Introducing Sofia!

I recently raised my hand when asked if I’d be willing to share my managerial and coaching experiences on this blog. I figured this would be a great opportunity to share ideas. Full disclosure about me: All of the experiences I’m going to talk about here are real. Because some of them are of a sensitive nature—either for myself or colleagues past and present, I won’t be using real names. You can call me Sofia.

How do you feel about the working hours you have to put in to meet four quarters’ worth of objectives and goals for you, your team, and your organization? I’ve been in my new role as senior manager for a product development group for about six months so I have a good sense of what’s working and what’s not. My team and I are going to create our vision, our employee development plans, and a roadmap to guide and track our progress. Along the way, I need to learn to be a better coach for my team.

Because this company I work for is a startup, some of this is totally up to me. That’s one of the things I love about working at a startup—in many ways, it’s a clean slate and a great opportunity for each of us to make our mark on the organization’s legacy. Of course, because it’s a startup, a lot of the infrastructure of an established company is missing: not just policies and procedures, but the culture—the “way we do things around here” doesn’t exist. Yet. That reminds me …

I’m meeting with my new coach in about an hour! I’m not sure what to expect; this is my first time working with one. I don’t have a lot of spare time so I’m not sure how much I can really get out of this. But I know many people who have benefitted from coaching. That’s why I raised my hand when my peers and I were given the opportunity to work with a BetterManager coach.    

Here’s how I prepared for our first meeting:

• I’ve completed the MAP (Manager Acceleration Program) Insight Review, which gave me the opportunity to start thinking about a few of the best practices new managers need to focus on. How well I’m communicating with my team is a big one. And, more than anything, how often I take time to reflect and not just do.  
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• I’ve thought about my top managerial goals and actions. This is how I processed this:
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So what’s one of your top managerial goals and what action do you need to take to make it real? Let’s chat–please post your thoughts below!

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