Early in my career, I emphatically asked my managers to work on most highly important yet most visibly failing products. They would look at me in shock. Why w

Early in my career, I emphatically asked my managers to work on most highly important yet most visibly failing products. They would look at me in shock. Why would I put my career at risk with such a thing? But, they would reluctantly agree. And, this may sound like masochism to some, but really I just liked a good puzzle and challenge, and I've always viewed work as a game. So, over the next 10 years and many products, I'm extremely proud to say, none of those products ended up failing. And, most eventually exceeded expectations. Who knows, it could have been by chance. Or, maybe it was regression toward the mean. But, I like to think that my focus on the problem and my motivation helped solve it. Over all of this, I was rarely directly credited, which is not surprising. Often I wasn't the 'manager' or even the 'technical lead'. I was just some relatively smart dude on the team, and I was in it for the thrill and enjoyment. The key is to 1) be a good manipulator (or, more politically correctly, a good 'influencer') 2) clearly understand the strengths, personalities, motivations, and goals of each member of the team 3) view each person as a potential 'force multiplier' (to take another word from the military) 4) strategically coordinate the right activities between the right people at the right time 5) lead from the bottom, by example 6) be positive and optimistic 7) recognize potential conflict early and extinguish it subtly If you have a really awesome manager, they can do this from the start. But, as many of us know, management (in the U.S., at least) is a status position, and it attracts those who like status or competition. I've only worked with one manager (out of dozens) who has been able to do this, well. It's a rare skill.