I was talking with an engineering manager the other day who told me one key technique he uses for his teams. I thought it was one of those simple-yet-powerful techniques that I love so much.
The simplicity is this — when he does his weekly checkin with his reports, he asks them “in the past week, not just at work but in your life as a whole, what was your high and what was your low?”
I think this is a great approach to management. It’s highly touchy-feely, but I think that’s an important part of managing others. If someone is having a good time in their personal life, it can and will have an effect on their work performance. Likewise, if someone is having a bad time in their personal life, it can and will affect their work.
I think it’s worth being mindful that the effect might not be what we intuitively expect. Someone who is having bad things happen in their personal life might react by being distracted at work, or they might use work as a means to distract themselves from the unpleasantness and focus on it strongly. Or, perhaps there might be another reaction. There’s no way to know without discussing it and paying attention.
(To be clear, I’m not suggesting that people should use a dark pattern to drive their employees by offering work as a distraction from things that might be difficult at home, only saying that the connection between personal and work does exist, and is unique for each person.)
By understanding the person as a unique individual, and as a whole, a great manager can work with the natural rhythms of the lives that their team members live. I think this maximizes happiness and results, and minimizes mistakes and turnover, which are all desirable.