Submitted by Den on
in
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I've joined a team with a new manager that has been a technical contributor (and still is).
He appears to know little about people management and tires to be everyone friend, balance on average and has little spine.
I would like to give him advice based on my PM and MT experience. However I guess it's not my place to approach him bluntly for this as it won;t be taken right,
How can i approach it start teaching him feedback model, one ones and other practices I've learned in my work?
I guess you ve been over this topic several times now, so hopefully there's an action scenario..
Leave it alone
Given that you appear to have little existing relationship with this new manager, I would recommend that you don't do much, if anything, to try and adjust this person's management style. Without knowing much about him, you will be hard-pressed to predict how he might react to a suggestion from a subordinate on how to do his job, and that could be a rather career-limiting manoeuvre. Given that he is trying to be friends with everyone and lacks "spine", that indicates me a lack of self-confidence, which reduces further the chances of a positive reaction to being given suggestions.
What is amusing about my giving this recommendation is that I came into an organisation as a new manager, and very quickly started giving my superiors (including the CEO and managing director) managerial advice -- a duty which I am now fulfilling in a more structured and officially-recognised capacity. The difference between my situation and yours is that I had several years of relationship with the people I gave advice to, and they knew that they weren't managing effectively and recognised my passion for the subject, hence were willing to accept my suggestions. You don't have any of those benefits, so I'm recommending that you leave well enough alone.
Is this your manager?
if so the answer is no. MT says no feedback to boss. If this is not your boss but a direct then start with O3s. Take it slow.
The absolute most you can do
I agree with the others: if this is your boss, this is a 'wait until you have a relationship, and even then, be very very careful'.
The absolute most you might be able to do is to ask the occasional - very occasional - question with a suggestion in it when a situation comes up. This should be used sparingly if at all.
As an example of what I mean, we recently had some layoffs. We knew approximately a month before the layoffs who was staying and who was going. It was a very strained time for all of us, staying and going, very awkward. The day after the last day of the people being laid off, I asked my boss this question: Are we going to have a meeting to sort of touch base with each other as a group? I asked this because a) I felt disconnected from the team with 1/4th or more of us gone, and I knew some of the others did too, and b) one of the things MT recommends is lots of communication, and I wanted to have that happen.
I have a good relationship with my boss, so I felt like I was on pretty solid ground asking that question. Some bosses would snap at someone asking that.
The only other thing I can think of is to interact with him as you would interact with a very effective manager. That is, if you would report to an effective manager weekly on status, report to this manager weekly. (You can try the Professional Update meeting instead of a one-on-one; check that cast out if you've not heard it.) Give this boss what you want project team members to give you, even if he doesn't ask for it.