I'm creating this post for a very specific reason. Browsing through the team requests forums, everyone wants to be the leader of a team (ie: they want to take all the credit) but as everyone points out, not very many people are good managers. I started Pimpin Fox' Productions over 2 years ago with a friend, originally to make Flash animations, but as time went on i got into Programming, and took Pimpin' Fox into my own hands. I now consider it mine, but i would never take full credit for any of our work: all i want to do is create. After i ought Dark Basic, and DBP, i started programming. Realising that i needed a team, i went to these Forums, various musician forums, and some art forums, advertising for team members. Slowly i pulled together a fantastic team of very talented people: And i refuse to let them down by being a bad manager. It was all going well till about 2 weeks ago, when i failed my sound guy, John.
I was on a different computer and didn't have any of the facilities to send him a full description and screenshots to work from. However, having not thought it through like this, i sent him a basic text description of what i wanted. When John had finished it and sent it to me, it was a good Horror theme. The track was amazing. Unfortunately, i was looking for a Forest Theme for someone walking through the forest, with a little tense in it. John's track had swinging gates in it. There was a problem. It took me 1 second to realise it was my fault. So this post is also an Apology to my team, for my bad Managering. So i've decided that it would be a good idea to set out some ground rules for being a manager, or project leader, or whatever. So here's some of my basic Rules:
1) Contact: If you havn't contacted your team members in a week maximum, then e-mail them. Try to make sure that you contact them ever 3-4 days on average.
2) Don't fart about. If you set someone a task, then they have to do it. Make sure they do. If however you set them the wrong task, and they do the task set, then YOU ARE AT FAULT. Clean up your own damn mess, because it's your fault if they do the wrong thing.
3) Trust your team. They're not idiots, don't talk to them like children. Trust them to do good quality art/sound/code.
4) Give your team the mental space to do their thing. Don't give them an uber specific task to do, that's just stupid. Give them a Descritpion, and let them use their imagination. That's what makes the whole thing fun for everyone.
5) Set Deadlines, and stick to them. A manager can't be a pushover. If a member of your team is farting about doing bugger all work but still hoping to get his name in the Credits, then kick them out your team. Don't be a push-over, people respect someone with strength.
6) Don't ask someone do do something you wouldn't be prepared to try and do yourself. If you can't do art, fair enough. But if you ask someone do do you a super hi res picture of something, and you wouldn't touch it with a 60-foot barge pole, then neither will your team members.
7) Give them a choice. Make sure that you give them the work they'll enjoy most. Some people prefer to draw some things more than others, for example.
8) Reward your team with whatever you can. I can't afford to award my team with anything, but i give them enough compliments. I don't compliment bad work, but when things go (which they do almost always) i make sure they know first.
9) Socialise with your team! Don't keep it strictly business, have a laugh once in a while. My first artist (Kirsty, who has just left us...not to bad managerng but because of schoolwork, time issues, etc.) was taken out for a Pizza when she joined.
10) Always say Please and Thank you.
11) Remember that any work your team does belongs to them. If they draw some art, it's their art, not yours. Never take someone else's credit.
12) Be there to help them when they're stuck.
13) Give them something to look forward to-remind them why they're doing it as often as necissary. It works to make me go back and code when i can't be bothered.
14) Don't ever, EVER, lie to your team.
And a reccomendation: Send out a mothly newsletter, and keep a private messae board for your team to post on, that they can all check.
Those are some of the basic rules of being a good manager. If you break any of these rules, you can really forget about sticking to the more advanced rules of Managering. Anyone who feels like i've missed something out, then please post it. I'm doing this to make my mission as a manager public: so if i fail my team, then everyone will know about it. It's a bit like marriage, where you publicly claim your love for the other person. (Marriage out of a church i mean...)
Anyone with Feedback, give me a post. I would appreciate anyone else's input on this one.
Phew...my fingers hurt now.
Your soul...it tastes like chicken
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