[city41]

A bad EM can do so much more damage than a bad IC. I don't think that's talked about enough. In my now very long career I've had 1 great manager, a few good/decent ones, and a lot of lousy ones. The lousy ones just make the job so much harder and sometimes outright miserable. A bad EM coupled with junior ICs can be particularly bad combo. At least as I got older I came to realize I can work with bad managers and help move things towards a better place, or bail if I feel it's hopeless.

[jaxr]

How would you define that one great manager? What personality traits, behavior, skills made that person stand out? I'm curious as I'm getting more managerial responsibilities.

[zeroonetwothree]

The key is to remember your job as a manager is to unblock your ICs and make sure they are working on stuff that matches their skills. It is not to: - Overrule them on technical decisions - Create extra processes to follow because you are insecure

Being a good manager is all about doing the minimum. That’s why you see comments earlier in this thread about leaving your team for a few weeks.