This playbook is for people managers at 37signals. In it, you’ll find everything you need to know about what's expected of you as a people manager, team leadership philosophies of 37signals, and how to balance people management with your core individual contributor work.
37signals employs no full-time managers. Instead we ask high-level individual contributors to lightly oversee their teammates' work and overall performance. Anyone at the Lead or Principal level may be asked to manage a teammate, though achieving that level doesn't necessarily mean being assigned management duties.
Managers at 37signals are responsible for tracking the performance, growth, and communication of their report, which includes:
- Helping a report establish a successful approach to substantial cycle projects.
- Being available throughout the cycle for questions and to provide guidance.
- Providing People Ops with key input to employee performance reviews.
- Identifying and escalating slips in performance or process to People Ops.
- Acting as a team leader by being a model of exceptional technical skill, engagement with your work and team, and curiosity & coachability.
The chapters that follow cover what this means at 37signals and tactics for success.
Most managers supervise 1-3 teammates. Your primary responsibility remains your core individual contributor work. If you find that people management is taking a disproportionate amount of your time, notify People Ops. They can help with your workload, whether that means redistributing your report(s) or working with you to address performance issues that may be causing drag on you and your team.
Before we jump in, there's a broader question of why this work matters at all. At 37signals, excellence as an individual contributor is what we value and reward most. We have no management track, and employees are never promoted for their success managing people. Management is a responsibility layered on top of the responsibility you have to your craft. That said, it matters that you perform your leadership duties well. Not for your own career progression, but because you are directly influencing a colleague's knowledge, skills, and the experience they have at work every day. Managing thoughtfully is a form of craftsmanship, just like engineering, design, and writing. It requires the same precision and pride in quality that makes you strong in your discipline. This playbook is here to help you do both well.