4 more ways to get intel on a (potential) future manager
Plus, how to read between the lines, assess tone and body language, and use simple vectors to get the real scoop.
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Last week, I served up a menu of questions you can ask to determine if your potential future manager is a good fit for you.
This week, I’ll walk through 4 additional ways you can get intel on your potential future manager.
Why? It’s one of the most important relationships in your working life and is probably the most leveraged legwork you can do (right after preparing effectively for the interviews).
Let’s dive in.
Backchanneling your manager
It’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s been said that “people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” And this is often true.
It’s also true that people stay in jobs that on the outside lack the perks, compensation, and prestige of other jobs — simply because they have an excellent manager who is investing in their growth and development.
Finding the right manager is like finding a great life partner. It’s worth the extra effort, and it pays a lifetime of dividends.
Yet, people often accept jobs without knowing much (or anything) about the most influential person in their work life: their future manager.
This baffles me. This person will have a major influence over 24% of your overall time and 36% of your waking life! You should definitely get intel through every available channel.
➗ math check:
40 hours of work in a 168-hour week = 24%.
40 hours of work in 112 hours of waking life per week = 36%.
This post, in partnership with the previous post about why (and how) to interview your manager, offers 5 different ways to assess your potential future manager and make an informed decision about whether or not you want to work with them.
1/ Ask the recruiter
Your recruiter should be able to provide you with some general information about your potential future manager, such as their role scope and team layout, management style, and team culture.
Questions to ask
Can you tell me more about the manager?
How closely have you worked with this manager? How would you describe their management style?
What can you share with me about the culture and dynamics within the team?
2/ Scoop them out online
Look for your potential future manager on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. This can give you insights into their professional interests, values, and leadership style.
Note that many tech managers are discreet online. If you can’t find much, don’t read into it. Move on to one of the other tactics.
3/ Meet with current team members
It’s always OK to ask to meet informally with other team members. I typically recommend that you do this after a verbal offer is indicated or received, when you know that there’s mutual interest, and when the company will be most willing to offer you more time and access to the team.
Some questions to ask
What’s the best part about working on this team?
What do you enjoy most about working with this manager?
What surprises have you encountered in working with this manager?
How do you feel the manager has supported your career growth to date?
Compared to other managers at the company, how effective do you think this manager is?
What’s one thing you think this manager could do better? What’s another?
If you could choose to work for any manager at the company, would this manager be in your top 3 shortlist?
Any advice would you give someone new joining the team to work with this manager?
4/ Talk with former direct reports
This can happen in one of two ways:
Bidirectional references. Ask the manager if they are willing to share contact information for some previous direct reports that you can connect with to learn more about how to partner effectively with the manager.
Backchanneling. If you know people at the company or who are mutually connected to the manager on LinkedIn, you can backchannel to find former direct reports who are willing to offer you advice about working with the manager.
Questions to ask
What did you learn from working with this manager?
What do you wish this manager had done differently while you worked with them?
How mentally flexible and/or open to feedback was this manager?
How much did your career grow while working with this manager? How much did they contribute to that career growth?
Would you work for them again? If not, why? If so, under what conditions?
Interpreting the intel
When asking questions, you need to read into what is said, and how it is said.
No one wants to talk trash others in their professional orbit, even when it may be deserved. People will be overly cautious with negative feedback (and caveat it a lot), and they will only gush when it is more than warranted.
You’ll need to normalize the feedback using subtle cues in each conversation.
Read the body language. Face lit up >> professional face >>> scared or worried
Assess tone and pace. Enthusiasm >> neutral >>> negative
The more the person pauses in search of words or thinks extra hard before responding to a question, the more they are probably trying to couch. Couching is not ideal — it means things are complicated. In my experience, “complicated” is rarely how people describe fantastic manager relationships.
Synthesizing the feedback is the hard part.
I came up with a visual that I think will help you. Consider each piece of feedback as a vector with both direction (positive, negative, or neutral) and magnitude (the weight of the feedback, indicated by enthusiasm or intensity).
If you were to draw each piece of feedback as a vector, how does it net out?
What to do if it’s generally negative
If you get more than a few data points of intel that feel like red flags (strong conflict with your values or goals), I encourage you to walk away and find another opportunity. You can even look at other opportunities within the same company, just ask your recruiter or HR contact. It’s ok to say that you’re still invested in the company, but that you are looking for a stronger manager, team, and role fit.
What to do if it’s generally “meh” or feels weird/off
If you consistently get intel that feels like yellow flags (questionable fit to your values or goals), I encourage you to go a bit deeper. Are the areas of yellow flags non-negotiables for you? Walk away. Are they more “nice to haves”? Weigh this carefully.
A caveat: to each their own
💡 note: there is no “one-size-fits-all” red flag
You must understand that your yellow or red flag might be a green flag for the person offering you this intel.
For example, I personally enjoy working for managers who offer extreme independence and only meet with me as needed, but I’ve worked with colleagues who prefer managers to give them at least 3-4 hours of dedicated time and energy every week. A manager who requires daily 1:1s is a major red flag in my book, but you might be delighted to get so much of their attention. Remember that your values are your own, and always consider your own values above all else.
Closing thoughts
We spend 36% of our waking hours at work, and no one has more influence over your success, comfort, and satisfaction at work than your manager.
Take the time to gather intel on them. Ask respectful questions and truly listen to the answers. Remember that vectors have both direction and magnitude. People will be overly cautious with negative feedback (and caveat it a lot), and they will gush when it is more than warranted. Look at the net of the feedback. Is it gushingly positive, meh/neutral, generally cautious, or slightly negative?
It’s OK to walk away if there’s misalignment. Every manager can’t be a good fit for you, and having misalignment with your manager is an unnecessary source of pain and suffering in your life.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
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