[mcntsh]

> engineers mainly want to be left alone to do their jobs

Sounds like a happy path but what happens when things go wrong?

If all engineers needed to do their jobs was for someone to leave them alone and let them do what they wanted there wouldn't really be a need for managers.

[rramadass]

That is precisely the point. Leave them alone to do their job but with an eye on the progress/results and if they seem to be straying, nudge them back onto the path. Do not micromanage; any exceptions have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Delegate responsibility, Clarify deliverables, Request regular progress reports but at the same time give them the Freedom and Autonomy to do their job their own way.

Relevant Reading:

1) A radical article from HBR, First, Let’s Fire All the Managers : https://hbr.org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers

2) Speech by Dave Packard to HP Managers (1960) - https://gizmodo.com/the-hp-way-how-bill-hewlett-and-i-built-... (this is one of my favourites)

3) Also see the book Why we do what we do: Understanding Self-motivation by Edward Deci for insights.