- Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said he loves "heartbeat" emails that give a 5-10 sentence update.
- Bosworth said these updates provide context if anything goes wrong and make it easier to help.
If you feel timid about asking your manager for help, Meta CTO Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth has a different way for you to frame it.
Rather than approach your manager with a problem, Bosworth said in an interview posted Sunday on "Lenny's Podcast," that he loves a 5-10 sentence email explaining where progress has been made and if there are any roadblocks.
If everything looks good, there's no response required on these kinds of emails, Bosworth said. But if there's room to do anything differently or better, that ping gives your manager an opportunity to redirect early on.
Plus, if there does happen to be an issue, this kind of check in shows your manager what you're working on makes it easier to help down the line, he said.
"Not only am I up to speed, I have a mental model. I'm engaged," Bosworth said to host Lenny Rachitsky. "Also, you've made it supercheap for me to help you."
Bosworth said asking your manager for help doesn't mean every problem will be solved. The CTO said one of the most powerful things a manager does is "refuse ro rule" which is when they take a step back and let the employee deal with the challenge. He said leaders have a responsibility to take a step back sometimes because there isn't always a quick solution.
But other times, Bosworth said he could've "bulldozed" through roadblocks and completely cleared a blocked path if only the employee had communicated earlier on. He said his job is filled with these kinds of "little touches."
Bosworth is a big fan of communication and he's even written about it in a blog titled "Communication Is the Job," where he details the importance of early and consistent communication.
In his post "Get It Done" he talks about the importance of doing the work correctly, which often means asking for help.
The CTO said in the podcast he doesn't want to see someone work on a project for six months and then turn it in wrong because they didn't communicate.
He said he'd "take the L" if there was a miscommunication, but he would much rather employees speak up along the way.
The CTO said your job isn't to do it yourself — it's to get the job done and get it done competently. Many times, your manager has the tools to help you do so, he said.
The CTO said your manager isn't testing you; they're rooting for you. If you do well, their job gets easier. Every manager has a different style of how they like to receive updates, Bosworth said. But no manager will get mad if you ask them how they want to stay informed, he said.
"Nobody wants you to be more awesome than your manager does," Bosworth said.