Thoughts on Manager READMEs
I recently came across the concept of manager readmes, a somewhat recent trend in management.
As far as I can tell, the idea is to write a guide about yourself and share it with people in your team, specifically new joiners. This guide, in theory, should help them to get to know you better.
A bit of research revealed some support for using readmes as introspection tools and a pretty strong argument against having one.
The idea seems reasonable from a practical standpoint: “we’re all busy people; let me share a document about who I am and what I like; also, here’s what you can expect of me.” I can’t help but wonder just how human sharing such a document actually is!? Have we reached a point where we’re no longer willing to invest the time required to build meaningful connections with one another?
I didn’t start off thinking like this, by the way. I went and wrote one for myself, ignoring or maybe not fully understanding Camille’s point. I read other readmes; I thoughts of my personal brand; I tried to stay objective… I failed! The whole process was going well, and I was none the wiser until I asked my fiancée to read a draft and to review it objectively.
Boy, was I in for a surprise!
What I thought would be an honest and objective guide to self ended up becoming what Camille warned about: self-serving, heavily skewed on perceived qualities, and light on defects. I thought I would somehow be magically able to stay objective while building up my profile, but that was clearly not the case.
Going back to the core concept, I put myself in the reader’s shoes and tried to imagine what I would think if I was someone else and got handed my write-up on the first day!? To have to read a rulebook of what to do and what not to do. I think I’d wonder if it was meant to truly help me as a new hire or just flex one’s managerial muscles?
No matter how many times I read and re-read it, something felt odd…
What would a new hire read into such a start? That they’d have to memorize every word and follow it to the letter? That their new manager is so busy, they can’t invest any time developing their relationship? What kind of expectation would such action set?
I didn’t stop there. I found and read several other manager, readmes. My gut feeling about most of them was that they sounded demanding, patronizing, and presumptuous. They assumed the employee was there to listen, to follow strict guidance: “do this, but not that.” A few were less so and felt more real. However, without personally knowing the authors, it’s hard to say just how accurate my gut feel is.
That said, there’s something to be said about the servant leadership model; a leader’s primary job is to help their directs be as effective as possible; a leader should strive to act in ways that most benefit theirs directs, not the other way around!
I can’t help but wonder if this kind of start would sow the seed of resentment? If it would start the new relationship on the wrong foot? Someone starting a new job would be unlikely to question their new manager, to pull you up and say, “Hey, this thing you just shared… is a bit much!”. They’d have nothing to gain and everything to lose!
I wonder… would a manager readme be successful at bootstrapping new manager-direct relationships? That’s what is ultimately at stake here… Such a thing takes time; time spent working together “in the trenches” getting to know one another’s skills and weaknesses and spending weekly 1:1 time to hash things out.
I, for one, have decided I will not publish a Manager Readme! I won’t judge managers who do either; each to their own, I always say! For me, sharing a readme to myself seems a tad impersonal; I’d much rather let the discovery process happen naturally!
Thank you for making it this far! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject, mainly if you’ve used manager readmes successfully, or better yet, if your manager(s) have shared one and resulted in a positive impact to you or your career!
