A manager is a teacher in the truest sense of the word. They embody all of our core values and their most important job is to help their team grow. They are responsible for every project that comes from their team and are working toward taking ownership of outcomes. Managers constantly take feedback from their team on how to improve and recognize that their success is dependent on the success of each direct report.

Expectations

Managers have a core set of expectations that they steward in the organization:

Transparent - Don't mask problems, issues, or excitement, share these with your team and be direct. Allow every employee to bring their whole self to work and debate early and often if you disagree with a decision. You should want your team to be autonomous, and recognize that responsibility and ownership are two sides of the same coin.
Champions of diversity - Trust in our shared values, core competencies, and best intentions, but actively seek out diverse perspectives and points of view. Think critically of your unconscious biases and how different members of your team (especially those that come from disadvantaged communities) may have differing needs. The best managers develop talent and shape the best ideas, not their ideas.
Enjoying the journey - You are the most important steward of our vocational training program. Constantly ask your team where they want to grow and what they want to learn next. Be proactive about tailoring work accordingly and take the extra time to have fun. You should be optimistic that your team and every report can succeed.

Service-Level Agreement (SLA)

Employees have the right to hold their manager accountable to three types of meetings:

Weekly/Bi-Weekly 1:1s - Meetings can be structured or unstructured, but should cover big picture, tactics, personal development, feedback and next steps.
Quarterly Review - These should be 90 minutes long and begin away from structured notes. A review doc must be created and delivered immediately following the meeting. If an employee is struggling it should be clearly communicated and they should be put into a timed improvement plan.
Manager Review - Employees and all direct reports to the manager should be given 60 minutes quarterly for a Manager Review. The goal in the group discussion is that consolidated feedback can be given so that the individual employees are not put into compromising positions.
Rate Card - The objective of the rate card is for a manager to clearly define their feedback and for an employee to be able track their progress. This quantitative data will never surpass the qualitative feedback provided in written communication and structure reviews.

Success

There are a few specific milestones that a manager should aim to achieve:

1. Development of their team toward their vocation
2. Progression of their team to new roles and/or levels of seniority
3. Onboarding and completion of new projects
4. Positive Manager Reviews