Local Manager / Global Manager
Inspired by the “Good Product Manager / Bad Product Manager” seminal blog post by Ben Horowitz (a16z).
Local Managers are committed to the team members they see every day. Local Managers establish bonds working alongside their teammates. Local Managers place high value on employee “face time” in the office. Global Managers use videoconferencing regularly to build rapport with remote team members. Global Managers make a point to visit employees in other offices — to forge connections and to understand the challenges of working from their locations. Global Managers recognize that team members create value across all locations and timezones.
Local Managers are available for in-person discussions with people about their issues and concerns. Local Managers react quickly to decisions made in hallway conversations. Global Managers attempt to equalize the flow of information across geographies. Global Managers make themselves accessible to all employees through email, videoconference, and online chat tools.
Local Managers expect team members to fully understand the context of decisions (or if they don’t, to ask). Local managers rely on verbal communication to distribute information. Global Managers embrace the need to proactively convey decisions and context to their team members. Global Managers reiterate critical communications across multiple channels including: electronic messages & chat, scheduled meetings, and the corporate intranet.
Local Managers expect immediate responses to requests for information. Local Managers act instinctively and demand rapid turnaround time. Global Managers recognize the inherent latency of interacting across timezones. Global Managers strive to create teams that are loosely coupled but strongly aligned. Global Managers know that many autonomous teams will be more productive than a single larger team. (COROLLARY: defining a mandate for a team instills ownership and enables team members to become subject matter experts in their domain.)
Local Managers operate best with frequent direct team interactions for close oversight of project deliveries. Global Managers establish operating rhythms with teams that demonstrate a high level of trust and delegation — a prerequisite for scaling an organization.
Local Managers optimize the workload for their team. Local Managers promote a strong culture within their office. Local Managers strive to create great team chemistry.
Global Managers optimize for the entire organization. Global Managers promote a unified culture across geographies. Global Managers strive to create a shared sense of purpose and belonging across all teams.
