This ‘11 Promises From A Manager’ Thread Went Viral On Twitter... And Struck A Chord With Workers Everywhere
Posted 11th May 2022 • Written by Julia Wuench on forbes.com • • • • •
On April 18, a Twitter thread written by Matthew Rechs went viral with (as of April 22, 2022) 6,979 retweets, 1,823 quote tweets, and 56.6K likes.
Rechs is currently a Senior Product Leader at a top 5 tech firm and has worked on Wall Street, for WPP and for Adobe, and has managed teams of up to 100 people.
His tweet was titled, “11 Promises From A Manager: A Thread.”
When asked how he came up with this list of 11 promises, Rechs said: “A lot of the stuff on my list comes from my own failings, what I want to do better, and from stories people have told me. I don’t think I’m necessarily an amazing manager. My goal is not to say I’m great or that I’ve figured it out, it’s to say this is how I want to be.”
Here are Rechs’ 11 tweeted promises:
- We’ll have a weekly 1:1. I’ll never cancel this meeting, but you can cancel it whenever you like. It’s your time.
- Our 1:1 agenda will be in the meeting invite so we remember important topics. But you’re always free to use the time for whatever’s on your mind.
- When I schedule a meeting with you, I’ll always say *when I schedule it* what it’s meant to be about. I will not schedule meetings without an agenda.
- When I drop into your DM’s, I’ll always say “hi and why.” No suspense, no small talk while you are wondering what I want.
- News or announcements that significantly impact you, your work, or your team will come from me directly in a 1:1, not revealed in a big meeting.
- You’ll get feedback from me when it’s fresh. There will be no feedback in your performance review that you’re hearing for the first time.
- I trust you to manage your own time. You don’t need to clear with me in advance your time AFK or OOO.
- Your work gets done your way. My focus is on outcomes, not output. Once we’re clear on where we need to go, how to get there is up to you. If I ever find it necessary to suggest a specific approach, I will supply an example
- A team is strongest when it’s working together, looking after one another, and taking care of each other. Please look to your left and to your right for opportunities to help your colleagues. Please ask for help when you need it. Nobody works alone.
- I trust you to skip level and talk to my manager or other senior management about anything you feel is relevant. You don’t need to clear it with me, and I’m not going to get weird about it when you do.
- I will attribute credit appropriately to you and your team. I will never exaggerate my own role or minimize your contribution. I’ll be especially certain to nail down attribution when senior management are hearing of our accomplishments.
Rechs went on to tweet, “If this sounds good to you, please reciprocate by giving me in return what I need most: the truth. Give me your feedback, say when I’m wrong, and tell me your ideas for how we can do better. If we trust each other, we can learn and grow together. That’s how I want to work with you.”
Rechs confided, “I was a terrible manager at times and had a ton of failures. For a long time I struggled to accept this new view of the workplace. But it works. It really works. If [companies] want to be successful, they should try to embrace this reality even if it’s inconvenient and even if it challenges us.”
Does your manager abide by these promises, or strive to? Which ones do you wish were more common?
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