TMxG Leadership Resources

This section is for Team Member Resource Group (TMRG) and Team Member Advocacy Group (TMAG) leaders and co‑leaders (collectively, TMxGs).

It builds on the main TMxG guide and the TMRG Reimagined framework. Here you’ll find practical leadership resources to help you:

• Plan realistic programming across the three pillars (Career Development, Community Engagement, Allyship).
• Manage time and budget in a sustainable way.
• Partner effectively with your DIB team partner and Executive Sponsor.
• Track and communicate impact without a huge admin burden.

For step‑by‑step internal how‑tos, screenshots, and templates, see the internal TMxG Leaders Resource Hub in Google Drive (GitLab team members only).

What TMxG leadership means

TMxG leaders are volunteer team members who coordinate programming and community‑building for their group. You are not expected to do this alone: you have DIB support, Executive Sponsorship, and fellow leaders.

At a high level you will:

• Plan and deliver activities across the three pillars.
• Manage and forecast your quarterly TMxG budget (with DIB guidance).
• Track activities and participation in the shared TMxG activity tracker.
• Partner with your Executive Sponsor for visibility, advocacy, and barrier‑removal.
• Maintain a sustainable cadence that fits alongside your core role.

Typical time commitment is ~2 hours per month on average, with busier months (for example, major cultural observance months) and quieter months balancing out.

TMxG budgets are allocated through the DIB team, with the possibility of additional support from Executive Sponsors or divisional budgets for specific initiatives.

See:

• Definitions: What Counts?
• Quarterly Planning Guide
• Event Planning Guide
• Executive Sponsorship for TMxGs
• Templates & Tools
• Measuring Impact

Quick start for new leads

If you are a new TMxG lead or co‑lead, we recommend:

1. Review the main TMxG guide

   • Understand what TMxGs are, who can join, and how groups are formed.

2. Read these leadership pages in order

   1. Definitions: What Counts?
   2. Quarterly Planning Guide
   3. Event Planning Guide
   4. Executive Sponsorship
   5. Measuring Impact

3. Connect with your DIB partner

   • Confirm your group’s status, budget, any existing or proposed pods, and upcoming cultural observance months.

4. Access internal resources

   • Open the internal TMxG Leaders Resource Hub (Google Drive) for detailed how‑tos, finance guidance, Loop/Workday instructions, and pod operating guidance.

5. Start small, iterate often

   • Aim to meet the minimum expectations first, then build from there.

Minimum expectations (TMRG Reimagined)

All GitLab‑supported TMxGs are expected to:

• Host 1 community engagement activity per month (for example, social call, async discussion, coffee chat, cultural celebration post).
• Deliver 1 quarterly initiative aligned to one of the three pillars (for example, speaker session, cultural observance event, workshop).
• Deliver at least 1 allyship‑focused activity per year (this can also be your quarterly initiative).
• Track all activities in the shared activity tracker and submit a short quarterly report.
• Maintain an Executive Sponsor engagement plan and meet regularly (sync or async).

Cultural observance month events can count for both your monthly activity and your quarterly initiative.

The rest of this section explains how to meet these expectations in a sustainable way.

Becoming a TMxG lead

Selection criteria

To be considered for a TMxG lead or co‑lead role, you must:

• Be performing in your role and not part of any active performance management process (confirmed by the People Group).
• Be a full‑time GitLab team member (including PEO and full‑time contractors).
• Have at least 6 months’ tenure at GitLab.
• Ideally already be an active member of the TMxG.
• Have manager approval to commit the time and use the role as a professional development opportunity.
• Be able to commit to a minimum of one year in the role.

Selection process

1. The DIB team announces vacancies in the relevant TMxG Slack channel.
2. The nomination window stays open for two weeks from the original Slack message.
3. Interested team members self‑nominate by completing the TMRG Lead Nomination work item template in the DIB Diversity & Inclusion project (gitlab-com/people-group/dib-diversity-inclusion-and-belonging/diversity-and-inclusion).
4. The DIB team consults with existing TMxG members, leads, the People Team, Executive Sponsors, and managers before making a decision — to ensure the best fit and that diversity of department, geography, and URG representation is considered.

Lead training

All new TMxG leads should complete the lead training before their first quarter:

• Training video
• Training slides

Roles within a TMxG

Lead and co‑lead

The lead (or co‑leads) are responsible for the strategic direction and day‑to‑day operations of the TMxG. Core responsibilities include:

• Operational leadership of the TMxG.
• Meeting with the DIB team at least once per quarter.
• Submitting quarterly and annual plans using the templates provided.
• Managing and tracking the TMxG budget.
• Facilitating meetings (sync and async) with inclusivity across time zones.
• Serving as the point of contact for any team or team member requesting partnership or education with the TMxG.

Accountabilities — the following are required to maintain TMxG status. The DIB team may remove leads who are not meeting these accountabilities, remove TMxG status, or change the group’s status:

• Maintaining a structured quarterly and annual plan, submitted and discussed with the DIB team.
• Delivering on the plan.
• Managing the TMxG budget, including tracking spend.
• Engaging and growing TMxG membership.

Lead term, renewal, and succession

Term of service

Leads commit to a minimum of one year, with the option to step back earlier if circumstances change.

Each January, a selection process opens to allow other team members to nominate themselves. If no one nominates themselves, existing leads are automatically invited to continue, provided they still meet the selection criteria.

Succession

Leadership succession is critical to keeping TMxGs sustainable and leaders energised. Outgoing leads should, where possible, overlap with incoming leads, acting as advisors during the transition.

A good way to develop the next generation of leaders is to look for members who have taken smaller roles in committees or event organisation — speak with them about their interests and encourage them to take on more visible roles over time.

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