Everyone tells you to “protect your mental health”. That’s hard when you’re an employee + not in charge of the situation or environment.
Recently I found myself getting anxious about work bc of multiple factors — morale, teammates, mounting expectations.
What worked (so far):
Told my manager early
I didn’t wait till it got really bad, to the point I was burnt out. I told him I was starting to experience anxiety bc of these factors + foresaw it building w what was coming up.
He appreciated the honesty + ability to course correct.
Pinpoint the issues
Instead of just saying “I’m anxious”, I figured out what was causing me anxiety. For me:
- Specific teammates morale
- Upcoming team changes
- Increased scope
Now we could problem solve on each one.
Address the controllable
In my case, we are addressing team morale + pausing some changes bc they’re too much at once.
And I was able to get an extra headcount or two to manage the increased scope.
My anxiety isn’t *completely* gone, but at least it’s being addressed.
I’m approaching this very differently than I have in the past. I used to complain to a few work friends + get frustrated by issues that I COULD fix, but didn’t want to put the work into.
Or, I wouldn’t say anything until my breaking point.
Already this exp is much better.
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I've been an Engineering Manager for 6 years, at start-ups and big cos. One of the most important lessons I've learned as an EM is a key ingredient to managing well + propelling your growth that most people avoid:
💡Weekly Updates
But you don't write just anything in them.
As an EM, you're managing a lot of people's expectations on top of your team's performance.
Weekly updates are the best way to update leadership, report project changes, and get everyone on the same page.
Why do people tend to avoid them?
More often than not, the update is fine so no one responds. It can feel like overhead to write something weekly that people may or may not read.
BUT if you stop you lose: historical context, ability to course correct quickly, and trust.