For my entire career, I’ve been known as someone who is really accessible, and my direct reports know that they can always count on me for a quick, full response, whether it’s via email, Slack or in person. The tech industry works in such a way that you need to be quick in order to take advantage of every opportunity to grow the business. But as I’ve grown in my career and managed many different types of people, I’ve learned that an immediate response isn’t always a make or break. It’s important to be timely, but it is often just as important to focus on being thoughtful and methodical. Striking a balance between the two is crucial in order to set your team’s expectations and to get the most out of each project.
At some point in your career, you’ve probably had at least one manager who valued and expected quick responsiveness. It shows that you care, are available, and that you’re paying attention to the issue at hand. As I moved into tech, and especially the mobile industry, the habit of being quick and “always on” served me well. Showing that you care and can reliably turn things around creates teams that tend to move the same way. And in our industry, that has been invaluable. But if your team expects that you will turn around on a dime, time management can become a challenge when you’ve got a lot more on your plate than normal. To counteract this, I’d recommend working with your team to set up reasonable expectations for turnaround times on projects or approvals on large tasks. For example, my team knows that I will respond to things like this within at least 48 hours. Often it’s sooner, but it helps manage a project better — both in setup and execution — when there’s a clear expectation on response time.
There are instances where factors other than general workload come into play when determining whether you will get back to someone right away or not. For example, as a manager, from time to time you’ll get emails or messages that require a more thoughtful response than you can give at the moment. It might involve an employee’s personal matters, or it may be a question about a current project that has multiple layers or implications you need to consider before responding. It’s still important to be responsive, so if you know it’s going to take more than six or so hours to give a well-thought-out response, let people know that you’re going to take a little time to think about it, and then tell them when you will get back to them. This, in and of itself, is a thoughtful response, and it has the dual purpose of allowing you more time to think through all aspects and consider the context. It also gives you time, if you need, to uncover more information beyond what’s on the surface. Ultimately, it shows that you care enough about the issue that you’re willing to allot time to it.
Being methodical about providing feedback extends beyond interpersonal situations. Even though team-wide projects tend to move quickly, it’s important to think about how to respond in that context as well. I sometimes see opportunities to improve either the work that’s being done or a particular process or workflow. In these situations, there is pressure to meet deadlines, but it’s often better to take a little more time than intended to correct something if necessary in order to produce the best outcome for the project and for future ones. It could be the case that issues are best brought up once the project is complete, but it’s important to be critical about what needs improvement in order to decide your course of action.
Lastly, I really consider how my immediate input will influence others on the team. Swooping in too early can keep your team from solving a problem or learning something new. So, on some occasions, I will purposefully hold back on giving input and wait to see how the team will manage. I’ve found that letting others navigate issues this way has not only allowed them opportunities to learn to make decisions independently of me, but it has also allowed me to learn about their individual problem-solving styles. Communication is still key, though, and it’s important to understand the project and be a resource for your team when they really need you.
While I still value being on the ball and realize that moving quickly is crucial in this industry, I’ve learned that certain situations can benefit from taking a little more time. Often, you’ll end up saving yourself time in the long run if you’re critical and discerning about when to allow yourself more of it. And your team will benefit and grow from having room to figure things out on their own.
