The Manager README

When I discovered that someone had developed a README for humans my geeky heart was overjoyed. A Manager Readme is your quick reference to working with your lead and it’s an amazing idea executed well.

What’s in a README?

Let’s geek out on actual READMEs for a minute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/README

README file contains information about other files in a directory or archive of computer software. A form of documentation, it is usually a simple plain text file called READ.ME, README.TXT,[1] README.md (for a text file using markdown markup), README.1ST – or simply README.

So just like developers write READMEs to help explain their code, you can write a Manager Readme as a source of truth in case you see something that surprises you when working with your lead.

Andrew Khoury’s README

If you’d like to find out what it’s like to work with me you’ll find my README here: https://managerreadme.com/readme/drewkhoury — or checkout this snippet:

I’m here to deliver exceptional engineering solutions, remove roadblocks, and shield the team

At its core, I do three things for the team:

• Deliver exceptional engineering solutions by writing code, pairing with great engineers, uplifting the skills of my team, and helping the team solve complex problems through my experience or facilitating technical workshops to solve problems together
• Remove roadblocks stopping us getting things done
• Shield the team from interruptions and distractions

Note: I borrowed heavily from https://managerreadme.com/readme/auxesis (someone in the industry who I respect and admire) for my formatting an inspiration but made sure that each section fully represents me.

Contini READMEs

Great leaders are supported by — well, other great leaders!

Every Contini (that’s what we call ourselves over a Contino) has their own unique style. Some of us have private READMEs while other bold leaders like myself have made our READMEs public for the world to see. Either way we’re all unique thought leaders in our own right and you can find out more about what it’s like to work with each of us by heading over to https://managerreadme.com/company/contino.

The great bit is, each person owns their own README, and by looking at the collection of people in an organization you can start to get a sense of what they stand for. Your Manager README stays with you wherever you go so it’s really a window into what working in your team would be like.

Make your own!

If you’re a leader or manager I encourage you to write your own README https://managerreadme.com/

Your own README is a great way to take some time out to consider what you value and how you support your team. It doesn’t have to perfect, it should evolve as you do and allow for continuous improvement, just like we do with software.