Let's talk about Managers

What makes a manager terrible? Effective? Motivating? Deflating?

Everyone has Opinions about management, whether you are currently a people leader, individual contributor (IC), or student.

Let's talk.

• What makes an effective people leader?
• How do you exert informal influence and drive a team (or organization, or company!) forward?
• What's happening behind the curtain -- what are managers even doing outside the view of ICs?
• If you're an IC: how can you prepare for a transition into management?
• If you're a line manager: how do you prepare for more senior leadership roles, and what shift in mindset is required?
• If you're in upper management: what advice would you give to those earlier in their careers?
• What challenges manifest regardless of your level, and what unique challenges present themselves at the top?
• What skill sets are shared between upper-level ICs and managers? Are the two career tracks parallel, or do they curve toward each other as you move up?

We'll set the stage with a 5-10 minute presentation on themes from "Becoming a Manager" by Linda Hill of Harvard Business School, and then open the floor up for moderated discussion.

This session will have been a success if we gain:

1. a broader perspective on management
2. small lessons to apply to our own careers
3. and a sense of community

• Development
• Other
• Startups