I spent most of yesterday in what we affectionately use to call a stable door meeting, and almost all of today writing a email about another website. but really i need to spend at least a day writing about a website that doesn’t exist yet so I’m working from home tomorrow. What I’m doing now.. is putting off working from home tonight.

I am so close to becoming one of ‘those’ people, it’s scary – I have lots to do and somebody stole a day out of my week, and that was before somebody trapped me in a room for three hours and then somebody else required a 2 hour email response.

The problem is I want to lead by example, and working stupid hours all night isn’t the example i want to set.  Yes I want people to do work, but I also want them to have a life, and not get burned out and all stressed on me, in the long run that’s much much harder to deal with, then a missed deadline or two.

anyway procrastination rules, lets just search flickr for photos and maybe play a bit of scrabulous.

but I like doing PDRs*, Performance & Development reviews – appraisals to you and me.

In my last job. PDRs where seen as a chore, the boss didn’t like doing them, and he let you know it. some of them would go on for hours and you could see through his office window, he was squirming. you would go in, talk about the same things as you did last time, and get the same responses, often with a sense of resignation. once i got.

“well after being here five years I would expect you to leave” (i did)

they weren’t exactly inspiring.

Looking at them as I do know from the other side. I wonder if he ever did get anything from them? because I get lots.

It has to be said I do them quite differently, for a start they are in a coffee shop (get out the office, people will talk!), and I ask people how they are, what they think, just what is happening… We ramble off subject and talk about tea, children, football, philosophy, art, the west wing, and occasionally work. Yes sometimes they last for two hours – but I get to know people more (i like to think i do talk to people outside of these and I do know them a bit already), and genuine ideas come out of them.

From the last set of PDRs I went away and restructured the team, thats worked really well, from this set it looks like we are going to sort out our strategic direction (I had one, it just needed fine tuning and then we’re going to run with it). It all reinforces my getting to where you want to be by not looking directly at it thing. Which is why I sent all the designers of to an art gallery, and when i get the bottle to do it. all the developers will be off somewhere getting inspiration too.

I don’t know what my staff think, I hope they see them as useful to, I am careful to try and remember what it was like… tell people they are valuable to the team (fortunately they all are!), give people hope.. and try to inspire. It all sounds terribly fluffy doesn’t it.. maybe I am a bit of a floaty in the clouds manager.

*one point I am confused on is PDR or PR&D. It turns out I have no idea which one it is anymore…

It’s been a whole year since I officially started this management lark. I mean i started doing the job more than a year ago, but the 1st feb was when they started paying me.

It’s been quite a ride, 2 months in my boss left, so 5 months in I was acting head of service then we had a baby, and then I came back restructured the entire team, and started changing how we work. Last week we got a new office, and tomorrow (well today). we are having an away day, where I am considering delivering quite a radical* vision for the team.

but i tell you what.. it’s fun

* radical for public sector born things anyway.

So I’ve gotten a new job. I’m the Web Development Manager for the council, yeah me!

Officially I haven’t actually started the job yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t started doing it. After all there is no manager and it’s silly for me to refuse to make decisions now that will be my problem in a few weeks time anyway. So this week I’ve changed my email signature, and I’m getting CC’ed in to email left right and centre.

Fortunately I had a two week break over Christmas to get use to the idea of being a manager, which has helped me not to look like a rabbit in the headlights. I spent at least the first weekend going… 10 staff! there’s ten of them! (there’s 12 if you count contractors), I’m over (most) of that now, I only occasionally look around the room, and then try and hide under my desk. So how is my first ‘unofficial’ week going?

Tuesday was quite an odd day:

I mentioned something I had been thinking about to the head of service (my boss):

“Yes that’s a good idea”

“I don’t think I’m best suited to do it… N is better at this”

“OK then”

and with minutes someone was doing it!
It’s never worked like that before, usually people go “Yes Kevin….” and move on, something actually happened. It gradually dawned on me over the rest of the day, that yes I actually can make things happen now. I need to make sure I know what I am talking about

Today was my first management explosion day.

I’ve still got quite a large project on at work which means technically I should be getting as much done as possible so I can hand some of it over before I become totally pointy haired. Which is fine in practice, but in reality, my list of things today changed from 2 to about 8 in the space of 10 minutes this morning. All ‘urgent’ things that need dealing with. I even reverted to having two coloured pens, a blue one for things I had to do, and a red one for things I HAD to do. It was a very red day for most of the day. and I know that I have a piece of paper on my desk waiting for tomorrow and it’s mostly red.

A lot of today was spent talking to people and working out how we are going to solve problems. Which is what I like and really enjoy. The people bit of the job is the bit other developers keep saying they would hate and is the bit i’m really looking forward to. It’s not measurable in you old fashioned developer way, It’s much more ‘soft’ management type stuff. You know the type of stuff that make you think your manager isn’t really working.

I’m really enjoying it

I haven’t been totally assimilated yet and I do feel a slight fraud, but if I stop and think about it, I’m fairly sure it was all benificial, and I’ve yet to find sympathy for the PHB in Dilbert cartoons, although that Wally need taking in hand.