[skeeter2020]

This is a good question, and I largely agree. I think the answer to your final question is in the preceeding two: a manager should be continually asking them (a) for the team and (b) for each individual on the team. Then next ask "what actions am I taking right now to test/implement these answers?".

A good manager doesn't need to know your job (that invites micromanagement) but they do need to known the "interface" for your role and be willing & able to learn aspects as they relate to growth and improvement. Managers work on a 2nd-order system that's an abstraction of the software you're building but with added complexity because it involves people. Depending on the balance it can look very similar or very different from the one developers navigate.