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I have been blessed with good managers the last few years.
Some of them also completed a lot of ambitious home improvement projects and were just handy in the tinkering sense.
I anticipate a lot of answers like BS, blame deflection, etc
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There are several flavors of managers;
- Do as I say.
- Let's collaborate and do what it takes to get the job done.
- Here's the project I'm busy.
I've had all 3 types and I prefer the second one.
Give me coffee to change the things I can and wine for those I can not!
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In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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And there is the "Headless chicken".
One developer I worked with was problems to software manager, and was given a book called "The art of headless chicken management" which he seemed to assume was a training manual.
I was working on about six projects, all complicated and he'd come to me and say "What are you working on? Why project A? I need project B done first!"
So, I'd try to make notes on where I was, take all the project materials down to the firesafe, log 'em in, log Project B out, go upstairs and try to work out what B was all about and where I was.
And then ... "What are you working on? Why project B? I need project C done first!"
So, I'd try to make notes on where I was, take all the project materials down to the firesafe, log 'em in, log Project C out, go upstairs and try to work out what C was all about and where I was (in the full knowledge that I'd get shifted soon).
And then his phone would ring again, another customer wants Project D ...
This happened about every hour, every day, until I quit.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
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One of the worst managers I worked for once gave me two projects to work on. I asked him which one he wanted done first, and he replied, "I want them both done". Yeah, not helpful.
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: I asked him which one he wanted done first, and he replied, "I want them both done".
Mine replied, "As well as." Yeah, f*** you, buddy. The production line (which I was in charge of) can only run one thing at a time. Plus changeover... Slowly, my motivation dropped to zero until I found a new job. Still have an utter detestation for the phrase, "As well as."
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I can relate. Worked for one that didn't know anything, didn't even suspect anything. 
Drove me nuts until I moved on. Why does that type try to micro manage?
>64
Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.
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I know the feeling.
I had a boss that would ask me to bid a job, then he would come back and say we got the job but instead of x hours it's now x/2 hours.
I would tell him it's going to take x hours, he would answer...no problem!
Give me coffee to change the things I can and wine for those I can not!
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - An updated version available! JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: Simon Says, A Child's Game
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I have worked for only a couple of good managers -- most managers are not good, as per the Peter Principle.
I'm trying to think of what made the best one so good, but I am stumped.
You are probably on the right track, surmising that the ability to complete a project solo -- not just outsourcing it -- is a good indicator.
One trait which I value in a manager is that he/she will point me in the general direction of the goal and leave me to it.
But I don't know why some managers will do that while others don't.
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In the sense of a mentor ... never met one. Particlarly where there is a "bonus" program: you only look good if you can make others look bad.
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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In my experience a good manager:
1 Takes the heat from upper management so devs can actually work.
2 Understands the project enough to perform #1 but not enough to interfere with the details.
3 Creates and enforces milestones so devs don't go rogue.
I'm sure there are more but it's Friday and I'm easily distracted... <Ooooh! Shiny!!>
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I somewhat disagree with 3. I might change it to "trusts that the devs won't go rogue, unless there is a history of rogality".
Manager : What did you accomplish yesterday?
DEV : I addressed the issue of physical security in the server room.
Manager : That sounds good, how did you do that?
DEV : I mounted a freakin' laser on the server cabinet.
Manager: Yeah, let's not do that. Ask me before adding features in the future.
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Shielding their staff from CEOs.
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In a large organization, it extends below CEOs.
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Same job, different parent corporations.
Old corp
Me -> manager -> VP -> C suite
If your priorities need to change or you need more money, let us know.
New corp
Me -> manager -> director -> junior VP -> senior VP -> C suite
Our department probably has one sentence per month on the junior VP’s status report.
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Good golfer? Good manager.
I had one of those.
1. Stopped by a few times a week and asked me if there was anything he should know.
2. If he saw me working on a tough problem, handed me a note saying to let him know if he could help.
3. When I was stuck in the office, on phone support, for an extended time, brought me something to eat.
4. Only asked me once what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Contracting was better, results oriented.
>64
Some days the dragon wins. Suck it up.
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Sending coherent emails, proper grammar, and spelling. Come on people, even my cat can click on the "correct the spelling" button and it just amazes me, it seems the higher up you go, the worse the communication gets.
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Marc Clifton wrote: Sending coherent emails, proper grammar, and spelling
I do not consider two and three significant.
Following grammatical rules certainly does not mean that someone can be an effective manager nor even effective at communication.
I would certainly rather have poor grammar versus things like yelling at employees, yelling at customers, crying, illegal drug use, inability to prioritize, inability to track what projects were assigned, inability to track what people are working on, inability to understand the difference between a demo and working application (in that case could not even conceptualize the difference when explained).
Those are all some things that I have experienced.
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Marc Clifton wrote: Sending coherent emails, proper grammar, and spelling.
It appears that American English as used in the business world has diverged significantly from the King's English, to the extent of being a separate language. I do not refer to different words for the same thing (film vs movie, lift vs elevator, etc.), but to the way that American English has turned verbs into adjectives/nouns, nouns into adjectives/verbs, and adjectives into verbs/nouns. There are times, when reading a communication from our CEO, that I feel that I need a translator.
There is, reputedly, a course a West Point where the cadets are given an assignment to write a clear set of orders for a task, If the resulting orders can be misunderstood, they've failed. I am fairly certain that not one CEO has ever passed that course.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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englebart wrote: I anticipate a lot of answers like BS, blame deflection, etc
People are people.
On average people are average. By definition. Expecting or demanding more is often just hubris.
Then some are better and some are worse.
Even given one person they might excel at one thing but be average at others or even worse at some.
This does mean of course that some people will, as probability dictates that they will have a run of luck either with better than average or below average.
But with probability most people will just experience the average ones.
So enjoy the above average ones while it lasts.
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“… where all of the X are above average.”
X = children, developers, managers, etc
Well said!
It becomes scary when X is drivers and you are stuck in a traffic jam or moving at 140+ km/hr
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The last manager I worked for used to be a junior support person, a very good one, she gradually worked her way through development to management and became a tyrant - a bloody good tyrant. Having the background in development and a deep industry knowledge she was invaluable, I expect to see her name in the senior ranks someday.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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I got my first employee two weeks ago.
So it's now up to me to manage said employee.
I gave him a clear task, helped him figure out the first steps, I'm (almost) always available for questions and I tell him not to overdo it and that he doesn't owe me overtime.
I'm not into micro managing, I've got other stuff to do.
Last week, we reviewed the work he did so far and we made some revisions.
Since I've been programming professionally for 13 years and he just started he can learn a lot from such sessions.
And, of course, I asked him what he wanted of a good work environment and provided (he picked his own laptop and he wanted a mechanical keyboard).
Oh yeah, and give proper praise for a job well done!
Basically what I wished my managers would do yet never did for some reason.
I hope I can continue doing this even when I get more employees.
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Communication - listening for understanding as well as spoken, clear expectations
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