Leadership
by Julie Zhuo
What does a manager actually do?
Julie Zhuo was 25 and a designer at Facebook when she was asked to become a manager. She said yes without really knowing what the job was. This is the guide she wishes she'd had in those first years, when everything felt unfamiliar.
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Zhuo's definition is simple. A manager's job is to get better outcomes from a group of people working together. So you're judged on what the team achieves. Doing brilliant work yourself while the team struggles still counts as failing.
Zhuo gives managers three levers. Purpose is why the team exists and what success looks like. People is who does the work, and whether they're set up to do it well. Process is how the team works together. When something's wrong, look at each lever in turn.
How you became a manager shapes your first months. Zhuo's Apprentice is promoted from within and now manages former peers. The Pioneer starts a brand-new team. The New Boss arrives from outside, and the Successor takes over a team someone else built. Each has its own traps.
Zhuo treats regular one-to-ones as the other person's meeting. Ask what's on their mind and what's getting in their way, then how you can help. A good one leaves them clearer about what matters and sure you're on their side.
When someone is struggling, Zhuo sees two possible causes. Either they don't know how to do what's needed, or they don't want to. The first calls for teaching and practice. The second calls for an honest conversation about what they care about. Get the diagnosis wrong and nothing improves.
Day one
Julie Zhuo became a manager at Facebook at 25 with no idea what the job involved.
The job
A manager's work comes down to the team's purpose, its people and the way it works.
Team output
Judge yourself by what your team gets done, since your own tasks matter much less now.
One-on-ones
Use one-on-ones to learn what your report needs, and let them set the agenda.
No surprises
Give feedback early and often, so a review never comes as a surprise.
One thing to try
Then let them lead. Zhuo's point is that they know better than you what's in their way, and the meeting exists for them.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. The Making of a Manager comes with a Your Move story to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhat does a manager actually do? Julie Zhuo was 25 and a designer at Facebook when she was asked to become a manager. She said yes without really knowing what the job was. This is the guide she wishes she'd had in those first years, when everything felt unfamiliar.
Better outcomes, together; Purpose, people, process; Four ways in; The one-to-one is theirs; Can't, or won't?.
Then let them lead. Zhuo's point is that they know better than you what's in their way, and the meeting exists for them.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from The Making of a Manager in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Your Move story to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
