Biggest Challenges Faced by a Site Reliability Manager at Google
David, a Site Reliability Manager at Google, finds the most significant challenge in the role to be the delicate nature of teams and the evolving needs of the company, noting that "teams are delicate things." This includes navigating difficult conversations, such as delivering negative feedback and absorbing the anger of team members regarding company decisions while maintaining sanity and providing support.
Leadership, Team Management, Human Resource Management, Planetary Scale Systems, Difficult Conversations
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
David Fayram
Site Reliability Manager
University of California, Santa Barbara
None
Computer Science
Energy & Utilities, Technology, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Cyber Security and IT
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Developing people and working on planetary-scale projects are significant, rewarding yet challenging aspects of the role.
2. Managing team dynamics and adapting to changing company needs requires delicate handling and sometimes difficult feedback.
3. The need to absorb and manage the impact of company decisions, even those disagreed with, adds another layer of complexity to the role of a manager.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
Everything great is also super challenging. Developing people and working on things at a planetary scale are difficult, and that's probably why they are rewarding.
I think the biggest challenge comes when you become a team leader. Teams are delicate, and sometimes what a company needs from them changes. This can lead to situations where someone who was great for a team now struggles with it, which is always difficult.
Sometimes you have to give people negative feedback. I really don't enjoy doing that, but it's often justified. You have to find ways to help people take that feedback and grow from it.
Also, I think the hardest part about being a manager is having to take responsibility for the company making bad decisions or decisions you don't agree with. It's your job to listen to everyone being angry about those decisions.
You have to kind of take that on. Finding ways to do that helpfully and usefully, while also keeping yourself sane, is really tough.