The Management Transition

You've just become CTO at Facebook. Initially, the role involved a relatively small group reporting to you, where you contributed as a senior architect on various projects - doing hands-on technical work you love.

Then Mark Zuckerberg reorganizes the company and splits it into different groups. Overnight, you go from a handful of direct reports to running the platform and mobile groups - over 1,000 people across product, design, and engineering.

This is the largest management job you've ever had. At Google, you were a manager but with a modest team.

You're doing okay, but not great. You find yourself spending a lot of time on product and technology things you're personally passionate about, often editing presentations yourself because they don't meet your quality bar. You're getting frustrated when team members don't deliver work that meets your standards.

Sheryl Sandberg, your mentor and Facebook's COO, sees you editing a partner presentation and griping about the quality. She pulls you aside for a direct conversation. She gives you tough feedback about holding your team to higher standards - suggesting that if someone isn't meeting expectations, you need a plan to manage them out or develop them, rather than doing their work yourself.

The feedback is uncomfortable. You go home defensive, questioning whether it's really true or if she's overreacting.