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World Congress 2025 • Aug 20, 2025 • Session details

Your Manager Doesn’t Come with a User Manual (But You Can Totally Write One)

Natalie Hylton

Tired of debugging your manager's leadership style? Write a personal user manual to set clear boundaries and transform a frustrating dynamic into a strategic partnership.

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#1 about 2 min

Why technical experts often struggle as new managers

Promoting top performers for technical skills rather than leadership abilities creates a gap in management practices.

#2 about 4 min

Resolving manager and employee burnout through relationship agreements

Unspoken expectations lead to employee burnout, which can be mitigated by creating a documented working agreement.

#3 about 3 min

Understanding unspoken expectations and the human side of managers

Recognizing that managers lack a user manual helps reframe frustrating dynamics into shared communication responsibilities.

#4 about 5 min

Using empathy and personal user manuals to build partnerships

Discovering a manager's communication preferences and sharing structured working style documents shifts the dynamic from working for to working with.

#5 about 5 min

Building trust through professional vulnerability and acknowledging mistakes

Admitting knowledge gaps or personal challenges humanizes professionals and accelerates trust without diminishing credibility.

#6 about 4 min

Proactive communication techniques for managing workloads and shifting priorities

Providing frequent status updates and negotiating new tasks prevents overload and removes guesswork for leadership.

#7 about 3 min

Articulating career goals and advocating for internal promotions

Assuming leaders know your career aspirations stalls progression unless explicitly communicated during clear conversations.

#8 about 2 min

Structuring one-on-one meetings for strategic career development

Supplying an agenda and scheduling dedicated monthly growth check-ins ensures consistent alignment on performance and advancement.

Matching moments

6:55 min

Addressing insecurity and ambition within manager and employee relationships

Sumit Gupta · JS Congress

2:13 min

Summarizing key retention strategies for human resources and tech leaders

Pauline Pagliaro Pauline Pagliaro · WWC 2025

3:54 min

Executive perspectives on developing employee talent and potential

Dennis Schmidt Dennis Schmidt +3 · WWC 2024

3:21 min

Identifying crucial skills and mindset gaps for managers

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

6:03 min

Adapting management styles to resolve employee communication misalignments

Chris Redmond Chris Redmond · WWC Europe 2026

2:38 min

Debugging human relationships in the tech industry

Rachel Lee Nabors · LIVE

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