Sometimes I fall into a trap where I think my manager should be able to solve EVERY problem on the team and if they’re not then they’re not doing their job. (the word “every” is surrounded by glowing lines for emphasis)

It’s helpful for me to remember that at any given time they’re probably dealing with a lot!

Illustration of a smiling stick figure, representing the manager, surrounded by spiky bubbles containing the following items.

• hire 2 people
• coordinate with other teams
• make sure the intern gets an offer on time (illustration of a clock)
• write 10 performance reviews
• finalize plans for next quarter
• make sure we have an onboarding plan for the new person
• interview new manager candidate
• a team member is unhappy, figure out what’s going on
• … personal life (smiley face)

I try to be somewhat aware of what my manager is dealing with & help out when I can.

Illustration of two smiling stick figures, one with curly hair representing the employee, and one with medium length straight hair, representing the manager.

employee: Here’s a project I think could be a good fit for the new person!
manager: good idea, thanks!