On management

Latest update: 2026-04-14

Version: v02

My previous document no longer covers the entire scope I'd like to cover. Although the base principles will stay similar, context changed.

Before jumping onto text, let me do some house-keeping:

This is the second version of "me as a manager" and it covers some changes in my role and some changes in our profession (see below)
Daniel Na's management philosophy continues to be a reference and an inspiration
I'm closing the source of the website, since I want to have drafts and such. To cover for the lost transparency, I'll be now maintaining a changelog for this text

Without further ado, let's get into it.

About our team

We are as good individually as we are as a unit. Help your teammates, follow processes, keep an eye out for improvements (technical, UX, processes, you name it).
Accountability is essential. We own our area. We should strive always to make it better, fix things when they go wrong, and be transparent about it.
Psychological safety is crucial. Feeling comfortable to speak up and to take risks is essential (both for productivity and for your health).
Being candid is paramount, but also, it's vital to be considerate and kind. Nothing good comes from disregarding tact.
Friction is unavoidable, push through it. It's worthwhile to take the hard steps to move forward with the work you care about.
We embrace change and will find the best way to move forward. In 2026 this means exploring LLMs and their potential, but it can be applied to anything, really.

I aim to empower you to do your best work and to keep the team productive. This means that you can rely on my experience and influence as leverage whenever you need it.
Building on that, it is my goal to provide a strategic direction, which the teams under me can decide how to best fulfill.
"Manager" and "Head of" are still largely technical roles (the former more than the latter), you can still count on me for code and document reviews and also for sparring sessions.

Trust is a given, I find granular oversight boorish and unproductive. I expect you to be disciplined when it comes to handling your tickets, reaching out for guidance when needed, and keeping task statuses up-to-date.
Be confident in your abilities and be willing to be challenged. Intuition is important as a first alarm, but backing it up with data goes a long way.
Be proactive about asking for help. I'll be around and willing to provide guidance whenever needed, but I'll count on you to decide if and when.
Be proactive in proposing changes and improvements to both our team and our product. There is a lot of value in engineers bringing forward what they consider valuable and/or important.
Rest, build relationships (where possible and comfortable), invest in your education, entertainment and hobbies. Let me know when you are feeling overwhelmed or unhappy, it's important to take care of yourself. Most of the time, work can wait.