I’ve had 6 managers over the last 2 years of my career. The good news is that I’ve learned a lot about how to handle manager transitions, working with different types of managers, and “managing up.” But probably the most important thing to come from this is my manager cheat sheet

The cheat sheet is a templated doc I share with my manager in the first week of working together. It tells them everything I think they need to know to manage me. I revisit it every 6 months or whenever I get a new manager (whichever happens first) to keep it updated.

Here’s what’s on it:

Strengths - the stuff I’m good at *and* enjoy doing

Core skill set - the methods I use

Performance - highlights from my most recent review

Growth - What I’m currently focused on improving

Career - Where I want to go with my career

(For companies / roles that have a core competency or expectations matrix, I also include a self review on that matrix, plus any notes from my previous manager(s) that I think will be helpful. But I know that this still isn’t a common tool in a lot of workplaces)

One of the reasons I built the cheat sheet is because, as a former manager, I know how valuable it is when someone you manager can tell you these things! I loved it when my team knew where they wanted to go and what they needed to work on. It made my job so much easier.

But it also has a self-serving purpose. Having a document (like this as gives you so much more ownership over your personal narrative.

I’ve seen a lot of individual contributors (including myself) pushed in career directions that weren’t a fit because a well-meaning managers who just didn’t understand what their reports wanted. I’ve also seen ICs passed over for opportunities because no one knew they wanted them

Having a document like this also makes it easier to have tough performance conversations later with your manager. I find it’s lot easier to talk about promotions / career advancement / new opportunities if I lay the groundwork from day one.

The other most important thing I’ve learned is that a manager can make or break a job. Good managers can make almost any job bearable, help you discover new strengths, and be your champion. Bad managers can make your whole life miserable. But most managers are just in between.

Managers at most tech companies have a lot on their plate. “Career managing” may be only one slice of their job — and often, managers have way too many reports. So figuring out how to get what you need - and asking directly for it — can be critical.

If you have the luxury of choosing between multiple roles or companies — ask if you can talk to the hiring manager. Sometimes they aren’t even part of the normal interview panel. Try and get a sense of their management style and how invested they are in the role.

That being said, it turns out managers can leave, be reassigned, or turn out to be different than you thought. So don’t make your decision solely on that person. (Or, if you do, be ready to leave when they do)