(This is part of an open ended series of posts where I write down random things I feel are sharable from the years of mailing lists I’ve not caught up on…)

I have a mailbox called ‘Manager TLDR’ which looks like a mailing list that I was subscribed to for some point in 2021 - 2022 with Issue 36, then 50 - 72. I’m not sure if I unsubscribed or it changed … because the company that was doing it has completely pivoted into the AI note taker space and their content on management now all 404s. The wayback machine implies they used to be focused on more effective meetings, specifcally 1:1s which would explain why this list is ‘Manager TLDR’ and why I would signup. Ah well, yet another thing to add to the long list of things AI goldrush has ruined…

Oh! It looks like you can ‘load more’ a billion times to get back to the content from this era in their blog. Dear companies, do not use infinite scroll on blog content.

  • You’re not just a manager, you’re also a boss – adds this to the hypthetical ‘have all new manager read’ list.
  • Unfortunately, one blog post missing from the archives has this nugget

    Get to know your employees and understand what makes them tick and what’s important to them.
    This is so important. I’m not saying that this will help you manipulate them, because that sounds far worse than intended. But I’m also not saying it either. (Full disclosure; when I am doing this, I will flat out tell the person I am doing it. It is usally acommpanied by me stating that I am stepping into ‘boss mode’ so we know the context of the conversation – see also the first article.)

  • RARE: Retention, Absenteeism, Rate of promotion, and Employee satisfaction. – Interesting self-measurement heuristic for managers
  • I like this distinction between Leader and Manager. Of course, you need to be able to do both. But defining them is the first step in improving them.

    Effective leaders think in terms of ideas, inspire people on their teams, structure their organization’s culture, and think beyond the present into the long-term. On the other hand, great managers use the teams and resources around them to execute organizational goals on a day-to-day basis

  • I say ‘thanks’ a lot. But I didn’t until my 30s. I get it from my dad. Which is a whole other story I used for his eulogy so not relevant here. But this bit about giving thanks is important. (See also knowing what makes your employees tick.)

    Understand how the employee likes to be praised: Understanding your teammates on a personal level includes understanding whether or not they would truly appreciate being showered with praise in front of the entire company or whether they would prefer a hand-delivered thank you card, for example.

  • The Best Leaders are Feedback Magnets — Here’s How to Become One
  • How to Tell an Employee They’re Not Meeting Expectations – one of the worst parts of being a manager

  • Learning the art of delegation is important – but you shouldn’t ALWAYS delegate.