managerial vs. programming skills
Managerial vs. programming skills? A GIGANTIC difference!!!!!
I have been in several situations lately where I really begin to understand the difference between a good team lead/manager and a not so good one. In my current instance, manager is extremely good technically but we spend 90% of our meetings listening to this person direct everyone on what to do, listening to this manager talking and talking and talking and correcting, directing, and thinking out lout while we all listen in awe. I can tell the person has a huge ego (not entirely uncommon in the technical field!) and I dread each meeting, and am so tired of listening to the big big ego go on and on.
I can't wait to get out of this group, and I will soon. Leadership is a funny thing, I used to sneer at managers without technical skills but now I realize as soon as you are 1 or 2 levels above coding, it's the people skills that matter so much more. And leadership skills just can't be faked. I see now what they mean by "born leader." It's a person, whether technically savy or not, that you somehow trust cares about you at least a little bit, even in the context of a profit minded company. Someone who spends more time delegating than directing. Someone who has humility and isn't in love with the sound of their voice. Someone who can listen as well as talk, and makes sure no one person in the group gets to push others around. Leadership is really quite an amazing thing. It absolutely cannot be faked or learned in a short while, it is something that goes so deep I think either someone has it, or they don't, forever.
OK, well I just had to get that off my chest, since I'm stuck with this nightmare manager for a while. I've had some very very good ones too, managers that I would work like a dog for regardless of pay, so I know it's not just a problem with authority inside me. Having a bad one just really makes me appreciate the good ones.
So... to all you great managers out there, I salute you!
I have been in several situations lately where I really begin to understand the difference between a good team lead/manager and a not so good one. In my current instance, manager is extremely good technically but we spend 90% of our meetings listening to this person direct everyone on what to do, listening to this manager talking and talking and talking and correcting, directing, and thinking out lout while we all listen in awe. I can tell the person has a huge ego (not entirely uncommon in the technical field!) and I dread each meeting, and am so tired of listening to the big big ego go on and on.
I can't wait to get out of this group, and I will soon. Leadership is a funny thing, I used to sneer at managers without technical skills but now I realize as soon as you are 1 or 2 levels above coding, it's the people skills that matter so much more. And leadership skills just can't be faked. I see now what they mean by "born leader." It's a person, whether technically savy or not, that you somehow trust cares about you at least a little bit, even in the context of a profit minded company. Someone who spends more time delegating than directing. Someone who has humility and isn't in love with the sound of their voice. Someone who can listen as well as talk, and makes sure no one person in the group gets to push others around. Leadership is really quite an amazing thing. It absolutely cannot be faked or learned in a short while, it is something that goes so deep I think either someone has it, or they don't, forever.
OK, well I just had to get that off my chest, since I'm stuck with this nightmare manager for a while. I've had some very very good ones too, managers that I would work like a dog for regardless of pay, so I know it's not just a problem with authority inside me. Having a bad one just really makes me appreciate the good ones.
So... to all you great managers out there, I salute you!
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Even worse is when your manager is faking leadership and technical skills... I just left a company where the VP of IT had literally no skill set what so ever. The guy should have been manning a toll both on some highway. Last week I interviewed with a fortune 500 company and had high hopes. I interviewed with three IT Directors, one was the development manager who was confused by the terminology SDLC.... needless to say I declined their offer.... As a business systems analyst I spend most of my time around VPs and Directors and I'll tell you this, the vast majority of them have no idea what they're doing. The pre req is never industry experience in their field of expertise and what they consider leadership is a farce.
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AHHHHH...!!! LMFAO! How true, having no tech or leadership skill would be nightmare to work for/under. I wonder if things are getting worse out there in managerial land.
Managers and engineers have conflicting interests; both have to recognize that. I once had a lead that was inspiring. If you talked to him for a few minutes, you'd run back to your desk excited to be productive. I've never met anyone like that since...
I was once told that the difference between a manager and a programmer is that the programmer cares most about the end result whereas the manager cares most about the journey to the end result. I thought that was a particularly good way to put it.
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