Manager Manual?
An ever-evolving user manual on how to work with yours truly should I become your manager or you become mine.
[Edited August 2025 to tighten the writing a little]
I transitioned into management shortly after joining my last role. My first foray into design management at this large organization began with learning to manage two senior designers I deeply respected. My team knew me as their friend first, neither they nor I knew what kind of manager I'd be.
As we established boundaries to keep the team healthy, we shifted from peer-to-peer to manager-report dynamics. I wrote this manual to document these boundaries. It’s also my way of committing to the type of manager I wanted to be. Sharing it with my team meant they could hold me accountable to these commitments while understanding my expectations.
My team grew to four designers plus a design intern. While we didn't reference the manual daily as we lived these commitments, I shared the user manual with every new team member and manager during onboarding.
I'm proud of sticking to these commitments, but over time, I learnt the original document's limitations. In 2025, I'm sharing both the original and additions made since I left my job. I hope it’ll help you the same way it’s helped me understand who I was and am.
1:1s
Our 1:1 will be a regular cadence, weekly, same time, for 30 minutes:
We can extend as needed
We shouldn't skip this session, it is our most important meeting
If you must cancel, tell me why and reschedule, preferably within the same week
The agenda focuses on you:
Updates:
From me: strategic and personnel updates you need to know, and questions you may have regarding these subjects
From you: blockers, issues, what you need from me, how I can support you
Note: Organization and status updates happen in prioritization meetings, not 1:1s, but I want your thoughts and questions on these topics
Other topics:
Feedback (both directions)
Your development goals
This time is about you and for you. We'll set the agenda in our 1:1 document before each session. Quarterly, we'll have 60-minute sessions to review development goals.
Availability & Communication
I prefer written communication for tracking and documentation:
However, I insist on face-to-face for sensitive, urgent matters
I'm clearer in writing, feel free to ask for clarification when I'm unclear
I document decisions and feedback (to mitigate my poor memory, and I don't like going back on my word), I expect the same from you and our peers in other functions
Communication hierarchy (most → least urgent): Meeting/Call → Slack → Figma comments
No emails unless necessary; they get lost in organizational chaos.
Slack norms:
Reach out anytime about work or issues
I'll respond the same day or within two days
I'll let you know when I need time to respond
Work communication stays within work hours
If I message after hours, you don't need to respond
You also don't need to respond in real time during work hours
However, I would like you to acknowledge my messages ("got it" or thumbs up)
Let me know when you need more time to respond
Meeting etiquette:
You can always reach out for an ad-hoc call if necessary
Use the organization calendar to schedule meetings, avoid double-booking a time slot
We should always communicate before taking someone's booked slot
Meeting requester will find time and set a clear agenda before the meeting
Bad meeting etiquette is my pet peeve so let’s respect everyone's time
No surprises:
I'll always provide context when reaching out or scheduling meetings
No solo "Hey" messages or empty agendas from me
I expect the same from you, come prepared with context and agenda when you reach out
If we have open items from a meeting, the assignee follows up and closes discussion loops
I prefer honesty over softening difficult news. I won't dwell on negativity or paint rosy pictures of negative situations, but I'll give you context and realistic choices.
Management Style
I'm hands-off by default; it means I trust you by default.
Your autonomy:
Your working time is yours
You can work from home or the office as long as you complete tasks, attend meetings, and maintain good relationships with your product and design teams
We'll have one fixed office day weekly for 1:1s and team meetings
Your responsibilities:
How you want to work is your responsibility
However, use available resources (engineering, product, data, research, content) to better your work
Collaborate cross-functionally; we're in a large organization where work touches many teams
Be accountable to both your product squad and design team for commitments you’ve made; e.g., timelines, project updates, and design quality
I avoid micromanagement (it's busy work), but I'll be more hands-on if:
You're early in your career, and would benefit from closer working relationships
You request more assistance
Your performance needs support
What I need from you:
Invite me to your product squad metric and backlog discussions for context, so I can effectively contribute as a design representative alongside you
Share your project updates and progress in weekly prioritization sessions, so I can support you in prioritizing your work and manage your workload
Invite me to your design reviews and leadership presentations (with agenda beforehand), so I can support you in these sessions
My commitment: We'll work together on team goals: improving product metrics, design quality, and your development. Your well-being and growth matter most to me. Tell me where you need help. If I don't know something, I'll connect you with someone who does.
Feedback to You
I will give timely, honest feedback; there will be no surprises in performance reviews. I’ll give:
Task-related feedback: during design jams, reviews, Slack/Figma comments when requested
Process-related feedback: in 1:1s and process improvement meetings
Behavior-related feedback: in 1:1s, ad-hoc calls, or Slack whenever the behavior is observed
I share both negative and positive feedback directly. You won't hear my feedback from others. I give negative feedback privately, positive feedback both publicly and privately. I will document all feedback in Figma, Slack, or 1:1 documents.
Feedback to Me
I'm learning as a manager and want your feedback, even difficult feedback, especially when you think I'm wrong. It's never personal. I respond well to feedback and need it to improve.
You can always talk to J (my manager) about issues you're uncomfortable discussing with me. Skip-level 1:1s are healthy, you don't need to tell me when you arrange for a skip-level 1:1.
Areas I can improve on:
Long-winded when processing aloud
Process-oriented but not detail-oriented
Generalist designer, my craft feedback may lack depth as I tend to focus more on UX
Coming from a start-up background where I focused on operations and execution, I am still learning long-term thinking and strategy
I can be rash and take over inefficient meetings, call me out if I disrupt your meeting objectives
Conflict Resolution
For colleague conflicts:
Give direct feedback first (I can help craft the message)
If you don't feel safe giving direct feedback, we can arrange for:
Mediation sessions with me facilitating, or
I approach them on your behalf (least ideal as it may seem like an escalation without giving your peer the chance to address the problem directly)
If I approach someone for you:
I'll let you know the outline of what I'll say
I'll explain to your peer why you can't approach them directly
I believe in resolving conflicts without taking things personally, but when relationships are beyond repair, I won't force them and will separate people who can't work together.
Credit, Visibility & Performance
Credit:
I will give you credit publicly and will never minimize your accomplishments
I am working on providing better visibility for our teams; I will work to showcase more of our work to upper management
Performance reviews:
Feedback from performance reviews will be shared after the design team calibration (often in March and September)
We will have a longer 1:1 to discuss feedback from me, your peers, and stakeholders
You'll have processing time before we discuss next quarter's actions
This becomes part of your growth plan
Growth and promotion are our shared responsibility:
Be transparent about your needs and required support
We'll draft your growth plan together; I can't help if you don't do your part in developing yourself
We'll maintain a brag document (you update regularly, I contribute from sources you can't access); we're still not great at celebrating accomplishments; brag documents will help with performance reviews
Additional References
First Round: The Indispensable Document for the Modern Manager 👈
Julie Zhuo’s A User Guide to Working With You 👇
I particularly like Julie Zhuo's "How I view success" and "What gains and loses my trust" sections. The first clarifies manager focus areas (people, process, purpose) and priorities. The second helps team members build trust and manage up while avoiding triggers. I appreciate how detailed and personal her guide is—I'll continue reflecting on my own version.
My People 🤎
I was extremely lucky to be a part of a great team of folks who are capable, honest, and kind.
Their patience and open-mindedness let me make mistakes, learn, and grow. Their genuine care made our team safe and trusting. This manual was crafted with them in mind.
My peers who became design managers alongside me made the journey less lonely.
They made my time at work, and as a manager, so meaningful and joyful. Thank you.
I will forever feel lacking, but grateful, as anyone's manager.
— Zoey
P.S. Spot a mistake? Something you don't agree with? Feedback? GIMME.