improvement on the previous ones, and some were revolutionary. The 21st century has this big advantage that searching is simple, but at the same time it is hard to be up to date. There is no such thing as one single source of truth.
Lost and found
From understanding the role of Scrum Master through motivation aspects to improving team performance. These were the milestones on my journey. None of that would have happened if it was not for my manager at that time. Knowing my aspirations, he supported me by delegating some of his tasks. Thanks to that, I made up my mind. It became clear to me what I should do next. Also, I must admit that his knowledge and experience were a big help during my interview process.
I would like to confess that, like in the case of many others, not all my managers were ideal. Each one of them was doing great in some areas and not so much in others. Still, there was one thing they all had in common. From my perspective, a really important one. Because, whatever did happen, good or bad, I could always go and talk to them. I simply trusted them.
I started the new chapter of my career at the same company, but in a totally different department. Different release cycles, projects, rules, roles, a new world in the same universe. I met my very first team and the new world, right away, started to spin with light speed. At least, it would be nice to have some beginner classes. Well, there were none. No special introduction, no guidebook, just a few words of encouragement from my old and new managers. Did I panic? Would you believe me if I said no?
Of course I did panic. But then, finally, after some long hours in my new role, I simply sat down. After all, it was not like I did not know anything. True, most of my knowledge was based on books, articles and talks which I had with my previous managers. What a puzzle. But I had to start somewhere, make a move and learn. So, I asked myself, what are the basics of building a team?
First of all, I wanted to gather all the pieces of that puzzle in one place. In order to do that, I used my first “one on one” meetings, my first status meetings and also my first talks with peers. And I started to ask questions — a lot of questions. Day after day, I finally pieced together parts of the bigger picture. Still, it was not the whole story, but from my perspective at that time, it was enough to kick off my first decision process.
Final notes
So here I am, a rookie conductor, in front of an experienced orchestra. The first tune is out there. Is the performance smooth and delightful? No. Of course not. I am making mistakes and I am treating them as my valuable lessons. So far I have learned at least three things.
First of all, someone wrote that no school can teach you what it means to manage an employee and work. After all, theory is just theory and only practice can bring a better understanding of the subject. That someone was Peter Drucker (in his book The Practice of Management) and I finally truly understood it. Now, since I have a chance to play along with the team, I see many things from a different perspective. Some books, articles or webinars just make more sense when compared with real life scenarios, real and personal.
Next thing is office politics. I was so wrong, believing that I could stay far away from it. It is part of the corporate universe and it is not necessarily wrong. What I did understand (thanks to reading Being the Boss by Linda
A. Hill and Kent Lineback) was that organizations are based on individuals as well as on social groups — and we are all different. It can lead us to a corporate game of thrones or, as a result of constructive discussions, to a bright future.
Finally, you have to listen. As simple as that. Talk less, listen more. And yes it is not easy, at least not for me. It is rather common knowledge that people like to share their stories, but I had no idea how much. In some cases I learn how to help, motivate and in some I get to understand how the business really works.
These are my first lessons learned. Each involves different people, different situations and most of all, they are all part of another story.
As for now, the lights are on, the orchestra is playing, the next tune
is coming up.
