The best manager to have is one that can help you with your personal development, not just with your actual job. Not all managers are good at this. The ideal manager is invested in you as a person and really wants to see you succeed.

It is important to build a good relationship with your manager. In a work environment, there will be conversations about you that you won’t be a part of. You need to have someone who will be a champion for you and your work in that scenario, your manager can be that person.

Try to meet the person who will be managing you before you take a new job. When you meet your manager ask them about the company culture and the role they will have in managing your role. This will be a good indicator to you whether the manager and company will be a good fit.

Each person on a team is unique so each person should be managed differently. If your manager is using the same management style and techniques for everyone on the team it is likely that you will clash at some point. The management style that works well with someone else might not work as well with you.

Remember - you don’t have to become a manager to progress your career to the next level. You might be on the management track within your design career, or you might be on the individual contributor track, with the goal of progressing your career solely in the design field. Both are excellent routes of progression, just make sure you’re on the right one for you

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01.06 – different types of managers

03.46 – your manager’s role

06.26 – best practice

09.19 – building a good relationship

11.06 – our advice

14.16 – traits of a good manager

16.16 – our experience with managers, good and bad

17.31 – women in senior management roles

22.06 – promote the right people