The art of managing developers.

"Lets go get some Bubble tea. Its nice n sunny today (in Seattle) for a change" said my manager just before my one on one session. My eyes popped and I could already smell my favorite Taro bubble tea with tapioca. Then we walked over to "Oasis", a hip Bubble tea parlor in the International district in Seattle and ordered our Bubble teas before we started talking. BTW, If you thought Mountain dew was the ultimate coder fuel, have Bubble tea and you will probably change your mind. Anyway, we have weekly one on one sessions with our managers to talk about various issues. Most teams here at Amazon are pretty consistent about having them at lease once a week. The topics discusses in a one-one session include critical issues to your project, self development, direction of the team etc.

Since my first full time job is at Amazon, I really cannot compare it with any other organization. But I do have friends in other organizations ranging from startups to multi billion dollar corporations. When I was in Austin a couple of weeks back, a friend of mine told me that he had never met his manager face to face EVER. "Oh! I talk to my manager about goals and self development after my performance review every year" said John (with a sigh of relief) who works for a consulting firm. And boy, was I surprised or what? Then after having my next one-one session with my manager I was thinking about the impact it has on my my career.

As a fresher out of college working on my first job felt like an aquarium fish out in the middle of the Pacific. At least for the first few days. This is one of the reasons why an internship in a good organization makes such a big difference. You would have already learned how to paddle through the rough seas with the help of a life boat. Of course, you don't have a luxury of a life boat when you have a full time job. During these trying times, you need someone to look up to. Someone who has gone through the rough seas and gives you confidence that it can be done. This in my opinion, this is probably the primary reason of having one-one sessions. Everyone likes a mentor whom they can look up to and get inspired.I hope your manager is one who can guide you and commands your respect.

Secondly, you get constant feedback on your performance and how you match up against your goals. This is like seeing a road sign every couple of miles on a 1000 mile road trip. You have set your destination in your performance goal but without these signs , how do you if you are on the right track? At least for me, nothing helps me develop better than feedback. Take criticism in a positive manner and remember to celebrate your successes. If your manager tells you that your last pet project doubled overall productivity, don't just go back to home, watch "sports center" and go to bed. Celebrate your success, with that latest Wii controller that you have been eying or that 1987 Pinot Grigio from Napa. Whatever makes you feel better. This makes you repeat such acts and keeps you hungry for more success. Also make sure you give feedback about your manager and peers. If you truly want your manager to get better, give him/her honest feedback (obviously in a diplomatic tone). This way, you you give him a chance to get his favorite movie on a Blu ray disc as well :) (HD-DVD is a thing of the past now)

Thirdly, you get to know how your goals align with that of the team and the organization. Every piece of software that you write at work should add some business value and one step closer in the direction of your org's goals. A good manager should take this opportunity to reinforce this in every one-one session. This develops ownership and a sense of belonging to your organization.

Fourthly, there should be some time to talk about personal stuff. Your next vacation, the book you read last week, the home run you hit in your neighborhood park...This helps you know your manager as a person and vice versa. This is important in any relationship. Unless you see the personal side of somebody, you will look at that person as someone whom you work with instead of a "team mate".

Even if your organization doesn't have a concept of one-one sessions, have a talk with your manager and encourage him to have similar sessions at least once a fortnight. I am sure the benefits of this will be quite visible and you will thank me for making you have bubble tea....with tapioca.