May 7, 2014 at 6:39 am
The best manager I had was not technical. The worst manager I had was technical. Most are in between and are OK as leaders. I've had good and bad from both sides. What really seems to make the difference is the ability to understand the capabilities of their charges and act accordingly. You assign tasks based on their strengths and train to rid them of their weaknesses.
Tom
May 7, 2014 at 6:42 am
eric.notheisen (5/7/2014)
...I was on a project where a deadline was set by upper management but the UI designers took three months longer to get the design to us than planned. Senior management was never told of this delay until it was used as a reason for not delivering on time. Team leadership never told the development management team of the delay and as a result everyone had egg on their face.
The fear of reporting the truth only causes more mayhem in my experience.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
May 7, 2014 at 6:42 am
erb2000 (5/7/2014)
We don't have managers. We use the "Group System" where everyone is a member of one or more groups. Each group reports to another group in a hierarchy. There is a group leader, but he is not above any of the members. People in our company are expected to know what to do and do it. We have six month peer reviews, and if someone isn't working out it is obvious.I've been here four years and love it. I am in a product development group and a product support group. For the first group I develop new features. For the second group I fix bugs.
Now that sounds interesting!!!
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
May 7, 2014 at 6:52 am
Surely no-one would ever *want* to be a manager if they were paid less than the people they're overseeing? I certainly wouldn't want to do that job! 🙂
May 7, 2014 at 7:00 am
Steph Locke (5/7/2014)
The proposition that managers should be de facto paid less than technical experts isn't something I agree with. I'd suggest the amount of management a particularly strong set of technical experts needs is actually significantly higher and more complex than a team of mediocre techies as they will need interactions with folks higher up the company and the pressures are greater. Such a person needs to be very skilled at management and their pay should reflect that.
+1 !
I think we get hung up on how managers "manage people" when in fact, much of managers work involves directing peoples efforts, and when you think of it, making multiple peoples workflows mesh in a productive fashion is a nontrivial problem!
May 7, 2014 at 7:10 am
Some techies should not be managers, and I was one of them. At one point I was hired to start up a new IT shop for a fairly large distribution business. We were very early adopters of portable data entry devices and database technology and were written up in national trade magazines. I was not a particularly good manager, understood that, came to hate the responsibility, and after eleven years, went happily back to being a technical person, and did a good job of it for the the rest of a forty-two year career. As far as remuneration, My experience is that if you do your job well, you can ask for and actively negotiate for the salary level you need. As a technical person, over a long career, I was able to get my final salary level about seventeen times my entry level, so I kept up with inflation fairly well. Just a cautionary note, be sure you plan for your own retirement. You'll be glad you did.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
May 7, 2014 at 7:20 am
Good editorial today. I want 3 things from a manager:
1. Direction - I don't always want to be picking my tasks, I want to know what needs to be done and when.
2. Accountability - I want to be held accountable for getting things done on time and in the best way possible.
3. Insulation - A manager should have my back, praise publicly, chastise privately. If a project is behind, take the heat from above and then pass it on. If timelines are unrealistic, push back to the people setting the timelines.
All three of those involve good communication. I've had bosses that did all 3 and had a great time, and I've had bosses that did none of the 3 and it was miserable.
As far as pay goes, I disagree that managers should be paid less than the people they manage as a general rule. There may be instances where that makes sense or where there is an exceptional technical person that should be paid more than the manager, but since I expect my manager to take the heat for me, that person deserves to make more than me.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
Check out these links on how to get faster and more accurate answers:
Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help
Need an Answer? Actually, No ... You Need a Question
May 7, 2014 at 7:23 am
Ugh. I've had nothing but bad management so far in my career. My current manager is quite the piece of work :-P. Everyone pretty much says that, should he get involved in anything, the process will only bog down.
Latest foible from him... He hired a contractor to design a new webpage for our company. He went with the lowest bidder, a guy that does... Webpages in Wix and WordPress. Great if you need a personal blog, but for a company that needs FTP protocols, video and audio file hosting, a database-backed interface, and a dozen other things, well...
The sad part is, we have a very skilled web designer literally sitting right next to me. He built the original website, which was great, and met all of the company's needs, but it's been subjected to a half-dozen redesigns now, under order from the manager, because our web designer "doesn't work for a reputable web company".
Naturally, the crack that's always immediately fired back is "Yep! That's right! I DON'T work for a reputable web company. I work for... You." With a hearty chuckle and a stroll out of the room. It's hilarious, but oppressively depressing at the same time :hehe:
- 😀
May 7, 2014 at 7:41 am
Steph Locke (5/7/2014)
Hopefully someone can assist with the relevant citation for me, but I recall reading Mythical Man Month and thinking about the insights Brooks had from IBM(?) where they had two tracks managerial and technical. Generally you were expected to be an expert in one and not both, based on the belief that that you can't spend enough time on both to be more than mediocre at both.I've had the fortune to lead a small team and be responsible for junior analysts and whilst it was neat to be able to train them and form an effective team, I got really bored being away from technical challenges. I personally wouldn't want to be a manager but I really value good managers for being able to handle all the politics, team interactions, meetings, project prioritisations and all the other stuff that is needed.
The proposition that managers should be de facto paid less than technical experts isn't something I agree with. I'd suggest the amount of management a particularly strong set of technical experts needs is actually significantly higher and more complex than a team of mediocre techies as they will need interactions with folks higher up the company and the pressures are greater. Such a person needs to be very skilled at management and their pay should reflect that.
I agree 100%, well said. I'm not a manager nor do I care to be one.
-------------------------------------------------------------
we travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us
Don't fear failure, fear regret.
May 7, 2014 at 8:07 am
The sports analogy is dead on. Yet, despite all the of obsession with sports in business, the part about how to manage a sports team falls on deaf ears. So far, I'd say that 90% of the people I've met in management did not add value.
But, on the plus side, that allows the few good companies to succeed. So, if you do choose to be an employee, choose wisely!
The more you are prepared, the less you need it.
May 7, 2014 at 8:19 am
Jack Corbett,
Spot on definition of a good manager, especially the third point. Insulation from the political, financial and personality pressures really lets the techs stay focused.
I would add a fourth to your list:
Trust - A manger should show trust in the decisions of the staff in technical matters, communication within and outside of the team as well as work schedule.
I have had the fortune to have two managers that had all four traits including my current. His favorite saying is to tell us that he is there to make the office free of drama, distractions and give us the tools, time and resources to get the job done. This mentality comes down from his boss, who manages the same way.
Needless to day, we as a team will always go the extra mile to make sure the job get done, even it means a 16 hour day or weekend when needed. In turn, he limits the overtime and stress to a minimum.
Anton
Jack Corbett (5/7/2014)
Good editorial today. I want 3 things from a manager:1. Direction - I don't always want to be picking my tasks, I want to know what needs to be done and when.
2. Accountability - I want to be held accountable for getting things done on time and in the best way possible.
3. Insulation - A manager should have my back, praise publicly, chastise privately. If a project is behind, take the heat from above and then pass it on. If timelines are unrealistic, push back to the people setting the timelines.
May 7, 2014 at 8:30 am
WOW, Steve, great post! There's a lot I could say, relevant to what you said, but I don't think it would necessarily be a good thing to say. I'll just make one, safe observation, and that is that most companies I encounter still have a system where, if you want to get ahead, you've got to go into management. You can quickly hit the ceiling if you stay in the technical field/individual contributor side of things. The only way up with the company is management.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
May 7, 2014 at 8:40 am
Laurence J. Peter had it right in his 1969 book The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong with Raymond Hull. People will tend to be promoted until they reach their "position of incompetence".
May 7, 2014 at 8:57 am
beneteau (5/7/2014)
I've had a few bad managers over the years, but mostly they were NOT the ones promoted from the technical ranks. The technical ones have known what I'm doing and what I'm up against, and have been an incredible support by going to the meetings, extracting decisions from them, and trying to shelter me from all the political stuff that gets in the way of my job. I'd HATE to have to do that, so I think they deserve every penny of extra income! Working for a good person has been top priority for me for many years now: thanks to Roger, Melvin, and Gary who have fit the bill!
Good for you. I've had a mixed bag, with quite a few of the technical managers not doing any managing, and either doing work, or micro-watching tasks that I'm doing.
May 7, 2014 at 8:59 am
erb2000 (5/7/2014)
We don't have managers. We use the "Group System" where everyone is a member of one or more groups. Each group reports to another group in a hierarchy. There is a group leader, but he is not above any of the members. People in our company are expected to know what to do and do it. We have six month peer reviews, and if someone isn't working out it is obvious.I've been here four years and love it. I am in a product development group and a product support group. For the first group I develop new features. For the second group I fix bugs.
That's interesting. Can you share where this is? Can you, or would you, write something up in more detail on this?
Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 58 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply