Why this finalist deserves to win Best Tech Manager:
At the young age of 26, Hannah White has done more in her career than most professionals in their 40s. She manages those younger and older than her with the confidence and empathy of a seasoned employee. It's difficult to put into words just how great of a manager Hannah is to her team of 6 designers and 1 marketing professional. Though she may be our direct manager, she is a true leader to the entire company. When something needs to be solved, the first person we go to is her. She is quick on her feet and can output better work in half the time it would take a team of ten to do. From product innovation to design and marketing, she is a true threat to any professional in the tech industry.
From the beginning, Hannah has always put her managee's best interests in mind. She's quick to have a discussion with each individual she manages about what they want out of their career and how Leverege can best put them on that path. In less than a year, she has made it possible for a marketing professional to become a part of a stacked developer team and promoted two managees to directors of segments of the company she used to run. In our day-to-day work, she encourages us to reflect on what we’ve done and push ourselves past the limits to truly realize our potential.
Hannah is the kind of person who cares deeply about the wellbeing of her managees, not only in the short term but in the long run as well. She has cultivated an environment whereas a designer, you have the opportunity to work on various different projects to better figure out what sort of work you enjoy yourself. She also encourages us to share what we like and goes out of her way to make sure we are put on those sorts of projects. Hannah does a great job at establishing career paths within our company. Since we are a startup and are beginning to grow, this allows us to focus in on projects and skills that will move us in our preferred career direction. It helps us stay driven and encourages self-reflection.
It can be difficult to strike a balance between managing rigorous, fast-paced work and maintaining a friendly and casual work environment, but Hannah’s guidance has set in stone a perfect area where we can have the best of both worlds. Our team is super close, and although we have a lot of fun, we also work really hard and respect one another tremendously. Managers can often seem out of touch with the rest of the employees, but Hannah’s relationship with the team speaks volumes to how in-touch she is with our needs and desires. She works on projects as much as (usually more than) everyone else and is integrated in the collaboration and feedback process. Her full involvement ultimately makes everyone feel as though they are on an equal playing field.
Hannah has so much talent and drive that just working around her pushes you to want to be a better designer yourself. She places a lot of trust in her managees and has faith in us even when we may be feeling doubtful ourselves. She often encourages you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone which is ultimately what leads you to becoming a more dynamic and capable designer.
Transparency is one of Hannah’s greatest qualities. She is always willing to provide us with the vision of the company from both the company’s perspective and her own. In a startup environment, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture of what you’re working on. Hannah conveys in a clear and beautiful way how our daily efforts are actively working towards achieving the larger company goals. Her touch is on everything in our company, and the fact that someone who dedicates so much of her time to innovating our company also makes time to hear our needs, act on them and still make us feel like equals is the true measure of a great manager.
